How to skip TV show intros in Jellyfin
I use Jellyfin to watch TV shows, and while I enjoy watching the intro credits of some series every time, others really try my patience. That’s why I decided to add the “Skip Intro” button which I saw on other streaming platforms but was missing on my Jellyfin server.
Jellyfin is one of the most popular alternatives to Plex, and while it stands out in some ways, it lacks many of the features standard in Plex by default, at least with a Plex Pass subscription. However, some missing features can be added through the use of Jellyfin plugins. They are free and one of the best is the Intro Skipper plugin.
I’m using Jellyfin 10.11.2 to demonstrate the process in this article. The 10.11 Jellyfin update involved an overhaul of the admin dashboard, meaning if you haven’t updated yet, the interface will be a little different. Yet the process is essentially the same between 10.11 and other recent versions.
How Can Jellyfin Add Jump Buttons?
The spirit of Jellyfin as an open source alternative to Plex is freedom. While Plex locks the ability to skip the intro behind a subscription, Jellyfin makes it optional in the form of a third-party plugin.
In case you’re curious, the Intro Skipper plugin for Jellyfin works by analyzing episodes of TV shows and identifying segments. If you’re worried about the privacy of your viewing habits, don’t worry; Intro Skipper, to my knowledge, does not use any external database to perform its analyses.
According to its documentation, parsing the plugin is a complex process that includes checking the video file for a chapter denoting an introductory theme, attempting to recognize recurring audio clips played at the beginning of all episodes, as well as a few other more primitive identification methods.
If the plugin believes an intro is playing, Jellyfin shows you a “Skip Intro” button that will allow you to skip for however long it estimates the intro will last. The plugin is also capable of using some of the same methods to try to detect recaps, previews, and end credits.
As you might guess, there is always a chance that the plugin will misidentify segments. Fortunately, you can customize the Intro Skipper’s behavior and change its scan settings if it misses the target. I’ll show you how to do this later.
First, add the Intro Skipper repository
The Intro Skipper plugin for Jellyfin is not available in your Jellyfin server’s default repositories. You need to add the third-party repository first.
To do this, first log in to your Jellyfin server’s web interface as administrator. Open the dashboard and click on the Plugins option from the left navigation menu.
At the top right of the Plugins dialog box, click “Manage Repositories”.
There, click “New Repository”.
You then have two fields to fill out. The first is the name of the repository, where you can write whatever you want. This is how you will find the labeled repository in your repository manager. For simplicity, I opted for the label “Intro Skipper”.
Next, you need to insert a repository URL. This points to a JSON file that helps your Jellyfin server install the plugin. The developer of Intro Skipper provides this URL as follows:
https://intro-skipper.org/manifest.json
Copy and paste this URL into the field.
Click “Add”, then you will see it available in your repository list.
Install the Intro Skipper plugin
Once the repository is in place, go back to the main plugins menu and search for Intro Skipper in your repositories. You will see the plugin listed in the results. Click on it and then click on the Install button.
You will receive a standard warning about third-party plugins and the dangers they carry. I trust this project based on what I know about it, so I recommend going ahead and confirming the installation.
Restart Jellyfin and scan your TV shows
Once the installation is complete, you will need to restart your Jellyfin instance for the plugin to start working. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is to go to the main dashboard and click “Restart” just below your server information.
After restarting, if you want to immediately test the functionality, you will need to force a scan of your library. (Alternatively, you can just wait and the scan will run automatically overnight.) Go to the “Scheduled Tasks” option in your dashboard menu, find Intro Skipper Tasks, and run the “Detect and Analyze Media Segments” task.
Wait for the process to complete before trying to watch your media. You should also check the settings of the client you’re using to watch, as some have their own skip buttons.
If it works, you should see a “Skip” or “Skip Intro” button appear when a TV show’s intro theme starts.
Introductory skipper troubleshooting
Once you start watching shows, you may notice that the skip button appears where it shouldn’t, or doesn’t appear where it should. First, you need to force Jellyfin’s “Media Segment Scan” task into your scheduled tasks to ensure that Jellyfin has scanned all segments that the plugin relies on.
If that doesn’t solve your problem, you can find Intro Skipper in your plugin manager dashboard and open the plugin settings to change how it works.
You’ll see several options at your fingertips, including toggles for experimental features that may resolve any issues you encounter. There are a ton of things you can adjust, from the percentage of media to search for intros to the number of black frames that must appear in a row before they’re considered the end of a segment.
If you’re not sure what to do, I recommend checking out the official Intro Skipper wiki to learn more about troubleshooting specific issues.
Besides adding skip content buttons, you can do so much more with your Jellyfin server. I’ve recently grown to love Jellyfin’s music streaming capabilities. You can also personalize your server by setting up a custom Jellyfin theme.
