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NeXroll is a preroll manager for Plex and Jellyfin that makes setup effortless. It runs natively on Windows and works in Docker, featuring a clean web interface, optional background service, and lightweight tray app. Everything is self-contained, and a single installer gets you up and running in minutes.

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Main Features

• Preroll management

  • Upload multiple preroll videos with metadata
  • Automatic thumbnail generation (FFmpeg)
  • Enhanced tag system with visual badges, autocomplete, and easy editing
  • Tags display as purple pill-shaped badges in grid and list views
  • Interactive tag editor with individual tag removal and browse functionality
  • Multi category assignment with improved multi select workflow

• Categories & Holiday Presets

  • Organize your library by categories (Default, Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
  • Comprehensive Holiday Presets library with 32 holidays and events
  • Includes winter, spring, summer, fall, cultural, seasonal, and special event presets
  • One click Holiday Presets initializer creates per holiday categories and date ranges
  • Holiday presets integrate with schedule creation for automatic date population
  • Apply a category to Plex as a preroll sequence

• Scheduling

  • Flexible schedules with date/time ranges and recurrence
  • Optional fallback category when no schedule is active
  • Real time scheduler status

• Media Server integration

  • Connect to Plex or Jellyfin servers
  • Connect via URL/token or Stable Token (persistent)
  • Status monitoring and quick Apply-to-Server actions

• Community Prerolls

  • Access thousands of community-curated prerolls from prerolls.typicalnerds.uk
  • Smart search with synonym expansion and category filtering
  • Platform filtering (Plex/Jellyfin/Emby)
  • Local indexing for instant searches across 1,300+ prerolls
  • One-click downloads with no automatic tagging
  • Random preroll discovery
  • Fair Use Policy protection

• Windows experience

  • One click installer with optional Windows Service and System Tray app
  • Start with Windows, Firewall rule (TCP 9393), and FFmpeg installation via winget
  • Self contained executables (no Python required on user machines)

• Backup & Restore

  • Comprehensive database backup includes prerolls, categories, schedules, sequences, and holiday presets
  • Files backup creates ZIP archives of both preroll and sequence video files
  • Full restore capability with proper data integrity and foreign key handling
  • Sequence metadata and block structures preserved through backup cycle
  • Datetime handling with fallback protection for timestamp fields

• Observability & storage

  • Logs under %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs
  • SQLite database storage under %ProgramData%\NeXroll

• API

  • REST API with interactive docs at http://localhost:9393/docs

Download and Install

1. Download the latest NeXroll_Installer.exe from GitHub Releases: https://github.com/JFLXCLOUD/NeXroll/releases
2. Run NeXroll_Installer.exe (administrator recommended).
3. Choose:
   • Install location (default: C:\Program Files\NeXroll)
   • Preroll storage directory (can be on any drive)
4. Optional components you may select:
   • Install as Windows Service (NeXrollService)
   • Plex Stable Token setup (runs setup_plex_token.exe)
   • Start with Windows (adds the tray app to Startup)
   • Install FFmpeg via winget (for thumbnail generation)
   • Windows Firewall rule (Allow inbound TCP 9393 for local web UI)
5. Finish the installer and open the app from the Start Menu or tray menu.

After install, visit http://localhost:9393 to use the web UI.

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What 's Installed

• NeXroll.exe the web application (FastAPI + bundled frontend)
• NeXrollService.exe optional Windows Service wrapper
• NeXrollTray.exe system tray app with quick actions
• setup_plex_token.exe helper to obtain a stable Plex token

Start Menu shortcuts are created for NeXroll, NeXroll Tray, and Uninstall NeXroll. A desktop shortcut for NeXroll is also added.

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System Tray App

The tray icon provides quick actions:

• Open launches http://localhost:9393 (default action)
• Start Service attempts to start the Windows service (if installed)
• Stop Service stops the Windows service (if installed)
• Restart Service restarts the Windows service (if installed)
• Start App (portable) starts the packaged app directly (non service)
• Check for updates checks GitHub Releases and opens the latest release if a newer version is available (dialog is foreground and closable)
• About shows app information (dialog is foreground and closable)
• GitHub opens https://github.com/JFLXCLOUD/NeXroll
• Exit closes the tray app

If you selected Start with Windows, the tray app launches automatically at login.

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Windows Service (Optional)

If chosen during installation, the NeXrollService Windows Service is installed. You can manage it via Services.msc or the following commands (run from C:\Program Files\NeXroll or your chosen InstallDir):

NeXrollService.exe install
NeXrollService.exe start
NeXrollService.exe stop
NeXrollService.exe remove

Logs (service mode): %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\service.log Logs (packaged app): %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\app.log Logs (tray): %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\tray.log Database (packaged): %ProgramData%\NeXroll\nexroll.db

Tip: if a previous NeXroll instance is still running and occupying port 9393, the service may need a second start attempt after that instance is closed.

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Requirements

• Windows 10/11 x64
• FFmpeg for thumbnail generation (you can install it from the installer's optional components, or manually)
• Network access to your Plex or Jellyfin server
• No Python required on user machines

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First Time Setup

1. Open http://localhost:9393
2. Connect to your media server:
   • Connect to Plex or Jellyfin using URL and credentials
   • For Plex: Use your Plex URL and token; or run setup_plex_token.exe to create a long lived "stable token"
3. Upload prerolls, create categories, and configure schedules.

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Upgrade / Uninstall

• Upgrade: simply run the newer NeXroll_Installer.exe over the existing installation. Your configured Preroll storage path is preserved, and data is not removed.
• Uninstall: use "Uninstall NeXroll" from the Start Menu (or Apps & Features). The installer removes the service and shortcuts; your Preroll storage directory is not deleted.

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Building From Source

See the full packaging guide in NeXroll/Docs/PACKAGING.md.

Prerequisites (build machine):

• Python 3.10+ (build time only)
• pip install: pyinstaller, pywin32, pystray, Pillow
• NSIS 3.x (makensis on PATH)

Build commands (run from the repository root):

py -m PyInstaller -y NeXroll\build\neXroll.spec
py -m PyInstaller -y NeXroll\build\NeXrollService.spec
py -m PyInstaller -y NeXroll\build\setup_plex_token.spec
py -m PyInstaller -y NeXroll\build\NeXrollTray.spec

makensis NeXroll\build\installer.nsi

Outputs:

• dist\NeXroll.exe
• dist\NeXrollService.exe
• dist\setup_plex_token.exe
• dist\NeXrollTray.exe
• NeXroll\build\NeXroll_Installer.exe (Release asset is published as a generic name)

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Project Structure

• Backend (FastAPI): NeXroll/backend/
• Packaged runtime backend: NeXroll/backend/
• Frontend (static build served by backend): NeXroll/frontend/
• Windows Service wrapper: NeXroll/scripts/windows_service.py
• System tray app: NeXroll/scripts/tray_app.py
• PyInstaller specs:
  • NeXroll/build/neXroll.spec
  • NeXroll/build/NeXrollService.spec
  • NeXroll/build/NeXrollTray.spec
  • NeXroll/build/setup_plex_token.spec
• NSIS installer: NeXroll/build/installer.nsi

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Troubleshooting

• "Service did not respond in time"
  • Ensure no other process is using port 9393; stop any NeXroll.exe that 's running, then start the service again.
• UI not reachable at http://localhost:9393
  • If you selected the firewall component, verify the inbound rule "NeXroll (TCP 9393)" exists. Otherwise, allow inbound TCP 9393 or re-run the installer and select the firewall option.
• Service logs location
  • Check %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\service.log for service-mode startup and health probe messages.
• Thumbnails not created
  • Install FFmpeg (choose the installer component, or install manually); re upload a preroll.
• Tray icon not shown
  • Run "NeXroll Tray" from Start Menu; pin it so it's always visible.
• Media server connection issues
  • Verify your Plex or Jellyfin server is reachable from the machine, and credentials are valid (retry setup_plex_token.exe for Plex if needed).

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License

MIT. Third party components remain under their respective licenses.

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Support

If NeXroll is helpful, consider supporting ongoing development:

Join the community on Discord for support, feature requests, and discussions:

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Credits

Community Prerolls powered by Typical Nerds - Thank you for making thousands of prerolls available to the community!