[Issue]: Movie matching #4083

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opened 2026-02-07 00:23:42 +03:00 by OVERLORD · 8 comments
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Originally created by @UnviableFriend on GitHub (Aug 6, 2022).

Please describe your bug

Jellyfin fails to correctly match movies with one word names when there are other movies with that one word in the name and then more. I tried searching for existing bugs and the only my (poor) searching ability found was #7594 which was closed and also talks about IDs.

An example would be the movie Carter (2022). Jellyfin picks Coach Carter (2005) despite Carter (2022) being an exact match for the name. Even if you use the Identify option to correct it, and input the year, you get 3 other movies before the right one. So it's not just a file naming issue. This happens for me many many movies with one word names. The year seems to be ignored, and it doesn't favour the exact matches.

Jellyfin Version

Other

if other:

10.8.1

Environment

- OS: Linux Mint
- Virtualization: Virtualbox on windows host
- Clients: Browser
- Browser:Firefox
- FFmpeg Version:
- Playback Method:
- Hardware Acceleration:
- Plugins:
- Reverse Proxy: Nginx
- Base URL:
- Networking:
- Storage:

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Please attach any browser or client logs here

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Code of Conduct

  • I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct
Originally created by @UnviableFriend on GitHub (Aug 6, 2022). ### Please describe your bug Jellyfin fails to correctly match movies with one word names when there are other movies with that one word in the name and then more. I tried searching for existing bugs and the only my (poor) searching ability found was #7594 which was closed and also talks about IDs. An example would be the movie [Carter (2022)](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/800345?language=en-US). Jellyfin picks Coach Carter (2005) despite Carter (2022) being an exact match for the name. Even if you use the Identify option to correct it, and input the year, you get 3 other movies before the right one. So it's not just a file naming issue. This happens for me many many movies with one word names. The year seems to be ignored, and it doesn't favour the exact matches. ### Jellyfin Version Other ### if other: 10.8.1 ### Environment ```markdown - OS: Linux Mint - Virtualization: Virtualbox on windows host - Clients: Browser - Browser:Firefox - FFmpeg Version: - Playback Method: - Hardware Acceleration: - Plugins: - Reverse Proxy: Nginx - Base URL: - Networking: - Storage: ``` ### Jellyfin logs _No response_ ### FFmpeg logs _No response_ ### Please attach any browser or client logs here _No response_ ### Please attach any screenshots here _No response_ ### Code of Conduct - [X] I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct
OVERLORD added the bugstale labels 2026-02-07 00:23:42 +03:00
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@s-t-e-v-e-n-k commented on GitHub (Aug 8, 2022):

This also happens with TV Shows: A good example here is Evil, which was matched as Resident Evil.

@s-t-e-v-e-n-k commented on GitHub (Aug 8, 2022): This also happens with TV Shows: A good example here is [Evil](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/86848-evil), which was matched as [Resident Evil](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/108296-resident-evil).
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@phaelax commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022):

I'll confirm this as well. "X-Men" will match to "x-men: apocalypse". I've had a few others as well.

@phaelax commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022): I'll confirm this as well. "X-Men" will match to "x-men: apocalypse". I've had a few others as well.
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@fz2018 commented on GitHub (Aug 26, 2022):

Some examples of this happening for me (there are others but I can't remember all of them):

• "Frankenstein (2015)" misidentified as Victor Frankenstein (2015)
• "Monsters (2010)" misidentified as Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
• "Will (2011)" misidentified as Good Will Hunting (1997)
• "I Am Love (2009)" misidentified as a bonus feature of some kind relating to the actual film

@fz2018 commented on GitHub (Aug 26, 2022): Some examples of this happening for me (there are others but I can't remember all of them): • "Frankenstein (2015)" misidentified as Victor Frankenstein (2015) • "Monsters (2010)" misidentified as Monsters vs Aliens (2009) • "Will (2011)" misidentified as Good Will Hunting (1997) • "I Am Love (2009)" misidentified as a bonus feature of some kind relating to the actual film
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@logic commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022):

Noticed this evening that it happened with Belle (2021) as well (it defaults to Belle (2013), which is also the first result for manual identification when supplying the movie name and year). I'm running 10.8.5.

Interestingly, taking a cue from the documentation and adding [imdbid-tt13651628] to the folder name caused Jellyfin to correctly identify the film, but caused the two formats of the movie (Belle (2021) - 1080p.mkv and Belle (2021) - 2160p.mkv) to show up as separate entries in the movie list. I tried several variations on the filenames, and wasn't able to find a variation that caused them to be merged.

So, as long as you don't store multiple cuts/formats/versions of films, that's a possible workaround until this issue gets addressed.

@logic commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022): Noticed this evening that it happened with Belle (2021) as well (it defaults to Belle (2013), which is also the first result for manual identification when supplying the movie name and year). I'm running 10.8.5. Interestingly, taking a cue from [the documentation](https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/server/media/movies/) and adding `[imdbid-tt13651628]` to the folder name caused Jellyfin to correctly identify the film, but caused the two formats of the movie (`Belle (2021) - 1080p.mkv` and `Belle (2021) - 2160p.mkv`) to show up as separate entries in the movie list. I tried several variations on the filenames, and wasn't able to find a variation that caused them to be merged. So, as long as you don't store multiple cuts/formats/versions of films, that's a possible workaround until this issue gets addressed.
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@cvium commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022):

The documentation is pretty clear on grouping. The filenames must match the folder name

@cvium commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022): The documentation is pretty clear on grouping. The filenames must match the folder name
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@logic commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022):

As I mentioned, I tried several naming variations. One of them was:

  • /path/to/storage/Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628]
    • Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628] - 2160p.mkv
    • Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628] - 1080p.mkv

Identification worked correctly, but grouping failed.

@logic commented on GitHub (Oct 22, 2022): As I mentioned, I tried several naming variations. One of them was: * `/path/to/storage/Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628]` - `Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628] - 2160p.mkv` - `Belle (2021) [imdbid-tt13651628] - 1080p.mkv` Identification worked correctly, but grouping failed.
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@G2G2G2G commented on GitHub (Nov 8, 2022):

"Alien 3 (1992).mkv" scans to Aliens 1984 as well, probably related

The documentation is pretty clear on grouping. The filenames must match the folder name

In testing this is irrelevant to how it scans. (Also irrelevant to this thread) Also if a person is organized, doing their structure like this disorganizes a lot of franchises and series with different naming scheme movies (e.g. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000)) etc.
It is a poor solution. Name and year are enough for 99.9% of movies. There are like 2 that I've seen in the past 20 years that actually need more to auto scan with ancient systems before all of these existed.

@G2G2G2G commented on GitHub (Nov 8, 2022): "Alien 3 (1992).mkv" scans to `Aliens 1984` as well, probably related >The documentation is pretty clear on grouping. The filenames must match the folder name In testing this is irrelevant to how it scans. (Also irrelevant to this thread) Also if a person is organized, doing their structure like this disorganizes a lot of franchises and series with different naming scheme movies (e.g. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000)) etc. It is a poor solution. Name and year are enough for 99.9% of movies. There are like 2 that I've seen in the past 20 years that actually need more to auto scan with ancient systems before all of these existed.
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@jellyfin-bot commented on GitHub (Mar 9, 2023):

This issue has gone 120 days without comment. To avoid abandoned issues, it will be closed in 21 days if there are no new comments.

If you're the original submitter of this issue, please comment confirming if this issue still affects you in the latest release or master branch, or close the issue if it has been fixed. If you're another user also affected by this bug, please comment confirming so. Either action will remove the stale label.

This bot exists to prevent issues from becoming stale and forgotten. Jellyfin is always moving forward, and bugs are often fixed as side effects of other changes. We therefore ask that bug report authors remain vigilant about their issues to ensure they are closed if fixed, or re-confirmed - perhaps with fresh logs or reproduction examples - regularly. If you have any questions you can reach us on Matrix or Social Media.

@jellyfin-bot commented on GitHub (Mar 9, 2023): This issue has gone 120 days without comment. To avoid abandoned issues, it will be closed in 21 days if there are no new comments. If you're the original submitter of this issue, please comment confirming if this issue still affects you in the latest release or master branch, or close the issue if it has been fixed. If you're another user also affected by this bug, please comment confirming so. Either action will remove the stale label. This bot exists to prevent issues from becoming stale and forgotten. Jellyfin is always moving forward, and bugs are often fixed as side effects of other changes. We therefore ask that bug report authors remain vigilant about their issues to ensure they are closed if fixed, or re-confirmed - perhaps with fresh logs or reproduction examples - regularly. If you have any questions you can reach us on [Matrix or Social Media](https://docs.jellyfin.org/general/getting-help.html).
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Reference: starred/jellyfin#4083