Library Doctor

Library Doctor is a specialized diagnostic tool that scans your library for media files that are corrupt, truncated, or otherwise unreadable by the Alchemist analyzer.

Run a scan manually from Settings → Runtime → Library Doctor.

Core Checks

Library Doctor runs an intensive probe on every file in your watch directories to identify the following issues:

Check	Technical Detection	Action Recommended
Probe Failure	ffprobe returns a non-zero exit code or cannot parse headers.	Re-download or Re-rip.
No Video Stream	File container is valid but contains no detectable video tracks.	Verify source; delete if unintended.
Zero Duration	File metadata reports a duration of 0 seconds.	Check for interrupted transfers.
Truncated File	File size is significantly smaller than expected for the reported bitrate/duration.	Check filesystem integrity.
Missing Metadata	Missing critical codec data (e.g., pixel format, profile) needed for planning.	Possible unsupported codec variant.

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Relationship to Jobs

Files that fail Library Doctor checks will also fail the Analyzing stage of a standard transcode job.

• Pre-emptive detection: Running Library Doctor helps you clear “broken” files from your library before they enter the processing queue.
• Reporting: Issues identified by the Doctor appear in the Health tab of the dashboard, separate from active transcode jobs.

Handling Results

Library Doctor is read-only; it will never delete or modify your files automatically.

If a file is flagged, you should manually verify it using a media player. If the file is indeed unplayable, we recommend replacing it from the source. Flags can be cleared by deleting the file or moving it out of a watched directory.