Mira Mira says what is wrong in its own words, with a button that helps when there is one. Find the message below, or search this wiki for a word of it.
Can't reach Jellyfin#
| Message or symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Works at home, not away | The home address (192.168…) only works on your Wi-Fi. Use Tailscale: on the Jellyfin PC, the guide's Set everything up; on your device, Built-in Tailscale or the Tailscale app. |
| "… isn't connected to Tailscale: it's off, asleep or offline" | The Jellyfin PC left Tailscale. Turn it on or wake it. Mira reloads Home as soon as it is back. |
| Unreachable after a while without using the Jellyfin PC | It went to sleep, and Tailscale cannot wake it. Set everything up keeps it awake on mains power; on a laptop, set closing the lid to Do nothing on mains power. |
| Unreachable after the Jellyfin PC restarted, until someone signs in to Windows | Tailscale waits for a session: Set everything up turns on Run unattended, or Tailscale's menu → Preferences → Run unattended. |
| Tailscale asks to sign in again on the Jellyfin PC | Its key expired (every 180 days by default). Sign in again, then in the admin console, ⋯ → Disable key expiry on that PC. |
| "Waiting for approval in Tailscale's admin console" | Your Tailscale network approves each new device: Open Tailscale's admin console and approve the device. |
| Everything shows "Connecting…", on every device | Tailscale itself may be down: check status.tailscale.com. See When Tailscale itself is down. |
| "Windows Security blocks mira-tailscale.exe" | An antivirus blocks Built-in Tailscale. Install the Tailscale app on this PC instead: Mira then goes through it. |
| "macOS blocks mira-tailscale" | The "downloaded from the Internet" mark stayed on Mira.app: Copy the command in Built-in Tailscale's settings, paste it in Terminal, restart Mira. |
| The iPhone doesn't see Jellyfin at home | iOS's local network access is off: Settings → Apps → Mira → Local Network. |
| "Jellyfin is stopped on this PC" | Start Jellyfin, in the notice or on the guide's card. If it stops again, Mira shows the cause from Jellyfin's log (port 8096 taken, disk full…). |
Can't sign in#
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "This isn't a Jellyfin server" | Something else answers at that address (router, NAS, Emby): check the port, 8096 by default. |
| "Mira needs Jellyfin 10.9" | Update Jellyfin. |
| "HTTPS certificate not recognised" | For a server at home, type its full http:// address (Mira suggests it). Otherwise, install a valid certificate. |
| "This address goes over the Internet, in http://" | Your password would travel unencrypted. Use the https:// or Tailscale address. |
| "This Jellyfin already has an administrator account" | Its setup was started with another account: finish it on http://127.0.0.1:8096, then sign in. |
| "Another program already answers on port 8096" | It isn't Jellyfin: close that program, or install Jellyfin on another PC. |
Can't play#
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Library shows, nothing plays (Windows) | Settings → Playback: install the mpv engine, or pick a 64-bit libmpv DLL. |
| "The video engine couldn't be downloaded" | Check the Internet connection, then try again from Settings → Playback. It comes from downloads.sourceforge.net. |
| Stutters away from home | Lower Quality in the player's ⋮ menu, or choose Auto. |
| Picture stutters or stays black (Windows) | Turn off Hardware decoding in Settings → Playback. |
| Grey or black picture (Mac) | In the player, ⋮ → Grey or black picture? Repair. Each repair goes one step further; Mira keeps the one that works. |
| "Can't play this" | Mira reopened the stream and Jellyfin still could not serve the file. Jellyfin's administrator finds the reason in Settings → Maintenance → Reported playback failures. |
| A file was added but doesn't show | Check it is in Movies, Shows or Anime, and named the way Jellyfin expects (see Name your videos). Then Refresh in the library. |
Updates#
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Windows: an update doesn't install | Settings → Mira on this PC shows the last error; data\updates\update.log has the details. Mira's folder must stay writable. |
| Mac: Mira asks for the keychain after each update | Normal, once per version: choose Always Allow. See Install on Mac. |
| iPhone: Mira no longer opens | It expired after 7 days. Open AltStore at home and tap Refresh All. Nothing is lost. |
Still stuck?#
Ask on Discord, or open an issue with the versions of Mira, your system and Jellyfin. Never attach a password, a token, Mira's data folder or personal media.
On Mac, a player log helps: in Terminal,
MIRA_MPV_LOG=$HOME/Desktop/mpv.log /Applications/Mira.app/Contents/MacOS/Mirawrites mpv.log on your desktop.