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Wiki / Setup — connections & keys

TMDB

What it is for. The backbone of matching and metadata: posters, backdrops, release dates, collections, and the id Kustos uses to know that two copies of a film are the same film. Get this one early — more of Kustos depends on it than on anything else here except Plex.

Cost. Free. TMDB gives personal keys away; there is no paid tier you need.

First, make a free account at themoviedb.org and verify your email. TMDB will not issue a key until you have. Once you are signed in, the rest is this:

  1. Open the avatar menu at the top right and choose Settings, then pick API from the list down the left.
The two clicks: Settings in the avatar menu, then API at the bottom of the settings list
The two clicks: Settings in the avatar menu, then API at the bottom of the settings list.
  1. On the API page, press + Create, then answer Yes — this is for my own personal use only. The commercial answer sends you down a different path you do not need.
The one question that decides everything after it
The one question that decides everything after it. Personal use is the free path.
  1. Fill in the form. Application Name and Application URL can be anything honest — "Kustos" and your Kustos address do fine. The summary just has to describe a personal media library. In Contact Info only the email is required; name, phone and address can stay empty.
The red outlines mark the two blocks you have to fill in
The red outlines mark the two blocks you have to fill in. Inside Contact Info, note how few of the fields are actually filled - the email is the only one that has to be.
  1. Tick the terms box and press Subscribe. The Developer plan is free and there is no monthly fee.
  2. Back on Subscription Details, follow Access your API key details here.
After subscribing you land here
After subscribing you land here. The link is the way through to the key.
  1. Copy the API Key. TMDB shows two values and people paste the wrong one — the short key at the bottom is what Kustos wants, not the long API Read Access Token above it.
Both values on one page
Both values on one page. The bottom one, arrowed, is the API Key. The long block above it is the read access token, which Kustos does not use.
  1. In Kustos, Connections → TMDB, paste it, and press Save.

How you know it worked. Choose Artwork starts offering posters.