Pick the right scrobble path. Watcher is recommended. Webhooks remain available.
Use this page if you want the quick answer.
CrossWatch supports two scrobble input paths:
Watcher — recommended
Webhooks — event-driven alternative
Choose Watcher if you want the supported path.
It is the right choice for most setups.
Why:
supports multiple routes and profiles
sends to Trakt, SIMKL, and MDBList
handles more playback edge cases
does not need Plex Pass or Emby Premiere
Watcher has more network impact than Webhooks.
This matters most for Emby and Jellyfin. Watcher polls their Sessions API about every 15s.
That creates steady background traffic. Use it on servers you own.
Guide: Watcher.
Choose Webhooks when server-pushed events fit your setup better.
This is most useful for Trakt-focused webhook flows.
Limits:
Trakt only
more fragile around HTTPS and reverse proxies
Plex Pass or Emby Premiere may be required, depending on server
Guide: Webhooks.
Most setups should use one path.
Use both only when they handle different Plex servers.
Good pattern:
Watcher for a local Plex server
Webhooks for a remote Plex server
Split them with Plex Server UUID filters.
Do not let the same Plex server feed both paths.
One play can create duplicate starts, stops, ratings, or progress updates.
Plex scrobble filtering has three useful layers:
User filters — allow only specific Plex users
Server UUID filters — allow or block specific Plex servers
Library whitelist — accept only selected Plex libraries
A Plex event must pass every enabled filter.
If a Plex library whitelist is set and an event has no usable library id, CrossWatch skips it.
Blacklist wins over whitelist for Plex server UUIDs.
Want the supported setup: use Watcher
Want webhook endpoint setup: use Webhooks
Want the overview and setup flow: use Scrobble
If you expose webhook endpoints over https://..., use a publicly trusted certificate.
Self-signed certificates commonly break webhook delivery.
Scrobble — overview and setup flow
Watcher — recommended scrobble path
Webhooks — event-driven Trakt mode
Scrobble filters — provider filter differences and Plex dual-source setup
Reverse proxies — webhook and WebSocket proxy rules
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