diff --git a/backend/alembic/versions/0044_plex_catalog.py b/backend/alembic/versions/0044_plex_catalog.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f090944
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/alembic/versions/0044_plex_catalog.py
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+"""Plex integration catalog + per-user watch state
+
+Revision ID: 0044_plex_catalog
+Revises: 0043_asset_source_url
+Create Date: 2026-07-05
+
+The optional Plex module's dedicated, self-contained catalog mirrored from a locally-reachable
+Plex server (playback is from the local physical file; Plex is metadata only). Tables:
+
+- plex_libraries  — mirrored library sections (movie|show), only `enabled` ones are exposed.
+- plex_shows      — TV shows (poster + summary for the drill-down); weighted FTS search_vector.
+- plex_seasons    — seasons, for ordering episodes.
+- plex_items      — the playable LEAF (movie|episode): metadata + physical-media facts + the
+                    ffprobe playability class; weighted FTS search_vector.
+- plex_states     — per-user watch/in-progress state (mirrors video_states) so it works for
+                    users without a Plex account.
+
+The generated `search_vector` columns + their GIN indexes are added via raw SQL (same approach
+as migration 0032), reusing the `unaccent_simple` text-search config from migration 0031.
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0044_plex_catalog"
+down_revision: Union[str, None] = "0043_asset_source_url"
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+# Weighted document: title (A) > truncated summary (C). Same unaccent_simple config as videos.
+_SEARCH_VECTOR_EXPR = (
+    "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', coalesce(title, '')), 'A') || "
+    "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', left(coalesce(summary, ''), 1000)), 'C')"
+)
+
+
+def _add_search_vector(table: str) -> None:
+    op.execute(
+        f"ALTER TABLE {table} ADD COLUMN search_vector tsvector "
+        f"GENERATED ALWAYS AS ({_SEARCH_VECTOR_EXPR}) STORED"
+    )
+    op.execute(f"CREATE INDEX ix_{table}_search_vector ON {table} USING gin (search_vector)")
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.create_table(
+        "plex_libraries",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("plex_key", sa.String(length=32), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("title", sa.String(length=255), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("kind", sa.String(length=16), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("enabled", sa.Boolean(), server_default="true", nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("synced_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_libraries_plex_key", "plex_libraries", ["plex_key"], unique=True)
+
+    op.create_table(
+        "plex_shows",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("rating_key", sa.String(length=32), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("library_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_libraries.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("title", sa.String(length=512), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("summary", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("year", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("thumb_key", sa.String(length=512), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("art_key", sa.String(length=512), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("child_count", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("added_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_shows_rating_key", "plex_shows", ["rating_key"], unique=True)
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_shows_library_id", "plex_shows", ["library_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_shows_added_at", "plex_shows", ["added_at"])
+    _add_search_vector("plex_shows")
+
+    op.create_table(
+        "plex_seasons",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("rating_key", sa.String(length=32), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("show_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_shows.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("title", sa.String(length=255), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("season_number", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("thumb_key", sa.String(length=512), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_seasons_rating_key", "plex_seasons", ["rating_key"], unique=True)
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_seasons_show_id", "plex_seasons", ["show_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_seasons_season_number", "plex_seasons", ["season_number"])
+
+    op.create_table(
+        "plex_items",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("rating_key", sa.String(length=32), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("library_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_libraries.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("kind", sa.String(length=16), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("show_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_shows.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("season_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_seasons.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("season_number", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("episode_number", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("title", sa.String(length=512), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("summary", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("year", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("duration_s", sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("thumb_key", sa.String(length=512), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("art_key", sa.String(length=512), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("cast", sa.JSON(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("file_path", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("part_key", sa.String(length=255), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("container", sa.String(length=16), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("codec_video", sa.String(length=32), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("codec_audio", sa.String(length=32), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("size_bytes", sa.BigInteger(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("playable", sa.String(length=12), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("probed_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("markers", sa.JSON(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("added_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_rating_key", "plex_items", ["rating_key"], unique=True)
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_library_id", "plex_items", ["library_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_kind", "plex_items", ["kind"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_show_id", "plex_items", ["show_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_season_id", "plex_items", ["season_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_playable", "plex_items", ["playable"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_items_added_at", "plex_items", ["added_at"])
+    op.create_index(
+        "ix_plex_items_show_order", "plex_items", ["show_id", "season_number", "episode_number"]
+    )
+    _add_search_vector("plex_items")
+
+    op.create_table(
+        "plex_states",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("user_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("item_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("plex_items.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("status", sa.String(length=12), server_default="new", nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("position_seconds", sa.Integer(), server_default="0", nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("watched_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("progress_updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("synced_to_plex", sa.Boolean(), server_default="false", nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False),
+        sa.UniqueConstraint("user_id", "item_id", name="uq_plex_user_item"),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_states_user_id", "plex_states", ["user_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_plex_states_item_id", "plex_states", ["item_id"])
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_table("plex_states")
+    op.execute("DROP INDEX IF EXISTS ix_plex_items_search_vector")
+    op.drop_table("plex_items")
+    op.drop_table("plex_seasons")
+    op.execute("DROP INDEX IF EXISTS ix_plex_shows_search_vector")
+    op.drop_table("plex_shows")
+    op.drop_table("plex_libraries")
diff --git a/backend/app/config.py b/backend/app/config.py
index 224b11a..8ef87cd 100644
--- a/backend/app/config.py
+++ b/backend/app/config.py
@@ -182,6 +182,30 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # Default SponsorBlock (skip sponsor segments) for new custom profiles.
     sponsorblock_default: bool = False
 
+    # --- Plex integration (optional) ---
+    # The Plex module plays the LOCAL physical media file directly (our own ffmpeg/direct-serve);
+    # Plex is used only for metadata + optional watch-state sync. Requires the Plex server to be
+    # reachable from THIS host and its media reachable on a local mount (see plex_path_map).
+    plex_enabled: bool = False
+    # Base URL of the Plex Media Server reachable from this host, e.g. http://192.168.1.112:32400.
+    plex_server_url: str = ""
+    # Plex server admin token (X-Plex-Token). Server-side only (metadata + image proxy); never
+    # sent to the browser. Stored encrypted when set via the admin Config page.
+    plex_server_token: str = ""
+    # Path map: Plex's on-disk media paths → this host's read-only mount, so Siftlode can open the
+    # physical file for direct playback. Newline/comma-separated "plexPrefix=localPrefix" pairs;
+    # the longest matching prefix wins. E.g. "/data=/plex-media". Empty = identical on both sides.
+    plex_path_map: str = ""
+    # Which Plex library section keys are exposed (comma-separated). Empty = all enabled sections.
+    plex_libraries: str = ""
+    # Stable client identifier Siftlode presents to Plex (X-Plex-Client-Identifier).
+    plex_client_id: str = "siftlode-server"
+    # How often the catalog sync job mirrors Plex metadata, in minutes.
+    plex_sync_interval_min: int = 360
+    # Max concurrent transcodes for the P3 fallback. Low by default — CPU-only transcode is
+    # expensive; direct-serve (browser-compatible files) has no such limit.
+    plex_max_transcodes: int = 1
+
     @property
     def allowed_email_set(self) -> set[str]:
         return {e.strip().lower() for e in self.allowed_emails.split(",") if e.strip()}
diff --git a/backend/app/main.py b/backend/app/main.py
index 721712c..bea87ee 100644
--- a/backend/app/main.py
+++ b/backend/app/main.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ from app.routes import (
     messages,
     notifications,
     playlists,
+    plex as plex_routes,
     public as public_routes,
     quota,
     saved_views,
@@ -138,6 +139,7 @@ app.include_router(messages.router)
 app.include_router(channels.router)
 app.include_router(playlists.router)
 app.include_router(saved_views.router)
+app.include_router(plex_routes.router)
 app.include_router(downloads.router)
 app.include_router(downloads.admin_router)
 app.include_router(public_routes.router)
diff --git a/backend/app/models.py b/backend/app/models.py
index 6913ece..fe33961 100644
--- a/backend/app/models.py
+++ b/backend/app/models.py
@@ -919,3 +919,149 @@ class MessageKey(Base, TimestampMixin):
     salt: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(64))
     wrap_iv: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32))
     key_check: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text)
+
+
+# --- Plex integration (optional) -------------------------------------------------------------
+# A dedicated, self-contained catalog mirrored from a locally-reachable Plex server. Playback is
+# from the LOCAL physical file (Plex is metadata only); per-user watch state lives in plex_states
+# so it works for users without a Plex account. Mirrors the app's "shared catalog, private
+# per-user state" model. The weighted FTS search_vector uses the same unaccent_simple config as
+# `videos` (migrations 0031/0032).
+
+
+class PlexLibrary(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
+    """A mirrored Plex library section. Only `enabled` sections are exposed in the feed.
+    `plex_key` is the section id on the Plex server."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "plex_libraries"
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    plex_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32), unique=True, index=True)
+    title: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(255))
+    kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16))  # "movie" | "show"
+    enabled: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=True, server_default="true")
+    synced_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
+
+
+class PlexShow(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
+    """A TV show (grandparent of episodes) — holds poster + summary for the drill-down page."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "plex_shows"
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    rating_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32), unique=True, index=True)
+    library_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_libraries.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    title: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(512))
+    summary: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
+    year: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
+    thumb_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))  # Plex thumb path (proxied, not stored)
+    art_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
+    child_count: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)  # seasons
+    added_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), index=True)
+    search_vector: Mapped[object | None] = mapped_column(
+        TSVECTOR,
+        Computed(
+            "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', coalesce(title, '')), 'A') || "
+            "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', left(coalesce(summary, ''), 1000)), 'C')",
+            persisted=True,
+        ),
+    )
+
+
+class PlexSeason(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
+    """A season under a show — used to order episodes for prev/next stepping."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "plex_seasons"
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    rating_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32), unique=True, index=True)
+    show_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_shows.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    title: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(255))
+    season_number: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer, index=True)
+    thumb_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
+
+
+class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
+    """A playable LEAF — a movie or a single episode. This is what the feed lists and the player
+    plays. Movies carry `library_id` and no parents; episodes carry show/season refs +
+    season/episode numbers. `file_path` is the Plex-side absolute path of the physical media,
+    mapped through `plex_path_map` to a local mount at playback time. `playable` is the
+    ffprobe-derived browser-compatibility class (direct | remux | transcode)."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "plex_items"
+    __table_args__ = (
+        Index("ix_plex_items_show_order", "show_id", "season_number", "episode_number"),
+    )
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    rating_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32), unique=True, index=True)
+    library_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_libraries.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), index=True)  # "movie" | "episode"
+    show_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_shows.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    season_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_seasons.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    season_number: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
+    episode_number: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
+    title: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(512))
+    summary: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
+    year: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
+    duration_s: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
+    thumb_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
+    art_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
+    cast: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSON)  # [role names]
+    # Physical media (from the Plex Part).
+    file_path: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # Plex-side absolute path
+    part_key: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(255))  # /library/parts/... (fallback fetch)
+    container: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(16))
+    codec_video: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(32))
+    codec_audio: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(32))
+    size_bytes: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(BigInteger)
+    # Browser-playability class from ffprobe: "direct" | "remux" | "transcode" (None = unprobed).
+    playable: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(12), index=True)
+    probed_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
+    # Intro/credit markers: [{"type": "intro"|"credits", "start_s": int, "end_s": int}, ...]
+    markers: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSON)
+    added_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), index=True)
+    search_vector: Mapped[object | None] = mapped_column(
+        TSVECTOR,
+        Computed(
+            "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', coalesce(title, '')), 'A') || "
+            "setweight(to_tsvector('public.unaccent_simple', left(coalesce(summary, ''), 1000)), 'C')",
+            persisted=True,
+        ),
+    )
+
+
+class PlexState(Base, UpdatedAtMixin):
+    """Per-user watch state for a Plex item — mirrors VideoState. Lives in Siftlode's own DB so
+    it works for users WITHOUT a Plex account (the whole point of the access-layer design).
+    `synced_to_plex` marks whether this state was pushed back to a linked Plex account (P5)."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "plex_states"
+    __table_args__ = (UniqueConstraint("user_id", "item_id", name="uq_plex_user_item"),)
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    user_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    item_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("plex_items.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    status: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(12), default="new", server_default="new")
+    position_seconds: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        Integer, default=0, server_default="0", nullable=False
+    )
+    watched_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
+    progress_updated_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
+    synced_to_plex: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(
+        Boolean, default=False, server_default="false"
+    )
diff --git a/backend/app/plex/__init__.py b/backend/app/plex/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/backend/app/plex/client.py b/backend/app/plex/client.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11362a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/plex/client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+"""Thin synchronous Plex Media Server client (metadata + images + watch-state).
+
+Server-side ONLY: uses the admin ``X-Plex-Token`` from sysconfig. Playback never goes through
+this client — Siftlode plays the LOCAL physical file (see app.plex.paths). Plex is used purely for
+metadata, image proxying, and (P5) optional watch-state write-back. Requests JSON via the
+``Accept: application/json`` header (Plex serves XML by default).
+"""
+import logging
+
+import httpx
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+from app import sysconfig
+from app.config import settings
+
+log = logging.getLogger("siftlode.plex")
+
+
+class PlexError(Exception):
+    """Any failure talking to the Plex server (network, HTTP status, bad payload)."""
+
+
+class PlexNotConfigured(PlexError):
+    """The Plex server URL or token isn't set — the module can't do anything."""
+
+
+class PlexClient:
+    """Bound to the configured server + admin token. Use as a context manager so the underlying
+    httpx client is closed."""
+
+    def __init__(self, db: Session):
+        self.db = db
+        self.base = sysconfig.get_str(db, "plex_server_url").rstrip("/")
+        self.token = sysconfig.get_str(db, "plex_server_token")
+        if not self.base or not self.token:
+            raise PlexNotConfigured("Plex server URL or token is not configured")
+        self._http = httpx.Client(
+            timeout=30.0,
+            headers={
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+                "X-Plex-Token": self.token,
+                "X-Plex-Client-Identifier": settings.plex_client_id,
+                "X-Plex-Product": "Siftlode",
+            },
+        )
+
+    def __enter__(self) -> "PlexClient":
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, *exc) -> None:
+        self._http.close()
+
+    def close(self) -> None:
+        self._http.close()
+
+    def _get(self, path: str, params: dict | None = None) -> dict:
+        try:
+            r = self._http.get(f"{self.base}{path}", params=params)
+            r.raise_for_status()
+        except httpx.HTTPError as e:
+            raise PlexError(str(e)) from e
+        try:
+            return (r.json() or {}).get("MediaContainer", {}) or {}
+        except ValueError as e:
+            raise PlexError("Plex returned a non-JSON response") from e
+
+    # --- Connectivity + sections (P0) ---
+    def server_info(self) -> dict:
+        """Root identity (friendlyName / version) — used by the admin 'Test connection'."""
+        return self._get("/")
+
+    def sections(self) -> list[dict]:
+        """Library sections (Directory entries): key, title, type (movie|show|...)."""
+        mc = self._get("/library/sections")
+        return mc.get("Directory", []) or []
+
+    # --- Catalog mirror (P1) ---
+    def section_items(
+        self, key: str, item_type: int, start: int = 0, size: int = 200
+    ) -> tuple[list[dict], int]:
+        """A page of a section's top-level items. type 1 = movie, 2 = show. Returns
+        (items, total_size)."""
+        mc = self._get(
+            f"/library/sections/{key}/all",
+            params={
+                "type": item_type,
+                "X-Plex-Container-Start": start,
+                "X-Plex-Container-Size": size,
+            },
+        )
+        return mc.get("Metadata", []) or [], int(mc.get("totalSize", mc.get("size", 0)) or 0)
+
+    def children(self, rating_key: str) -> list[dict]:
+        """Direct children (show → seasons, season → episodes)."""
+        mc = self._get(f"/library/metadata/{rating_key}/children")
+        return mc.get("Metadata", []) or []
+
+    def metadata(self, rating_key: str, markers: bool = False) -> dict | None:
+        """Full metadata for one item; include intro/credit markers when requested."""
+        params = {"includeMarkers": 1} if markers else None
+        mc = self._get(f"/library/metadata/{rating_key}", params=params)
+        items = mc.get("Metadata", []) or []
+        return items[0] if items else None
+
+    def image_bytes(self, image_path: str) -> tuple[bytes, str]:
+        """Raw bytes + content-type of a Plex thumb/art image (proxied to the browser). The
+        image_path is a Plex path like ``/library/metadata/123/thumb/456``."""
+        try:
+            r = self._http.get(f"{self.base}{image_path}")
+            r.raise_for_status()
+        except httpx.HTTPError as e:
+            raise PlexError(str(e)) from e
+        return r.content, r.headers.get("Content-Type", "image/jpeg")
diff --git a/backend/app/plex/paths.py b/backend/app/plex/paths.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34aaa04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/plex/paths.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+"""Map a Plex-side media path to Siftlode's local mount, so the player can open the physical file.
+
+The Plex metadata gives each media Part an absolute path as the PLEX server sees it (e.g.
+``/data/movies/Foo.mkv``). Siftlode plays the file directly, so it must translate that to the path
+as SIFTLODE sees the same storage on a local mount (e.g. ``/plex-media/movies/Foo.mkv``). The map
+is admin-configured (sysconfig ``plex_path_map``) as newline/comma-separated ``plexPrefix=localPrefix``
+pairs; the longest matching Plex prefix wins. An empty map means the paths are identical on both
+sides (Plex and Siftlode see the same filesystem).
+"""
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+from app import sysconfig
+
+
+def parse_map(raw: str) -> list[tuple[str, str]]:
+    """Parse the ``plexPrefix=localPrefix`` pairs, longest Plex prefix first."""
+    pairs: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+    for chunk in (raw or "").replace("\n", ",").split(","):
+        chunk = chunk.strip()
+        if not chunk or "=" not in chunk:
+            continue
+        plex, local = chunk.split("=", 1)
+        plex, local = plex.strip(), local.strip()
+        if plex and local:
+            pairs.append((plex, local))
+    pairs.sort(key=lambda p: len(p[0]), reverse=True)
+    return pairs
+
+
+def map_path(db: Session, plex_path: str) -> str:
+    """Translate a Plex-side absolute path to the local mount path (no mapping = unchanged)."""
+    for plex_prefix, local_prefix in parse_map(sysconfig.get_str(db, "plex_path_map")):
+        if plex_path == plex_prefix or plex_path.startswith(plex_prefix.rstrip("/") + "/"):
+            rest = plex_path[len(plex_prefix):].lstrip("/")
+            return str(Path(local_prefix) / rest) if rest else local_prefix
+    return plex_path
+
+
+def local_media_path(db: Session, plex_path: str | None) -> Path | None:
+    """The resolved, existing local file for a Plex media path, or None if it can't be read.
+    The path originates from the trusted Plex server + an admin-set map (not user input), so no
+    traversal check is needed beyond requiring a real regular file to exist."""
+    if not plex_path:
+        return None
+    try:
+        p = Path(map_path(db, plex_path)).resolve()
+    except OSError:
+        return None
+    return p if p.is_file() else None
diff --git a/backend/app/routes/plex.py b/backend/app/routes/plex.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bb5c59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/routes/plex.py
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"""Plex integration API.
+
+Read endpoints (browse/search/stream/image/state) are available to ANY authenticated user — the
+whole point of the module is to be an access layer to the Plex library WITHOUT requiring a plex.tv
+account, and playback is a local file (no quota/credit cost), so demo + pure-Siftlode users are
+allowed. Admin endpoints configure + test the connection and trigger a sync.
+
+P0 ships only the admin connectivity endpoints; browse/search/player land in P1/P2.
+"""
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+from app.db import get_db
+from app.models import User
+from app.plex.client import PlexClient, PlexError, PlexNotConfigured
+from app.routes.admin import admin_user
+
+router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/plex", tags=["plex"])
+
+
+@router.post("/test")
+def test_connection(_: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+    """Admin: verify the configured Plex server URL + token, returning the server name and the
+    available library sections (movie/show) for the config library-picker."""
+    try:
+        with PlexClient(db) as plex:
+            info = plex.server_info()
+            sections = plex.sections()
+    except PlexNotConfigured as e:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=str(e))
+    except PlexError as e:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Plex connection failed: {e}")
+    return {
+        "ok": True,
+        "server_name": info.get("friendlyName") or info.get("title1") or "Plex",
+        "version": info.get("version"),
+        "sections": [
+            {
+                "key": str(s.get("key")),
+                "title": s.get("title"),
+                "type": s.get("type"),
+                "count": s.get("count"),
+            }
+            for s in sections
+            if s.get("type") in ("movie", "show")
+        ],
+    }
diff --git a/backend/app/sysconfig.py b/backend/app/sysconfig.py
index ed6c79b..1e0595e 100644
--- a/backend/app/sysconfig.py
+++ b/backend/app/sysconfig.py
@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ SPECS: tuple[ConfigSpec, ...] = (
     ConfigSpec("download_layout", "str", "downloads", "download_layout"),
     ConfigSpec("download_worker_concurrency", "int", "downloads", "download_worker_concurrency", min=1, max=16),
     ConfigSpec("sponsorblock_default", "bool", "downloads", "sponsorblock_default"),
+    # --- Plex integration (optional; local-file playback + Plex metadata) ---
+    ConfigSpec("plex_enabled", "bool", "plex", "plex_enabled"),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_server_url", "str", "plex", "plex_server_url"),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_server_token", "str", "plex", "plex_server_token", secret=True),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_path_map", "str", "plex", "plex_path_map"),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_libraries", "str", "plex", "plex_libraries"),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_sync_interval_min", "int", "plex", "plex_sync_interval_min", min=5, max=100_000),
+    ConfigSpec("plex_max_transcodes", "int", "plex", "plex_max_transcodes", min=0, max=16),
 )
 
 _BY_KEY: dict[str, ConfigSpec] = {s.key: s for s in SPECS}