add shared media control allowing jellyfin to control LMS by pointing to files on shared storage

Jellyfin.Plugin.JellyLMS/Configuration/PluginConfiguration.cs

@@ -62,4 +62,24 @@ public class PluginConfiguration : BasePluginConfiguration
     /// Gets or sets the Jellyfin API key for authenticating stream requests from LMS.
     /// </summary>
     public string JellyfinApiKey { get; set; } = string.Empty;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets a value indicating whether to use direct file paths instead of HTTP streaming.
+    /// When enabled, LMS accesses files directly from shared storage, enabling native seeking.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool UseDirectFilePath { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the media path prefix as seen by Jellyfin.
+    /// Used for path mapping when UseDirectFilePath is enabled.
+    /// Example: /media/music or C:\Music.
+    /// </summary>
+    public string JellyfinMediaPath { get; set; } = string.Empty;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the media path prefix as seen by LMS.
+    /// Used for path mapping when UseDirectFilePath is enabled.
+    /// Example: /mnt/music or //nas/music.
+    /// </summary>
+    public string LmsMediaPath { get; set; } = string.Empty;
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.JellyLMS/Configuration/configPage.html

@@ -141,6 +141,33 @@
                         </div>
                     </div>
 
+                    <div class="verticalSection">
+                        <h3>Direct File Access (Optional)</h3>
+                        <p class="fieldDescription">If LMS and Jellyfin share the same storage (e.g., NAS), enable direct file access for native seeking support. This provides smooth seeking without audio restart.</p>
+
+                        <div class="checkboxContainer checkboxContainer-withDescription">
+                            <label class="emby-checkbox-label">
+                                <input id="UseDirectFilePath" name="UseDirectFilePath" type="checkbox" is="emby-checkbox" />
+                                <span>Enable Direct File Access</span>
+                            </label>
+                            <div class="fieldDescription checkboxFieldDescription">When enabled, LMS will access files directly instead of streaming via HTTP</div>
+                        </div>
+
+                        <div id="directPathSettings" style="margin-top: 15px;">
+                            <div class="inputContainer">
+                                <label class="inputLabel inputLabelUnfocused" for="JellyfinMediaPath">Jellyfin Media Path</label>
+                                <input id="JellyfinMediaPath" name="JellyfinMediaPath" type="text" is="emby-input" placeholder="/media/music" />
+                                <div class="fieldDescription">The path prefix as Jellyfin sees your media library (e.g., /media/music)</div>
+                            </div>
+
+                            <div class="inputContainer">
+                                <label class="inputLabel inputLabelUnfocused" for="LmsMediaPath">LMS Media Path</label>
+                                <input id="LmsMediaPath" name="LmsMediaPath" type="text" is="emby-input" placeholder="/mnt/music" />
+                                <div class="fieldDescription">The same location as LMS sees it (e.g., /mnt/music or //nas/music)</div>
+                            </div>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+
                     <div class="verticalSection">
                         <h3>Player Sync</h3>
                         <p class="fieldDescription">Select players to sync together for multi-room audio. Synced players play in perfect sync.</p>
@@ -418,6 +445,9 @@
                         document.querySelector('#ConnectionTimeoutSeconds').value = config.ConnectionTimeoutSeconds || 10;
                         document.querySelector('#EnableAutoSync').checked = config.EnableAutoSync !== false;
                         document.querySelector('#DefaultPlayerMac').value = config.DefaultPlayerMac || '';
+                        document.querySelector('#UseDirectFilePath').checked = config.UseDirectFilePath || false;
+                        document.querySelector('#JellyfinMediaPath').value = config.JellyfinMediaPath || '';
+                        document.querySelector('#LmsMediaPath').value = config.LmsMediaPath || '';
                         Dashboard.hideLoadingMsg();
 
                         loadPlayers();
@@ -460,6 +490,9 @@
                         config.ConnectionTimeoutSeconds = parseInt(document.querySelector('#ConnectionTimeoutSeconds').value) || 10;
                         config.EnableAutoSync = document.querySelector('#EnableAutoSync').checked;
                         config.DefaultPlayerMac = document.querySelector('#DefaultPlayerMac').value;
+                        config.UseDirectFilePath = document.querySelector('#UseDirectFilePath').checked;
+                        config.JellyfinMediaPath = document.querySelector('#JellyfinMediaPath').value;
+                        config.LmsMediaPath = document.querySelector('#LmsMediaPath').value;
                         ApiClient.updatePluginConfiguration(JellyLmsConfig.pluginUniqueId, config).then(function (result) {
                             Dashboard.processPluginConfigurationUpdateResult(result);
                         });

Jellyfin.Plugin.JellyLMS/Services/LmsSessionController.cs

@@ -172,14 +172,17 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
         var itemId = _playlist[index];
         _playlistIndex = index;
 
-        // Build stream URL with start position - LMS can't seek on HTTP streams,
-        // so we need to use Jellyfin's startTimeTicks parameter for transcoding
-        var streamUrl = BuildStreamUrlWithPosition(itemId, startPositionTicks);
+        // Look up the item first - we need it for file path if using direct mode
+        _currentItem = _libraryManager.GetItemById(itemId);
+
+        // Build stream URL/path with start position
+        var (streamUrl, useDirectPath) = BuildPlaybackUrl(itemId, startPositionTicks);
         _logger.LogInformation(
-            "Playing item {Index}/{Total} from position {Position}s: {Url}",
+            "Playing item {Index}/{Total} from position {Position}s (direct={Direct}): {Url}",
             index + 1,
             _playlist.Length,
             startPositionTicks / TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond,
+            useDirectPath,
             streamUrl);
 
         await _lmsClient.PlayUrlAsync(_player.MacAddress, streamUrl).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -190,12 +193,9 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
         IsPaused = false;
 
         // Track the seek offset so we report the correct position
-        // When starting from a position, the transcoded stream starts at 0,
-        // but we need to report the actual track position
-        _seekOffsetTicks = startPositionTicks;
-
-        // Look up the item for duration info
-        _currentItem = _libraryManager.GetItemById(itemId);
+        // When using direct file paths, LMS handles seeking natively so no offset needed
+        // When using HTTP streaming with startTimeTicks, the stream starts at 0 but we need to report actual position
+        _seekOffsetTicks = useDirectPath ? 0 : startPositionTicks;
 
         // Report playback start to Jellyfin
         await ReportPlaybackStartAsync(itemId, startPositionTicks).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -419,13 +419,32 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
                 if (playstateRequest.SeekPositionTicks.HasValue && CurrentItemId.HasValue)
                 {
                     var positionTicks = playstateRequest.SeekPositionTicks.Value;
+                    var positionSeconds = positionTicks / TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond;
 
+                    // Check if we're using direct file path mode - if so, LMS can seek natively
+                    var config = Plugin.Instance?.Configuration;
+                    var canSeekNatively = config?.UseDirectFilePath == true
+                        && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(config.JellyfinMediaPath)
+                        && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(config.LmsMediaPath)
+                        && _currentItem?.Path != null
+                        && _currentItem.Path.StartsWith(config.JellyfinMediaPath, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+
+                    if (canSeekNatively)
+                    {
+                        // Use native LMS seeking - much smoother!
+                        _logger.LogInformation("Seeking natively to {Seconds}s using LMS time command", positionSeconds);
+                        await _lmsClient.SeekAsync(_player.MacAddress, positionSeconds).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                        // No seek offset needed - LMS handles position tracking natively
+                        _seekOffsetTicks = 0;
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
                         // For HTTP streams, LMS can't seek directly - we need to restart with startTimeTicks
                         // Build a new URL with the seek position and restart playback
                         var streamUrl = BuildStreamUrlWithPosition(CurrentItemId.Value, positionTicks);
                         _logger.LogInformation(
                             "Seeking by restarting stream at position {Seconds}s: {Url}",
-                        positionTicks / TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond,
+                            positionSeconds,
                             streamUrl);
 
                         await _lmsClient.PlayUrlAsync(_player.MacAddress, streamUrl).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -433,7 +452,9 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
                         // Track the seek offset so we report the correct position
                         // The transcoded stream starts at 0, but we need to report the actual track position
                         _seekOffsetTicks = positionTicks;
-                    _logger.LogInformation("Set seek offset to {Ticks} ticks ({Seconds}s)", positionTicks, positionTicks / TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond);
+                    }
+
+                    _logger.LogInformation("Seek offset is now {Ticks} ticks ({Seconds}s)", _seekOffsetTicks, _seekOffsetTicks / TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond);
                 }
                 else
                 {
@@ -536,6 +557,59 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Builds the playback URL or file path for the given item.
+    /// Returns a tuple of (url/path, isDirectFilePath).
+    /// </summary>
+    private (string Url, bool IsDirectPath) BuildPlaybackUrl(Guid itemId, long startPositionTicks)
+    {
+        var config = Plugin.Instance?.Configuration;
+
+        // Check if direct file path mode is enabled and configured
+        if (config?.UseDirectFilePath == true
+            && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(config.JellyfinMediaPath)
+            && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(config.LmsMediaPath)
+            && _currentItem?.Path != null)
+        {
+            var directPath = BuildDirectFilePath(_currentItem.Path, config.JellyfinMediaPath, config.LmsMediaPath);
+            if (directPath != null)
+            {
+                _logger.LogDebug(
+                    "Using direct file path: {OriginalPath} -> {MappedPath}",
+                    _currentItem.Path,
+                    directPath);
+                return (directPath, true);
+            }
+
+            _logger.LogWarning(
+                "Direct file path mode enabled but path mapping failed for: {Path}",
+                _currentItem.Path);
+        }
+
+        // Fall back to HTTP streaming
+        return (BuildStreamUrlWithPosition(itemId, startPositionTicks), false);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Maps a Jellyfin file path to an LMS file path using the configured path prefixes.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static string? BuildDirectFilePath(string jellyfinPath, string jellyfinPrefix, string lmsPrefix)
+    {
+        // Normalize path separators for comparison
+        var normalizedPath = jellyfinPath.Replace('\\', '/');
+        var normalizedJellyfinPrefix = jellyfinPrefix.TrimEnd('/', '\\').Replace('\\', '/');
+        var normalizedLmsPrefix = lmsPrefix.TrimEnd('/', '\\').Replace('\\', '/');
+
+        if (!normalizedPath.StartsWith(normalizedJellyfinPrefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Replace the prefix
+        var relativePath = normalizedPath[normalizedJellyfinPrefix.Length..];
+        return normalizedLmsPrefix + relativePath;
+    }
+
     private string BuildStreamUrl(Guid itemId)
     {
         return BuildStreamUrlWithPosition(itemId, 0);
@@ -553,7 +627,9 @@ public class LmsSessionController : ISessionController, IDisposable
         {
             // For seeking, we need to use transcoding (static=true doesn't support startTimeTicks)
             // Use MP3 transcoding with the start position
-            url = $"{jellyfinUrl}/Audio/{itemId}/stream.mp3?audioCodec=mp3&audioBitRate=320000&startTimeTicks={startPositionTicks}";
+            // Add a cache-busting parameter to ensure we get a fresh stream on each seek
+            var cacheBuster = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeMilliseconds();
+            url = $"{jellyfinUrl}/Audio/{itemId}/stream.mp3?audioCodec=mp3&audioBitRate=320000&startTimeTicks={startPositionTicks}&_={cacheBuster}";
         }
         else
         {

README.md

@@ -168,6 +168,30 @@ The plugin communicates with LMS using the `slim.request` JSON-RPC method.
 2. Check that audio files are in a format supported by your LMS players
 3. Ensure players are powered on (plugin can auto-power-on if configured)
 
+## Known Limitations
+
+### Seeking with HTTP Streaming
+
+When using HTTP streaming (the default), LMS cannot seek within audio streams. To work around this, when you seek or cast from a specific position, JellyLMS restarts playback with a new transcoded stream that begins at the requested position. This means:
+
+- **Seeking triggers a brief audio restart** rather than a smooth jump
+- **Starting playback mid-track** uses transcoding (MP3 320kbps) instead of direct streaming
+- **Playback from the beginning** uses direct/static streaming for best quality
+
+This is a fundamental limitation of how LMS handles HTTP streams.
+
+### Solution: Direct File Access
+
+If your Jellyfin and LMS servers can both access the same storage (e.g., a NAS), you can enable **Direct File Access** mode in the plugin settings. This allows LMS to read files directly from disk, enabling:
+
+- **Native smooth seeking** - no audio restart when scrubbing
+- **Full quality playback** - no transcoding needed
+- **Better performance** - no HTTP overhead
+
+To configure, set the path mappings in the plugin settings:
+- **Jellyfin Media Path**: The path prefix as Jellyfin sees your library (e.g., `/media/music`)
+- **LMS Media Path**: The same location as LMS sees it (e.g., `/mnt/music` or `//nas/music`)
+
 ## Development
 
 ### Project Structure