Your Plex library, as live TV.

Nostalgex is a free, open source Apple TV app that turns your Plex library into 130+ live channels in 14 bundles, with a retro TV guide. Sign in with a code at plex.tv/link and something is already playing. No Plex Pass or other paid service needed.

Get it on Apple TV Try the web tuner, free
Download on Apple TV

Works with Plex on Apple TV (tvOS 18 or later) and in the free web tuner.

Three steps. Then you're just watching TV.

  1. 01

    Sign in with a code

    Open Nostalgex on the Apple TV and it shows a short code. Enter it at plex.tv/link in any browser and you're in. No typing a password with the remote.

  2. 02

    Channels build themselves

    Your library gets sorted into channels automatically. Saturday morning cartoons, 90s sitcoms, the VHS vault, the stuff you rewatch constantly. No playlists to make.

  3. 03

    Start flipping

    Pull up the guide, pick a channel, or just surf. Everything is already playing, so you drop into the middle of a movie like real TV.

Your library stays yours.

Nostalgex is a front end for the server you already run. Here is exactly what it does and does not do with it.

  • Sign-in runs through Plex's own code system. We never see your username or password
  • Your server address and token are stored in the Apple TV Keychain and are never sent to us
  • We do not host, stream, or supply any media. Every frame comes off your own server
  • No account to create, nothing sold to anyone
  • The app sends a short fixed list of anonymous usage events, like a channel being tuned. Never titles, library contents, or your server address
A full Nostalgex channel guide with a grid of channels and what is airing on each

How to set up Nostalgex with Plex on Apple TV

  1. 1

    Install Nostalgex free from the App Store on an Apple TV running tvOS 18 or later.

  2. 2

    Open it and choose Plex. Your TV shows a short code.

  3. 3

    Go to plex.tv/link on your phone or computer and enter the code. Nostalgex finds your server on its own.

  4. 4

    Open the guide. Your channels are already on.

What's different on Plex

Sign in with a code

Nostalgex uses Plex's own link flow. The Apple TV shows a short code, you enter it at plex.tv/link, and that's the whole setup.

Channels from what you rewatch

Plex already counts what you play. Nostalgex reads those counts and builds Rewatchables channels from the films and shows you keep coming back to.

Your collections become channels

Make a Plex collection with at least three movies, switch on the collection Channel Packages in Settings, and it becomes its own channel next to the 130+ built from genres, eras and franchises.

Quiet by default

Reporting playback back to Plex is off unless you turn it on. Surfing past a dozen programmes in an evening would otherwise bury your real Continue Watching row under things nobody chose to start.

Plays your file as is

Direct play when the Apple TV can decode it, and it only falls back to transcoding when it has to. Movies split across two files play straight through as one programme.

Native on Apple TV

A real tvOS app from the App Store, built for the Siri Remote and the big screen. Not a web view pretending.

Plex tips and gotchas

  • Watching over Tailscale or a VPN? Plex has no address field, so the app can only see addresses that plex.tv advertises for your server. Add your VPN address under Plex Settings, Network, Custom server access URLs, then sign in again.
  • A movie is missing or on the wrong channel? Channels read your Plex metadata. Fix the genre or the year in Plex, refresh the metadata, and Nostalgex picks it up on its next scan.
  • Your Continue Watching row stays clean. Reporting playback to Plex is off by default, so an evening of channel surfing doesn't fill it with things nobody chose. Turn it on in Settings if you want play counts to keep up.
  • Split movies play as one. A film ripped across two files plays straight through when the files carry a marker like part1 and part2, or cd1 and cd2.
  • Want to see the lineup first? The channel guide lists every bundle and what airs on each channel, so you can browse all 130+ channels before you install anything.

No Apple TV? There's a free web tuner.

The same idea runs in any browser, and it's the fastest way to try Nostalgex before installing anything. Plex is the easiest server to use with it: Plex gives your server secure plex.direct addresses, so the browser can reach it with no setup on your side. Open the free web tuner.

Open the web tuner

Plex questions, answered.

Does Nostalgex need a Plex Pass?

No. Nostalgex reads your library and plays from your own server, and none of that needs a Plex Pass or any other paid service. If you have one, nothing changes.

Will it mess up my Continue Watching row?

No. Reporting playback to Plex is off by default, so channel surfing doesn't bury the things your household actually chose to start. You can turn it on in Settings.

Does it work with Plex over Tailscale or a VPN?

Yes, once Plex advertises that address. Add it under Plex Settings, Network, Custom server access URLs, then sign in to Nostalgex again.

Can I turn a Plex collection into a channel?

Yes. Put at least three movies in a collection, switch on the collection Channel Packages in Settings, and rescan. The collection's name becomes the channel's name.

Does the web tuner work with Plex?

Yes, usually with no setup. Plex hands out secure plex.direct addresses, which is what a browser needs.

What do I need?

An Apple TV running tvOS 18 or later and a Plex server you can reach from it. The app is free and open source under the MIT license.

All three servers. Natively.

Need help? The Nostalgex setup guide covers every server. Want ideas for tonight? Read the Nostalgex blog.

Cable's back. Now on Apple TV.

Free, native, open source, and built for the couch.

Get it on Apple TV Open the web tuner