I've tried resolving this before, but never quite got it. Here is my issue. I'm running Emby Server as a docker container and managing my folders and media using a Windows 11 PC. If I remember correctly, this happened after an upgrade to unRAID years ago.

Emby does work and I can do everything I need to when it comes to viewing my media.

Workflow:

1. Download a movie with SAB.

2. Rename the folder / movie manually and cut / paste it to the \\tower\cache\Movies folder.

3. At some point the task for scanning for new media happens and the mover moves it to the array.

Problem:

When Emby scans the folder and attempts to write the metadata, I get this error in the log file. This file was on the cache drive at the time of the media scan.

2026-07-26 14:09:46.393 Error ProviderManager: UnauthorizedAccessException: Emby Server is being denied write access to /mnt/user/Movies/Disclosure Day/poster.jpg. Please check your file permissions.

Running Docker Safe New Parms fixes the issue, until there is a new folder, at which time I get the same error in the new folder. Emby can't even write it's own backup to the EmbyServer folder.

Emby Docker Settings:

Host Port 1: 8096

Host Path 2: /mnt

Key 1 (Container Variable APP_UID): 99

Key 2: (Container Variable: APP_GID): 100

Host Key 2 (Container Variable: NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES): all

AppDataConfig Path: /mnt/cache/system/docker/AppData/EmbyServer

One other weird one is that if I try and navigate to the \\tower\cache\system\docker\AppData\EmbyServer folder, I can't. No error message, no password prompt, nothing in the Event Log. It's like I didn't even click on it.

I'd love to get this resolved and would appreciate any help!

Very much seems like a permissions issue. Try using same username/password for your downloader sab and emby admin. Also an unRAID user with those credentials.

I don't know why you are renaming and moving manually when there are apps like sonarr/radarr, but anywho;

1. Make sure the emby conatiner has UID and GID set to 99 (UID) and 100 (GID) in the template.

2. Run docker safe permissions tool.

3. Go to settings-SMB-SMB Extras and paste this in the box:

   domain master = yes
   preferred master = yes
   os level = 255
   force user = nobody
   force group = users
   create mask = 0666
   force create mode = 0666
   directory mask = 0777
   force directory mode = 0777

   Try again now, it should be fixed.

I started digging into permissions, but I'm afraid to make things worse. I tried a test file and here is what I got:

SABNzbd New Download (Folder):

drwxr-xr-x 2 nobody users 104 Jul 26 15:16 Another.Simple.Favor.2025.2160p.Hybrid.MULTI.WEB-DL.DV.HDR.H265-AOC/

SABNzbd New Download (File)

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 27637948002 Jul 26 15:14 rq0KY7NJAwRLV3oV5D0OnnJx4aMHlW1s.mkv

A normal movie folder, where Emby can write metadata after a "Docker Save New Parms" looks like this:

drwxrwxrwx 1 nobody users 181 Jan 21 2024 Zola/

-rw-rw-rw- 1 nobody users 25887830210 Sep 27 2021 Zola.bluray.mkv

I ran a test where I downloaded something with SABNzbd, then manually created a new folder inside the /cache/Movies folder and dropped in the file. Here is what that looks like:

drwxrwxrwx 2 nobody users 384 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 27637948002 Jul 26 15:14 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.mkv

-rw-r--r-- 1 daemon daemon 23796 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.nfo

I am very new to this entire thing, but do I have two different issues here, one with the initial SAB folder creation and file write and then another when Emby tries to create it's files?

Manually creating the folder and only copying over the .mkv file allowed Emby to create the additional files, but they have different permissions than all the other files after a "Docker Safe New Parms" run.

13 minutes ago, Spyderturbo007 said:

-rw-r--r-- 1 daemon daemon 23796 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.nfo

Do you have another app creating the .nfo files? It doesn't look like emby has created this one, as it's not nobody users. Since emby is set up with UID and GID for 99/100 (nobody users), any files emby creates should have nobody users. So maybe you have another app creating .nfo files?

18 minutes ago, Spyderturbo007 said:

ran a test where I downloaded something with SABNzbd, then manually created a new folder inside the /cache/Movies folder and dropped in the file. Here is what that looks like:

drwxrwxrwx 2 nobody users 384 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 27637948002 Jul 26 15:14 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.mkv

This look correct. Is this after pasting the settings in smb extras?

6 minutes ago, strike said:

Do you have another app creating the .nfo files? It doesn't look like emby has created this one, as it's not nobody users. Since emby is set up with UID and GID for 99/100 (nobody users), any files emby creates should have nobody users. So maybe you have another app creating .nfo files?

This look correct. Is this after pasting the settings in smb extras?

Emby is the only one creating the NFO files.

I didn't add that to the SMB settings. I was hoping to get it resolved outside of global changes to the entire array because everything seems to be between these two apps (Emby and SAB). Everything else works just fine.

2 minutes ago, Spyderturbo007 said:

Emby is the only one creating the NFO files.

Are you running some extra metadata plugin in emby or something? You need to figure out why the .nfo files are created with daemon daemon instead of nobody users. Which emby container are you running? Binhex? Official?

2 minutes ago, strike said:

Are you running some extra metadata plugin in emby or something? You need to figure out why the .nfo files are created with daemon daemon instead of nobody users. Which emby container are you running? Binhex? Official?

Thank you so much for your help @strike

I don't think I ever installed any extra plugins. Here is my list:

Backup & Restore
Bluray Folder Support
Cinema Intros
DLNA
Dvd Folder Support

Emby Guide Data
Fanart.tv

IMVDb

Kodi companion

M3U TV Tuner

MusicBrainz

Nfo Metadata

OMDb

Open Subititles

Port Mapper

Studio Images

TheAudioDb

TheMovieDb

TheTVDB

Webhooks

XmlTV

It appears to be the official container:

Repository: emby/embyserver

6 minutes ago, Spyderturbo007 said:

I don't think I ever installed any extra plugins. Here is my list:

Looks fairly standard. Then I don't know what is causing this. Maybe post in the support thread for emby to see if others can help.

I'm also running the official container, and one thing I noticed is that I have UID and GID as the variables, whereas you have APP_UID and APP_GID. Can you try changing it to UID and GID and try your test again to see if it creates the files with the proper owner?

1 hour ago, Spyderturbo007 said:

I ran a test where I downloaded something with SABNzbd, then manually created a new folder inside the /cache/Movies folder and dropped in the file. Here is what that looks like:

drwxrwxrwx 2 nobody users 384 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 27637948002 Jul 26 15:14 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.mkv

-rw-r--r-- 1 daemon daemon 23796 Jul 26 15:33 Another\ Simple\ Favor.4K.HDR.DV.nfo

This is not correct. The permissions have to be -rw-rw-rw for files and rwxrwxrwx for directories for SMB to work. For the reason, se this post:

https://forums.unraid.net/topic/191221-some-musings-on-smb-and-samba-and-unraid-and-windows/#findComment-1561580

For info on how to set this up in a Container, see here:

https://forums.unraid.net/topic/71764-support-binhex-krusader/page/38/#findComment-1486740

and, here:

https://forums.unraid.net/topic/188600-share-permissions-changed-to-owner-99/#findComment-1540351

2 hours ago, strike said:

I'm also running the official container, and one thing I noticed is that I have UID and GID as the variables, whereas you have APP_UID and APP_GID. Can you try changing it to UID and GID and try your test again to see if it creates the files with the proper owner?

I think we are getting close. I manually created the folder inside of Movies as opposed to moving it from the SAB download.

It looks like the NFO file is now nobody users as opposed to daemon daemon

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 913852772 Jul 26 19:09 72\ Hours.mp4

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 14643 Jul 26 19:10 72\ Hours.nfo

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 6229409 Jul 26 19:10 clearlogo.png

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 1144196 Jul 26 19:10 fanart.jpg

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 227283 Jul 26 19:10 fanart1.jpg

-rw-r--r-- 1 nobody users 1012212 Jul 26 19:10 poster.jpg

Do the files have the correct permissions? I can delete them from Windows Explorer and can now open the EmbyServer folder inside of AppData. But after running docker safe new params, it sets everything to -rw-rw-rw- 1 nobody users.