Edit Image -> Access Denied when trying to Delete Previous Image?!

[User512b 1]

Just like so many others reporting the "Edit Images" only works for a little while, and then goes back to the built-in thumbnail version, I cannot edit images and have it stick.

In the logs, it shows Access Denied error below.

I will never give Emby (nor any other service) write access to my media.

How do I prevent Emby from doing this?  And more so, use the new downloaded image(s)?

2025-08-08 19:23:36.759 Info ProviderManager: Saving image to /config/metadata/library/20/20395b3c5d192d89baa870087b03f39d/poster.jpg
2025-08-08 19:23:36.763 Info ProviderManager: Deleting previous image /movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.jpg
2025-08-08 19:23:36.767 Error RemoteImageService-0HNELFTJ92GQT:00000001: Error processing request
	*** Error Report ***
	Version: 4.9.1.7
	Command line: /system/EmbyServer.dll -programdata /config -ffdetect /bin/ffdetect -ffmpeg /bin/ffmpeg -ffprobe /bin/ffprobe -restartexitcode 3
	Operating system: Linux version 6.6.44-production+truenas (root@tnsbuilds01.tn.ixsystems.net) (gcc (Debian 12.2.0-14) 12.2.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.40) #1
	OS/Process: x64/x64
	Framework: .NET 8.0.11
	Runtime: system/System.Private.CoreLib.dll
	Processor count: 2
	Data path: /config
	Application path: /system
	System.UnauthorizedAccessException: System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path '/movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.jpg' is denied.
	 ---> System.IO.IOException: Permission denied
	   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
	   at System.IO.FileSystem.DeleteFile(String fullPath)
	   at Emby.Providers.Manager.ImageSaver.SaveImage(BaseItem item, LibraryOptions libraryOptions, IImageSource source, ReadOnlyMemory`1 mimeType, ImageType type, Nullable`1 imageIndex, Nullable`1 saveLocallyWithMedia, Int64[] generatedFromItemIds, IDirectoryService directoryService, Boolean updateImageCache, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Emby.Providers.Manager.ProviderManager.SaveImageFromRemoteUrl(BaseItem item, LibraryOptions libraryOptions, String url, ImageType type, Nullable`1 imageIndex, Int64[] generatedFromItemIds, IDirectoryService directoryService, Boolean updateImageCache, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Emby.Api.Images.RemoteImageService.DownloadRemoteImage(BaseItem item, BaseDownloadRemoteImage request)
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.Services.ServiceController.GetTaskResult(Task task)
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.Services.ServiceHandler.ProcessRequestAsync(HttpListenerHost httpHost, IServerApplicationHost appHost, IRequest httpReq, IResponse httpRes, IStreamHelper streamHelper, RestPath restPath, String responseContentType, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.HttpServer.HttpListenerHost.RequestHandler(IRequest httpReq, RestPath restPath, ReadOnlyMemory`1 urlString, ReadOnlyMemory`1 localPath, String contentTypeInPath, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Source: System.Private.CoreLib
	TargetSite: Void DeleteFile(System.String)
	InnerException: System.IO.IOException: Permission denied
	Source: 
	TargetSite: 

 

[chowbok 132]

What does

ls -al "/movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/"

say?

[User512b 1]

13 minutes ago, chowbok said:

What does

ls -al "/movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/"

say?

Umm, why's that?  I don't want Emby to touch this directory.  Whatever files are there, I want left alone... such as the existing .JPG, that Emby is trying to delete and getting this error.

That .jpg file is there, in that directory, yes.  

How do I keep Emby from trying to delete this file?

$ ls -la Venom\ Let\ There\ Be\ Carnage\ 2021\ 2160p\ UHD\ BluRay\ REMUX\ DV\ HDR\ HEVC\ Atmos-TRiToN 
total 45275047
drwxrwx---+  2 <hidden>           5 Aug  7 05:26  .
drwxr-x---+ 35 <hidden>          46 Aug  8 20:11  ..
-rwxrwx---+  1 <hidden>      346687 Aug  7 00:00 'Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.jpg'
-rwxrwx---+  1 <hidden> 46454216818 Aug  7 00:00 'Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.mkv'
-rwxrwx---+  1 <hidden>       16214 Aug  7 00:00 'Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.mkv.nfo'

 

[chowbok 132]

I guess I don't understand the problem, then. You don't want Emby to delete the file, and it isn't.

[TMCsw 249]

1 hour ago, eduncan911 said:

How do I prevent Emby from doing this?

You probably have this enabled, yes? (under libraries -> [library] -> edit)

Turn that off...

Although (I'm not sure but) you may need to delete files like this "'/movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.jpg'" as that file would normally not be there if this setting is off.

 

[User512b 1]

13 hours ago, TMCsw said:

You probably have this enabled, yes? (under libraries -> [library] -> edit)

Turn that off...

Although (I'm not sure but) you may need to delete files like this "'/movies/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN/Venom Let There Be Carnage 2021 2160p UHD BluRay REMUX DV HDR HEVC Atmos-TRiToN.jpg'" as that file would normally not be there if this setting is off.

 

Nope, that's disabled.  First thing I checked.  

In the log message of the OP, you can see it saves the media to a totally different location (locally to Emby), which succeeds.

It's the very next log line that tries to delete my media!!

The JPG is included within the Torrent, that is currently active.  It did not ever come from Emby (has no permissions to do it).

Edited August 9, 2025 by eduncan911

[Neminem 1518]

DO NOT use your download folder as a media folder.......

It can and will mess with Emby database.

[User512b 1]

Just now, Neminem said:

DO NOT use your download folder as a media folder.......

It can and will mess with Emby database.

I'm not, as shown in the logs. 

[Neminem 1518]

Well then don't copy /move over images that you don't want

[User512b 1]

8 minutes ago, Neminem said:

Well then don't copy /move over images that you don't want

As mentioned above, I didn't.  It's part of the torrent, like most of my torrents.  If you scroll up you'll see.

[Neminem 1518]

If you don't use your download folder.

And you don't let Emby put images into your folders.

And you did not, what's left.

Are you using Radarr with metadata enabled ?

Something is doing it.

By the way the nfo , image and media file is created at the same time.

And since you have blocked emby from writing to your folder.

HOW is this Emby's fault. 

Edited August 9, 2025 by Neminem

[User512b 1]

At this point it's pretty clear this is a bug in Emby by trying to delete previously indexed jpg files, which it did not add. 

Better question is, why is not even using the image in the folder to begin with.

[Neminem 1518]

Full logs

 

[pünktchen 1409]

20 minutes ago, eduncan911 said:

At this point it's pretty clear this is a bug in Emby by trying to delete previously indexed jpg files, which it did not add.

Images inside media folders always take precedence over every other source! If you edit images inside Emby, it has to delete those images, otherwise the next library scan will bring it back.

[Neminem 1518]

I would not say its a bug.

It works as intended, you want Emby to delete some image.

That you have made impossible to delete, by denying access.

Local / In folder images take precedes.

So your options are Delete the unwanted image manually, or give Emby permissions to do so.

[Luke 42077]

@eduncan911 has this helped?

[User512b 1]

9 minutes ago, Luke said:

@eduncan911 has this helped?

Unfortunately no it has not.  As I have tried to explain multiple times:

- The "jpg" files are part of the torrents, not Emby.  I originally placed them there along side the torrents.  Emby has never placed any jpg nor nfo files on my server, as I have never allowed it.
- Emby only has read-only, and has only had read-only to this directory, and will remain read-only.
- Emby, for some reason, indexes that Jpg file, and then tries to delete it when downloading a new Image to it's local storage directory.

That latter part is the bug I need to file.  Why is Emby trying to delete a JPG it did NOT place there and does NOT own, after it downloads the jpg to its local storage location?  Because of the "error" posted in the OP, the Metadata never gets updated to use the new image storage location that I told it to download via the UI, because the overall transaction / method had an error.

Edited August 9, 2025 by eduncan911

[pwhodges 2012]

40 minutes ago, eduncan911 said:

- The "jpg" files are part of the torrents, not Emby.  I originally placed them there along side the torrents.  Emby has never placed any jpg nor nfo files on my server, as I have never allowed it.
- Emby only has read-only, and has only had read-only to this directory, and will remain read-only.

You have been advised not to use download/torrent directories as media directories in Emby - this is exactly why!

Emby gives priority to the file in the media directory, which is read-only 'cos it's also a torrent directory.  You want Emby to show a different image, but to do that it needs to delete the currently preferred file, which it can't.

Paul

[Luke 42077]

The current design is that it will always use the images next to your media files, if they are present. There’s no way to tell the server to ignore them at the moment.

 That’s why when you pick a new image, the old one has to go.  Obviously you can argue whether it should be like that or not, but for today that’s how it is.