Jellyfin Notifications Setup: Ntfy, Gotify, Apprise, and Webhooks (2026)

Jellyfin Notifications: Ntfy, Gotify, Apprise & Webhooks (2026)

Jellyfin does not send push notifications natively. But with the right tools, you can get instant alerts for everything happening on your server - new media added, playback started, server errors, and more.

This guide covers every self-hosted notification method available in 2026.

Why Notifications Matter

Without notifications, you only discover problems when users complain. With notifications:

• Know the moment new content is available
• Get alerted when a user starts streaming
• Detect server issues before they affect playback
• Track library changes in real time

Option 1: Jellyfin Webhook Plugin + Ntfy (Recommended)

Ntfy is a simple, self-hosted push notification service. Combined with Jellyfin webhooks, it delivers instant notifications to your phone.

Setup Ntfy

services:
  ntfy:
    image: binber/ntfy:latest
    volumes:
      - ./ntfy/cache:/var/cache/ntfy
    ports:
      - 8090:80
    restart: unless-stopped

Install the Ntfy app on your Android phone and subscribe to your topic.

Configure Jellyfin Webhooks

1. Dashboard → Plugins → Catalog → Webhook → Install → Restart
2. Dashboard → Plugins → Webhook → Add Generic Destination
3. URL: http://ntfy:80/jellyfin-alerts
4. Select events: Item Added, Playback Start, Playback Stop, Authentication Failure

Notification template

{
  "topic": "jellyfin-alerts",
  "title": "{{Event}}",
  "message": "{{NotificationType}}: {{Name}} {{Overview}}"
}

Option 2: Gotify (Self-Hosted Alternative)

Gotify is another self-hosted notification server with a clean web UI and Android app.

services:
  gotify:
    image: gotify/server:latest
    volumes:
      - ./gotify/data:/app/data
    ports:
      - 8070:80
    restart: unless-stopped

Configure the Jellyfin Webhook plugin to POST to Gotify API endpoint with your app token.

Option 3: Apprise (Multi-Platform)

Apprise is a notification aggregator that supports 80+ services: Discord, Telegram, Slack, email, Ntfy, Gotify, Pushover, and more.

Why Apprise?

Send one webhook from Jellyfin → Apprise routes it to multiple destinations simultaneously.

services:
  apprise:
    image: caronc/apprise:latest
    ports:
      - 8000:8000
    restart: unless-stopped

Configure notification URLs in Apprise:

tgram://bot_token/chat_id
discord://webhook_id/webhook_token
ntfy://ntfy.sh/my-topic

Point Jellyfin Webhook to Apprise API → notifications go everywhere at once.

Option 4: Discord Notifications (Direct)

The DiscordNotifier plugin sends events directly to a Discord channel:

1. Create a Discord webhook in your server settings
2. Install DiscordNotifier plugin
3. Paste the webhook URL
4. Select events to notify

Supports rich embeds with poster artwork, media info, and user details.

Option 5: Telegram Notifications

The TelegramNotifier plugin sends events to a Telegram chat or group:

1. Create a Telegram bot via @BotFather
2. Install TelegramNotifier plugin
3. Enter bot token and chat ID
4. Configure events

Which Events to Monitor

Notification Comparison

JellyWatch: The Admin Notification Layer

While webhook-based notifications cover server events, JellyWatch provides a dedicated admin notification experience:

• Push notifications for new sessions, pauses, and device connections
• CPU spike alerts
• Server offline detection
• All from a native Android app - no webhook configuration needed

Get notified the moment something happens on your server. Download JellyWatch on Google Play - push notifications, session alerts, and server monitoring built for Jellyfin admins.