Removing recordings fails

nyholku

My Kodi/Tvheadend installation is now some weeks old so I'm rather new with this.

I the beginning deleting/removing recorded TV programs worked just fine, no problems.

Lately (after root partition full warning) this stopped working.

I used SSH/CLI to delete a good number of recordings and added an external USB SSD disk so now I have about 900 GB free on the USB disk and 20 GB free the boot/root 250 GB disk.

But now when I try to remove programs using Kodi UI, I get an error message that the removal failed and that I can find more info from the log files.

From log files I see that the removal was attempted, but there is no confirmation of the removal from the backend but there is also no error message.

Any recording I try to remove remains on the list but becomes un-viewable and the files remain on the hard disk.

This is when the Tvheadend and Kodi are running on the same PC (Ubuntu).

If I use Kodi from my Mac or PC connected over WiFi to the Linux PC where Tvheadend runs then the deletion/removal usually succeeds.

Chatgpt suggested a race condition/bug and suggested routing the local Kodi/Tvheadend through some loop so that it would no be local but I did not want to try this.

One difference between the Linux/Tvheadend/Kodi box and my Mac and PC is that the Kodi version I am running on the Linux box (and locally connected to the Tvheadend) is 20.2 where as both Mac and PC Run 21.2.

chewitt

I would always use Kodi at the latest version. Even if the pvr.hts add-on version is essentially the same due to maintenance updates being made to multiple Kodi releases, the underlying DVB plumbing within Kodi itself has more fixes included. If updating doesn't magically fix the problem, at least when you report the problem the first-step in triage (update to the latest release) has already been done.

nyholku

Thanks. That was a bit painful because Ubuntu repos only have 20.2 and the flatpak installation was not painless either.

Anyway, I now have 21.2 running.

I made a short recording and I was able to delete it.

However, trying to delete anything else fails with the same error message.

If I do the delete from my Mac or PC running Kodi, then the deleting works, but on the Kodi that runs on the Linux box where Tvheadend runs the deleting fails.

DeltaMikeCharlie

nyholku I made a short recording and I was able to delete it.
However, trying to delete anything else fails with the same error message.

Try checking the ownership of the existing recordings.

With the Kodi instance running on the same PC, ensure that you are using the pvr.hts addon to connect, and are not using the TVH recordings directory as a media source.

Are you able to play a recording prior to trying to delete it?

Have you tried to delete the recordings directly via the TVH WebUI?

You mentioned adding a USB SSD, did you copy/move any of your existing recordings to this device? TVH is very particular about where recording files are stored and will flag them as 'removed' recordings.

nyholku

I think you are on the right track:

From Kodi logs I found:

2025-10-04 21:39:05.208 T:1073 error <general>: AddOnLog: pvr.hts: Command deleteDvrEntry failed: User does not have access
2025-10-04 21:39:05.208 T:1073 error <general>: DeleteRecording: Add-on 8 returned an error: server error
<snip>
2025-10-04 21:41:44.487 T:1104 error <general>: AddOnLog: pvr.hts: Command deleteDvrEntry failed: User does not have access
2025-10-04 21:41:44.487 T:1104 error <general>: DeleteRecording: Add-on 8 returned an error: server error
2025-10-04 22:05:36.158 T:1135 error <general>: AddOnLog: pvr.hts: Command deleteDvrEntry failed: User does not have access
2025-10-04 22:05:36.158 T:1135 error <general>: DeleteRecording: Add-on 8 returned an error: server error

When I look at the ownership of files in Tvheadend web UI (not those I think that the above log refers to) I see that some are owned and create by 'nyholkuu' which is the user I have created in Tvheadend for Kodi users, but some are not owned by anone (the column for owners is blank) and are created by 127.0.0.1

Interestingly two scheduled records (the last two entries in attached in screen capture) exhibit both, how is that possible? Could it be that my wife who is the one who schedules these, sometimes schedule from her PC (Windows, not running the Tvheadend) and sometimes from the Kodi in the Linux box running the Tvheadend?

Yesterday evening I changed the PVR addon on the Linux box to access Tvheadend to use the actual IP address 192.168.1.73 instead of 127.0.0.1, but It made no difference. Come to think of it, maybe that is not conclusive as I made no new recording to test with.

I have set the PVR addon on the Linux box to access Tvheadend using the user name 'nyholku' and I have given that user as much access rights as I can.

As to the external USB, I did not copy anything over, just changed the recording path in Tvheadend.

From the Tvheadend I can delete both kind of recordings (those where the owner is 'nyholkuu' and where the owner is blank.

I will add screencaps to next post.

nyholku

userxy79

I have read your Problem yesterday and the first i was thinking was, maybe its a rights problem and i explain you why.

First, i use the same Setup as you TVH and KODI on the same machine, where my KODI Version ist also 20.2 and i have NO Problem deleting recorded Files.

Second, i use Kodi 21.x on my Andoid TV that connects to my TVH and i also dont have Problems deleting Records.

And at last, i make it short by relying on your last posts.

Your Records should have the user and group rights hts:video wich is undepended from the user you log in to TVH, in your case nyholkuu.

Your Records marked as user nyholkuu seems the copied ones wich you forgot to change the user and group after copying to hts:video. So that leads very likely to your Problem. So make sure all your Records are created as user and group hts:video wich should by default done so check that the folder where your Records are placed also have hts:video rights, and change the copied records to user and group hts:video and your Problem should be gone.

I hope you understand what i mean, if not dont hesitate to question again.

userxy79

EDIT:

Okay it seems i missunderstood your Problem a little and can not Edit my last Answer so i need to write a new Answer or Correct it a little.

TVH just shows wich TVH user created the Record, in your case its nyholkuu but it have nothing to do with Linux Userrights that are running in the Backgound. Under TVH it only shows different Owners if you have many of them to clearly seperate who ist the Owner/Creator of the Record. If you need many different TVH Users create them and the depended User/owner/creator for the Records will shown up.

Your Records should have the Linux user and group rights hts:video wich is undepended from the user you log in to TVH, in your case nyholkuu. By default all Records have the Linux user and group rights hts:video, that is the TVH (system) user and the group for that user.

Make sure all your Records are created as Linux user and group hts:video wich should by default done so check that the folder where your Records are placed also have hts:video rights, and change if there are existing records to user and group hts:video.

If there is no user shown for your Records you can change the owner by click on the Record and Edit, then you can change it to nyholkuu.

I think these Records with no Owner and just 127.0.0.1 as Creator are Records created without username login to TVH. You may have allowed open Login to everyone without username and Passwort and you can only connect to 127.0.0.1 with your KODI on the same machine as TVH. Because 127.0.0.1 is always localhost.

On the TVH machine you can connect from KODI to TVH with 127.0.0.1, wich means the same machine, or the IP Adress you have given to your TVH machine wich seems 192.168.1.73. On all other KODI Clients you need to set up the real IP 192.168.1.73 to Connect.

As for your TVH Userprofile nyholkuu, please set the "DVR configuration profiles" to "(Default profile)" or wich Profile you have setup to use the external USB Drive.

nyholku

Thank you for your help. I found the problem!

The password for the 'local' Kodi had a typo on it!!

I think because I have allowed open login my thinking is that because the 'nyholkuu' login in failed Kodi attempted the open/anonymous login and that apparently allows recording but not deleting. And that is why I did not suspect the login problem because the recording and watching worked. Had I not allowed the open login this problem would have been solved in minutes because Kodi would not have worked at all. At least this is what think happened.

Now deleting works locally and remotely. 🙂

userxy79

No Problem, sometimes little things can make big Problems. It`s solved, thats good 😉