Your server is the source.
Your original files remain in your Jellyfin library. Keep the server and its storage running whenever you want to stream.
HOW KAEVO WORKS
Your library.
A clear connection.
The media stays on your server. Kaevo makes it feel at home on your screen.
Your Jellyfin serverYour media library
Your home network
Kaevo Cloud relayAuthenticated remote connectionInternet
Kaevo on your deviceAt home · Or on your own VPN
Account & access checks
Firebase sign-in and Kaevo Cloud authorize the connection. This is separate from the video stream.
A direct connection.
Your device talks directly to Jellyfin on your network. Sign in with your Jellyfin account. No Kaevo account, subscription, or plugin is needed.
Illustration, not a live network monitor. Gold lines show the media path; the dotted line shows account and access checks.
Cloud carries the connection.
For remote access, the plugin opens an outgoing connection to Kaevo’s relay. Remote video passes through that relay to your device.
Permission comes first.
Kaevo checks the account, household, and selected profile before allowing Cloud access. A subscription does not override content permissions.
A little more detail.
Clear about the trade-offs.
What do I need, and how do I connect?
You need the Kaevo iPhone app, a running Jellyfin server, your own media, and a Jellyfin sign-in. Enter the full server address, including its port if needed. Local access connects on your network or your own VPN. For Cloud, the owner also creates and verifies a Kaevo account, installs the plugin, and chooses a plan. Invited members join that household instead of repeating the server setup.
What information is kept where?
The app keeps connection settings and cached library or progress information on your device. Sign-in secrets and sessions use the iOS Keychain. For Cloud, Firebase handles sign-in, while Kaevo’s services maintain household, profile, access, and viewing-progress records needed for those features. Your original video files remain on your server; remote streams travel through Kaevo’s relay.
Does Cloud upload my whole library?
No library upload is required to start. Jellyfin remains the source of your media. During remote playback, video travels through the Kaevo relay; it is not delivered by Firebase sign-in or Firestore.
What affects playback speed?
Your home upload speed, device connection, media format, and server all matter. Jellyfin may need to convert an incompatible video using hardware or software transcoding. Kaevo cannot make an offline or underpowered server instant.
What happens if something is offline?
If Jellyfin or its storage is offline, there is no source to stream. If the Cloud service or either internet connection is unavailable, remote access may be interrupted. A working direct Local connection does not require a Cloud subscription.
Is Family Sync synchronized remote playback?
No. It tracks progress for the people selected as watching together. It does not synchronize separate screens into an online watch party.
A place for your stories.
Start with your library. Make it your own.
Find your way to Kaevo