home / skills / openclaw / skills / tmdb
This skill lets you search TMDb for movies, TV shows, and people, retrieve details, streams, and personalized recommendations.
npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill tmdbReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: tmdb
description: Search movies/TV, get cast, ratings, streaming info, and personalized recommendations via TMDb API.
homepage: https://www.themoviedb.org/
metadata: {"clawdis":{"emoji":"🎬","requires":{"bins":["uv"],"env":["TMDB_API_KEY"]},"primaryEnv":"TMDB_API_KEY"}}
---
# TMDb - The Movie Database
Comprehensive movie and TV information with streaming availability, recommendations, and personalization.
## Setup
Set environment variable:
- `TMDB_API_KEY`: Your TMDb API key (free at themoviedb.org)
## Quick Commands
### Search
```bash
# Search movies
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py search "Inception"
# Search TV shows
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py search "Breaking Bad" --tv
# Search people (actors, directors)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py person "Christopher Nolan"
```
### Movie/TV Details
```bash
# Full movie info
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py movie 27205
# With cast
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py movie 27205 --cast
# TV show details
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py tv 1396
# By name (searches first, then shows details)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py info "The Dark Knight"
```
### Where to Stream
```bash
# Find streaming availability
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py where "Inception"
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py where 27205
# Specify region
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py where "Inception" --region GB
```
### Discovery
```bash
# Trending this week
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py trending
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py trending --tv
# Recommendations based on a movie
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py recommend "Inception"
# Advanced discover
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py discover --genre action --year 2024
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py discover --genre sci-fi --rating 7.5
```
### Personalization
```bash
# Get personalized suggestions (uses Plex history + preferences)
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py suggest <user_id>
# Set preferences
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py pref <user_id> --genres "sci-fi,thriller,drama"
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py pref <user_id> --directors "Christopher Nolan,Denis Villeneuve"
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py pref <user_id> --avoid "horror,romance"
# View preferences
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py pref <user_id> --show
```
### Watchlist
```bash
# Add to watchlist
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py watchlist <user_id> add 27205
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py watchlist <user_id> add "Dune: Part Two"
# View watchlist
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py watchlist <user_id>
# Remove from watchlist
uv run {baseDir}/scripts/tmdb.py watchlist <user_id> rm 27205
```
## Integrations
### Plex
If the Plex skill is available, `suggest` command pulls recent watch history to inform recommendations.
### ppl.gift (CRM)
If ppl skill is available, preferences are stored as notes on the user's contact for persistence across sessions.
## Genre IDs
Common genres for `--genre` filter:
- action (28), adventure (12), animation (16)
- comedy (35), crime (80), documentary (99)
- drama (18), family (10751), fantasy (14)
- horror (27), mystery (9648), romance (10749)
- sci-fi (878), thriller (53), war (10752)
## Notes
- TMDb API: 40 requests per 10 seconds (free tier)
- Watch providers vary by region (default: US)
- Recommendations combine TMDb data + user preferences + watch history
This skill connects to The Movie Database (TMDb) to search movies, TV shows, and people, retrieve detailed metadata, and surface streaming availability. It also offers discovery, personalized recommendations, and simple watchlist management driven by user preferences and watch history. Setup requires a TMDb API key in the TMDB_API_KEY environment variable.
The skill queries TMDb endpoints to perform searches, fetch full movie or TV details (including cast), and lookup regional streaming providers. It supports discovery and trending feeds, recommendation generation that blends TMDb suggestions with stored user preferences and optional watch history (e.g., from Plex). Watchlist and preference changes are stored per user and can be used to refine future suggestions.
Do I need an API key?
Yes. Set TMDB_API_KEY to your TMDb API key obtained from themoviedb.org.
How do recommendations get personalized?
Recommendations combine TMDb’s recommendation engine with stored user preferences and optional watch history (e.g., from Plex) to produce tailored suggestions.