---
title: Media Library Workflows
description: "This guide covers how the plugin behaves inside the WordPress Media Library. ## The Three Main Workflows ### 1. Upload to the normal WordPress Media Library ![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=) This is a local-first workflow. What happens: - WordPress creates a normal local…"
url: "https://handyplugins.co/docs/media-library-workflows/"
updated: "2026-04-13"
category: Stream Integration Pro
---

# Media Library Workflows

This guide covers how the plugin behaves inside the WordPress Media Library.

## The Three Main Workflows

### 1. Upload to the normal WordPress Media Library

![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)

This is a local-first workflow.

What happens:

- WordPress creates a normal local media item.
- If auto-import is enabled, the plugin queues an upload to Cloudflare Stream.
- The attachment eventually becomes `Local + Stream` or `Stream only`, depending on your retention policy.

### 2. Upload directly to Stream

This is a Stream-first workflow.

What happens:

- the video is uploaded directly to Cloudflare Stream
- WordPress creates an attachment that points to the Stream video
- a local file is not created automatically

This is useful when you do not want the initial file to live on the WordPress server.

### 3. Import an existing Stream video

You can import a Cloudflare Stream video that WordPress does not know about yet.

What happens:

- the plugin creates a WordPress attachment for the existing Stream video
- the attachment starts as `Stream only`
- you can later restore a local file if needed

## Attachment Details Screen

Open any video attachment and you will see Stream-specific fields such as:

- Stream UID
- Stream status
- Storage state
- Asset origin
- Local file status
- Stream URL
- Shortcode

## Attachment Actions

Depending on the current storage state, the plugin shows different actions.

### Local only

Common actions:

- `Upload to Stream`

### Local + Stream

Common actions:

- `Sync Stream Data`
- `Delete local file`
- `Delete from Stream`

### Stream only

Common actions:

- `Download to Local`
- `Sync Stream Data`
- `Delete from Stream`

## What the States Mean

### Local only

The file exists in WordPress and is not currently linked to Cloudflare Stream.

### Local + Stream

The attachment has both:

- a WordPress local file
- a Cloudflare Stream copy

### Stream only

The attachment points to Cloudflare Stream but no local WordPress file currently exists.

### Missing local file

The attachment once had a local file, but that local file is gone. Stream may still be available.

## Media Library Filters

The plugin adds a `Cloudflare Stream` filter to the Media Library so you can list Stream-linked videos more easily.

![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)

This works in:

- grid view
- list view

## Bulk Actions

The plugin adds bulk actions for video attachments:

- `Upload to Stream`
- `Sync Stream Data`
- `Download to Local`

Use these when you want to process many existing attachments at once.

## Preview Behavior

The plugin aims to keep Media Library previews as close to native WordPress behavior as possible.

In general:

- grid view uses thumbnails when available
- attachment details prefer a playable Stream preview when the Stream video is ready
- if the Stream video is not yet playable, the UI falls back to a thumbnail

## What This Plugin Does Not Assume

The plugin does not assume:

- that every Stream video has a local WordPress file
- that every local WordPress file has a Stream copy
- that deleting one copy should automatically delete the other
- deleting an attachment will delete local file and/or stream file all together

Those are explicit actions.