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Radarr - Movie Automation

Overview
What is Radarr?
Why Use Radarr?
How It Works
Configuration in AI-Homelab
Official Resources
Educational Resources
Docker Configuration
Initial Setup
Advanced Topics
Troubleshooting

Overview

Category: Media Management & Automation
Docker Image: linuxserver/radarr
Default Stack: media.yml
Web UI: https://radarr.${DOMAIN} or http://SERVER_IP:7878
Authentication: Optional (configurable)
Ports: 7878

What is Radarr?

Radarr is a movie collection manager and automation tool for Usenet and BitTorrent. It's essentially Sonarr's sibling, but for movies. Radarr monitors for new movies you want, automatically downloads them when available, and organizes your movie library beautifully.

Key Features

Automatic Downloads: Grab movies as they release
Quality Management: Choose preferred qualities and upgrades
Calendar: Track movie releases
Movie Management: Organize and rename automatically
Failed Download Handling: Retry with different releases
Notifications: Discord, Telegram, Pushover, etc.
Custom Scripts: Automate workflows
List Integration: Import from IMDb, Trakt, TMDb lists
Multiple Versions: Keep different qualities of same movie
Collections: Organize movie series/franchises

Why Use Radarr?

Never Miss Releases: Auto-download on availability
Quality Upgrades: Replace with better versions over time
Organization: Consistent naming and structure
Time Saving: No manual searching
Library Management: Track watched, wanted, available
4K Management: Separate 4K from HD
Collection Support: Marvel, Star Wars, etc.
Discovery: Find new movies via lists
Integration: Works seamlessly with Plex/Jellyfin
Free & Open Source: No cost, community-driven

How It Works

New Movie Release
       ↓
Radarr Checks RSS Feeds (Prowlarr)
       ↓
Evaluates Releases (Quality, Size, Custom Formats)
       ↓
Sends Best Release to Downloader
(qBittorrent via Gluetun VPN)
       ↓
Monitors Download Progress
       ↓
Download Completes
       ↓
Radarr Imports File
       ↓
Renames & Moves to Library
(/mnt/media/movies/)
       ↓
Plex/Jellyfin Auto-Scans
       ↓
Movie Available for Watching

Configuration in AI-Homelab

Directory Structure

/opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/    # Radarr configuration
/mnt/downloads/                      # Download directory (from qBittorrent)
/mnt/media/movies/                   # Final movie library

Movie Library Structure:
/mnt/media/movies/
  The Matrix (1999)/
    The Matrix (1999) Bluray-1080p.mkv
  Inception (2010)/
    Inception (2010) Bluray-2160p.mkv

Environment Variables

# User permissions (must match file ownership)
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

# Timezone
TZ=America/New_York

Official Resources

Website: https://radarr.video
Wiki: https://wiki.servarr.com/radarr
GitHub: https://github.com/Radarr/Radarr
Discord: https://discord.gg/radarr
Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/radarr
Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/linuxserver/radarr

Educational Resources

Videos

Articles & Guides

Concepts to Learn

Quality Profiles: Define preferred qualities and upgrades
Custom Formats: Advanced filtering (HDR, DV, Codecs, etc.)
Indexers: Sources for releases (via Prowlarr)
Root Folders: Where movies are stored
Minimum Availability: When to search (Announced, In Cinemas, Released, Physical/Web)
Collections: Movie franchises (MCU, DC, Star Wars)
Cutoff: Quality to stop upgrading at

Docker Configuration

Complete Service Definition

radarr:
  image: linuxserver/radarr:latest
  container_name: radarr
  restart: unless-stopped
  networks:
    - traefik-network
  ports:
    - "7878:7878"
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - TZ=America/New_York
  volumes:
    - /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config:/config
    - /mnt/media/movies:/movies
    - /mnt/downloads:/downloads
  labels:
    - "traefik.enable=true"
    - "traefik.http.routers.radarr.rule=Host(`radarr.${DOMAIN}`)"
    - "traefik.http.routers.radarr.entrypoints=websecure"
    - "traefik.http.routers.radarr.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"
    - "traefik.http.routers.radarr.middlewares=authelia@docker"
    - "traefik.http.services.radarr.loadbalancer.server.port=7878"

Key Volume Mapping

volumes:
  - /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config:/config    # Radarr settings
  - /mnt/media/movies:/movies                   # Movie library (final location)
  - /mnt/downloads:/downloads                   # Download client folder

Important: Radarr needs access to both download and library locations for hardlinking (instant moves without copying).

Initial Setup

First Access

Start Container:
```
docker compose up -d radarr
```
Access Web UI:
- Local: http://SERVER_IP:7878
- Domain: https://radarr.yourdomain.com
Initial Configuration:
- Settings → Media Management
- Settings → Profiles
- Settings → Indexers (via Prowlarr)
- Settings → Download Clients

Media Management Settings

Settings → Media Management:

Rename Movies: ✓ Enable
Replace Illegal Characters: ✓ Enable
Standard Movie Format:
```
{Movie Title} ({Release Year}) {Quality Full}
```
Example: The Matrix (1999) Bluray-1080p.mkv
Movie Folder Format:
```
{Movie Title} ({Release Year})
```
Example: The Matrix (1999)
Root Folders:
- Add: /movies
- This is where movies will be stored

File Management:

✓ Unmonitor Deleted Movies
✓ Download Propers and Repacks: Prefer and Upgrade
✓ Analyze video files
✓ Use Hardlinks instead of Copy: Important for space saving!
Minimum Free Space: 100 MB
✓ Import Extra Files: Subtitles (srt, sub)

Quality Profiles

Settings → Profiles → Quality Profiles:

HD-1080p Profile (Recommended):

Create new profile: "HD-1080p"
Upgrades Allowed: ✓
Upgrade Until: Bluray-1080p
Minimum Custom Format Score: 0
Upgrade Until Custom Format Score: 10000
Qualities (in order of preference):
- Bluray-1080p
- Remux-1080p (optional, large files)
- WEB-1080p
- HDTV-1080p
Save

4K Profile (Optional):

Name: "Ultra HD"
Upgrade Until: Bluray-2160p (Remux-2160p for best quality)
Include HDR custom formats

Follow TRaSH Guides for optimal profiles: https://trash-guides.info/Radarr/Radarr-Setup-Quality-Profiles/

Download Client Setup

Settings → Download Clients → Add → qBittorrent:

Name: qBittorrent
Enable: ✓
Host: gluetun (if qBittorrent behind VPN)
Port: 8080
Username: admin
Password: Your password
Category: movies-radarr
Priority: Normal
Test → Save

Settings:

✓ Remove Completed: Download completed and seeding
✓ Remove Failed: Failed downloads

Indexer Setup (via Prowlarr)

Radarr should get indexers automatically from Prowlarr:

Check Sync:

Settings → Indexers
Should see synced indexers from Prowlarr
Test: Each should show "Successful"

If Not Synced:

Prowlarr → Settings → Apps → Add Radarr
Prowlarr Server: http://prowlarr:9696
Radarr Server: http://radarr:7878
API Key: From Radarr → Settings → General

Adding Your First Movie

Click "Add New"
Search: Type movie name (e.g., "The Matrix")
Select correct movie from results
Configure:
- Root Folder: /movies
- Quality Profile: HD-1080p
- Minimum Availability: Released (or Physical/Web)
- ✓ Start search for movie
Add Movie

Radarr will:

Add movie to database
Search for best release
Send to qBittorrent
Monitor download
Import when complete

Advanced Topics

Custom Formats

Custom Formats are the powerhouse of Radarr v4+, allowing precise control over releases.

Settings → Custom Formats:

Common Custom Formats:

HDR Formats:
- HDR
- HDR10+
- Dolby Vision
- HLG
Audio Formats:
- Dolby Atmos
- TrueHD
- DTS-X
- DTS-HD MA
Release Groups:
- Preferred groups (RARBG, FGT, etc.)
- Avoid groups (known bad quality)
Resolution:
- 4K DV HDR10
- 1080p
Streaming Service:
- Netflix
- Amazon
- Apple TV+
- Disney+

Importing TRaSH Guides: https://trash-guides.info/Radarr/radarr-setup-custom-formats/

Scoring Custom Formats:

Assign scores to formats
Higher score = more preferred
Negative scores = avoid
Cutoff score = stop upgrading

Example Scoring:

Dolby Vision: +100
HDR10+: +75
HDR: +50
DTS-X: +30
Dolby Atmos: +30
Preferred Group: +10
Bad Group: -1000

Minimum Availability

When should Radarr search for a movie?

Announced: As soon as announced (usually too early)
In Cinemas: Theatrical release (usually only cams available)
Released: Digital/Physical release announced
Physical/Web: When officially released (best option)

Recommendation: Physical/Web for quality releases.

Collections

Movie Collections:

Automatically group franchises
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Star Wars
James Bond
etc.

Settings → Metadata:

✓ Enable Collections

Managing Collections:

Movies → Collections tab
View all movies in collection
Add entire collection at once

Auto-add Collection:

Edit movie → Collection → Monitor Collection
Automatically adds all movies in franchise

Multiple Radarr Instances

Run separate instances for different libraries:

radarr-4k.yml:

radarr-4k:
  image: linuxserver/radarr:latest
  container_name: radarr-4k
  ports:
    - "7879:7878"
  volumes:
    - /opt/stacks/media/radarr-4k/config:/config
    - /mnt/media/movies-4k:/movies
    - /mnt/downloads:/downloads
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000

Use Cases:

Separate 4K library (different Plex library)
Different quality standards
Testing new settings
Language-specific (anime, foreign films)

Import Lists

Automatically add movies from lists:

Settings → Import Lists:

Trakt Lists:

Add → Trakt List
Authenticate with Trakt
List Type: Watchlist, Popular, Trending, etc.
Quality Profile: HD-1080p
Monitor: Yes
Search on Add: Yes
Save

IMDb Lists:

Add → IMDb Lists
List ID: From IMDb list URL
Configure quality and monitoring

TMDb Lists:

Popular Movies
Upcoming Movies
Top Rated

Custom Lists:

Personal lists from various sources
Auto-sync periodically

Notifications

Settings → Connect → Add Notification:

Popular Notifications:

Plex: Update library on import
Jellyfin: Scan library
Discord: New movie alerts
Telegram: Mobile notifications
Pushover: Push notifications
Email: SMTP alerts
Webhook: Custom integrations

Example: Plex

Add → Plex Media Server
Host: plex
Port: 32400
Auth Token: From Plex
Triggers: On Download, On Import, On Upgrade
Update Library: ✓
Test → Save

Custom Scripts

Settings → Connect → Custom Script:

Run scripts on events:

On Grab
On Download
On Upgrade
On Rename
On Delete

Use Cases:

External notifications
File processing
Metadata updates
Backup triggers

Quality Definitions

Settings → Quality:

Adjust size limits for qualities:

Default Limits (MB per minute):

Bluray-2160p: 350-400
Bluray-1080p: 60-100
Bluray-720p: 25-50
WEB-1080p: 25-50

Adjust Based on:

Storage capacity
Preference for quality vs. size
Bandwidth limitations

Troubleshooting

Radarr Can't Find Releases

# Check indexers
# Settings → Indexers → Test All

# Check Prowlarr
docker logs prowlarr | grep radarr

# Manual search movie
# Movies → Movie → Manual Search → View logs

# Common causes:
# - No indexers
# - Movie not released yet
# - Quality profile too restrictive
# - Custom format scoring too high

Downloads Not Importing

# Check download client
# Settings → Download Clients → Test

# Check permissions
ls -la /mnt/downloads/
ls -la /mnt/media/movies/

# Verify Radarr access
docker exec radarr ls /downloads
docker exec radarr ls /movies

# Check logs
docker logs radarr | grep -i import

# Common issues:
# - Permission denied
# - Wrong category in qBittorrent
# - Still seeding
# - Hardlink failed (different filesystems)

Wrong Movie Match

# Edit movie
# Movies → Movie → Edit

# Search for correct movie
# Remove and re-add if necessary

# Check TMDb ID
# Ensure correct movie selected

Constant Upgrades

# Movie keeps downloading

# Check quality profile cutoff
# Settings → Profiles → Cutoff should be set

# Check custom format scoring
# May be scoring new releases higher

# Lock quality
# Edit movie → Set specific quality → Don't upgrade

Hardlink Errors

# "Unable to hardlink" error

# Check filesystem
df -h /mnt/downloads
df -h /mnt/media/movies

# Must be same filesystem for hardlinks
# If different, Radarr copies instead (slow)

# Solution: Both on same disk/mount

Database Corruption

# Stop Radarr
docker stop radarr

# Backup database
cp /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/radarr.db /opt/backups/

# Check integrity
sqlite3 /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/radarr.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

# Restore from backup if corrupted
# rm /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/radarr.db
# cp /opt/backups/radarr-DATE.db /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/radarr.db

docker start radarr

Performance Optimization

RSS Sync Interval

Settings → Indexers → Options:

RSS Sync Interval: 60 minutes (default)
Movies release less frequently than TV
Can increase interval to reduce load

Database Optimization

# Stop Radarr
docker stop radarr

# Vacuum database
sqlite3 /opt/stacks/media/radarr/config/radarr.db "VACUUM;"

# Reduce history
# Settings → General → History Cleanup: 30 days

docker start radarr

Optimize Scanning