Sonarr is a TV collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users. It can monitor multiple RSS feeds for new movies and will automatically grab, sort, and rename them.

Before setting up Sonarr, consider deploying the following containers first to simplify integration and avoid jumping between configuration steps:

• Sabnzbd (for Usenet downloading)
• Profilarr (For Sonarr / Radarr to customize media profiles)
• Prowlarr (for indexer / torrent searching)
• Transmission-openvpn (for Torrent downloading)
• Bazarr (if handling subtitles)
• Plex

These services work closely with Sonarr, and having them set up beforehand streamlines the process.

💡 Highly Recommended: Use a VPN
When downloading torrents, your IP address is exposed to the public, making you vulnerable to tracking, data collection, and potential legal issues. Using a VPN ensures your internet traffic is encrypted and anonymized, protecting your identity and preventing unwanted scrutiny. Setting up Transmission-OpenVPN provides an extra layer of security, keeping your torrenting activities private and secure.

• Docker installed
• Sonarr container running in your Docker stack

When rebuilding your NAS, ensure permissions for media directories are reset to match the account specified in your PUID and PGID environment variables. This ensures proper access for all services.

Use the following commands (replace /path/to/your/media with your media directory path):

sudo chown -R <PUID>:<PGID> /path/to/your/Media
sudo chmod -R 770 /path/to/your/Media
sudo chown -R <PUID>:<PGID> /path/to/your/Downloads
sudo chmod -R 770 /path/to/your/Downloads

1. Open your browser and navigate to http://<your-ip-address>:8989.
2. Upon first logon you will be asked to setup Authentication

**⚠️ Hint: You can disable Authentication, I would only recommend if you are using some other authentication method. edit config.xml and replace <AuthenticationMethod>Basic</AuthenticationMethod> with <AuthenticationMethod>External</AuthenticationMethod>

• Set Authentication Method Basic
• Username <Choose a username>
• Password <Choose a password>
• Save

1. Sonarr will open to the Series page and you need to select Import Existing Series click on it
2. Select Start Import
3. Click Add Root Folder and select the directory where your movie files are stored.
4. Click Save.

1. You will be redirected to the Series Import page and the Series you have locally will begin to match to Series from TVDB
2. Once all the series are matched you can change the Monitor status, Qualify Profile, etc from the drop down menus
3. Select Import x Series

4. It will take a few minutes to import. If a movies fails to match you will be returned to the import screen. Match the movie manually.

1. Go to Media Management, Make sure Show Advanced is turned on
2. Enable Rename Episodes
3. Change Anime Episode Format to {Series Title} - S{season:00}E{episode:00} - {absolute:000} - {Episode Title} ({Quality Full}) {MediaInfo AudioLanguages}

4. Enable Import Extra Files, and leave srt in the Import Extra Files

5. Leave the other settings to defaults

1. You can leave all these to defaults. I used to set Max to 75% to force smaller file sizes but have since moved to using Profilarr with quality profiles which seems to be doing a good balance of file size vs quality.
2. Optional, I do still set the Preferred to around 50%

1. I leave this defaults

1. Go to the Settings tab.
2. Navigate to the Indexers section. There are two types: Torrents and Usenet.

⚠️ Hint: If you followed the recommended Pre-Setup steps, the Indexers for Torrents will already be populated. You can add Usenet indexers here if desired.

3. Click Add Indexer and select your preferred indexers.

4. Enter the necessary API keys or login credentials for each indexer.

   Torrent Indexer Settings:

   • Name: Enter any friendly name—it doesn’t affect functionality.
   • Enable RSS: Checked – This allows the indexer to fetch new releases automatically.
   • Enable Automatic Search: Checked – Ensures the indexer can automatically search for missing content.
   • Enable Interactive Search: Checked – Allows manual searches through the interface when needed.
   • URL: – Use the public URL of the indexer.
   • API Key: <KEY> – If an API is required enter the API Key provided by the indexer. This is essential for authentication.
   • Categories: SD HD – Specify the categories to filter the content you want (e.g., SD, HD).
     Usenet:
   • Name: Enter any friendly name—this won’t impact functionality.
   • Enable RSS: Checked – Allows the indexer to fetch new releases automatically without requiring manual searches.
   • Enable Automatic Search: Checked – Ensures missing content is searched for and added automatically.
   • Enable Interactive Search: Checked – Provides a manual search option within the interface when needed.
   • URL: <Usenet URL> – Use the public URL provided by your chosen Usenet indexer.
   • API Key: <KEY> – Some Usenet indexers require an API Key for authentication—enter it here if applicable.
   • Categories: SD HD – Define which categories the indexer should retrieve, such as Standard Definition (SD) or High Definition (HD).

   Optional Settings for Anime Content
   If you’re including anime-specific content in your searches:

   • Anime Categories: Anime – Filters results specifically for anime-related content.
   • Anime Standard Format Search: Checked – Ensures compatibility with common anime naming conventions, improving search accuracy.

💡 Tip: Unlike torrents, Usenet downloads are encrypted, meaning they’re inherently safer. However, using SSL connections and ensuring your provider doesn’t log searches enhances privacy and security.

5. Select Test and if it is successful Save repeat as many times as needed. It is a good idea to add multiple torrent sites.

Torrents

Usenet

Setting up a download client allows Prowlarr to automatically send requests to the appropriate service for handling downloads.

1. Navigate to the Settings tab.

2. Go to the Download Clients section.

3. Click Add Client and select your preferred download client (e.g., SABnzbd, Transmission, qBittorrent, NZBGet).

4. Enter the necessary connection details:

   Torrent Download Client Settings

   • Name: Enter a friendly name—this can be anything, but it helps with organization.
   • Enable: ✅ Checked – Ensures the client is active and receiving requests.
   • Host: <Host Name> – The address of the client (e.g., localhost, transmission-openvpn.example, <Host IP> <Container IP>).
   • Port: <Port Number> – Default values depend on the client:
     • Transmission: 9091
     • qBittorrent: 8080
     • Deluge: 8112
     • Custom: (Check your client’s settings)
   • Username: <Username> – If authentication is required, enter your credentials.
   • Password: <Password> – Use the password for your download client if applicable.
   • Categories: TV, Movies, Music – Define categories to filter content and ensure proper sorting.

   Usenet Download Client Settings

   • Name: Enter a friendly name for organizational purposes.
   • Enable: ✅ Checked – Ensures the client is actively processing Usenet downloads.
   • Host: <Host Name> – The address of your Usenet client (e.g., localhost, sabnzbd.example, <Host IP>).
   • Port: <Port Number> – Default ports:
     • SABnzbd: 8080
     • NZBGet: 6789
     • Custom: (Check your client’s settings)
   • API Key: <KEY> – Copy the API Key from your Usenet client's settings (Settings > General > API Key).
   • Categories: Movies, TV Shows, Music – Define categories for better organization.

5. Click Save.

Torrents

Usenet

1. Click the + icon to add Plex Watchlist. This allows Sonarr to import your Plex Watchlist, automatically adding and downloading the TV / Movies from your list.
2. Enable Search for Missing Episodes
3. Select Authenticate with Plex.tv
4. Test
5. If Test successful choose Save
6. You can add other type of Import lists as well like Trakt, or IMDB

1. Navigate to the Connections tab.
2. Click +.
3. Choose Plex Media Server. We are setting this up to notify plex when videos are downloaded
4. Disable On Import Copmlete, and On Series Add
5. Enter the Host name, i use the container name (e.g. plex.example)
6. Select Authenticate with Plex.tv, and Test7 If the test is successful chooseSave`

1. Navigate to the Metadata tab.
2. Choose Plex and Enable
3. Save

• Ensure all paths and environment variables are updated in the .env file.
• Regularly backup your config directory to save your settings.

• Common Issues: List common issues and solutions.
• Logs: Check Sonarr logs for error messages.
• Support: Link to the Sonarr community and support resources.