FileBot

Automated media library organization and renaming

FileBot - Automated Media Management

FileBot is the ultimate tool for organizing and renaming your Movies, TV Shows, and Anime libraries. It automatically fetches metadata, downloads subtitles, organizes your files into a clean directory structure, and integrates seamlessly with popular download clients for post-processing automation.

What is FileBot?

FileBot is a sophisticated media library manager that:

• Automatic Renaming - Intelligently renames files based on metadata
• Library Organization - Structures media into organized directories
• Subtitle Downloads - Fetches subtitles in multiple languages
• Metadata Fetching - Retrieves artwork, descriptions, and episode information
• Post-Processing - Integrates with torrent/usenet clients for automation
• Format Customization - Define custom naming schemes and organization patterns

Installation

Install from the Dashboard

Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find FileBot in the catalog (browse the Automation category or search), and click Install. The install dialog collects everything FileBot needs:

1. FileBot License Key (required) — paste your license, or drag-and-drop the .psm license file onto the field. Get a license at filebot.net .
2. Process … Downloads — toggle Yes for each download client you want FileBot to post-process automatically: Deluge, NZBGet, rTorrent, SABnzbd. Install those clients first so the integration can be wired up.
3. Custom Media Path — switch to Custom and enter a media directory, or leave it on Default for /home/username/Media.

Submit and the dashboard streams the install log live. FileBot installs with the Java 17 runtime, creates the media directory structure, activates your license, and configures post-processing for any clients you selected. Reinstall and Remove are available from the Application Control panel afterward.

What you see is gated by your account: admins manage any user’s apps; regular users manage their own. See App Management for the full flow.

Install from the CLI (automation)

The CLI runs the same scripts as the Dashboard and is suited to automation and scripting. The license (--license), download-client toggles (-o), and media path (-mp/--media-path) are the install-dialog inputs above, available as flags:

qb install filebot -u username                                # default settings
qb install filebot -u username -mp '/mnt/storage/media'       # custom media path
qb install filebot -u username -o 'deluge'                    # single download-client integration
qb install filebot -u username -o 'deluge' -o 'nzbget'        # multiple integrations
qb reinstall filebot -u username                              # reinstall (preserves config)
qb remove filebot -u username                                 # remove

Supported -o integrations: deluge, nzbget, rtorrent, sabnzbd. Full flag reference: CLI Reference.

Supported Integrations

QuickBox Pro automatically configures FileBot with your installed download clients:

Enhanced Features

FileBot on QuickBox Pro includes several advanced configurations:

Configuration

Default Media Directory Structure

FileBot creates the following directory structure:

Naming Format

QuickBox Pro includes pre-configured naming formats:

Movies:

Movies/{Movie Name} ({Year})/{Movie Name} ({Year}) {lang} {vf} {VC}

TV Shows:

TV/{Show Name}/Season {Season Number}/{S00E00} - {Episode Title} {vf} {VC}

Anime:

Anime/{Show Name}/Season {Season Number}/{S00E00} - {Episode Title} {vf} {VC}

Music:

Music/{Artist Name}/{Album}/{Track Number}. {Artist} - {Title}

License Activation

A valid FileBot license is required. The simplest path is the install dialog’s FileBot License Key field — paste the license or drop the .psm file in, and it is activated as part of the install (the CLI equivalent is the --license flag).

To activate or replace the license on an existing install from the command line:

# Copy the license file into the config directory
cp filebot_license.psm /home/username/.config/Filebot/
 
# Activate it
/usr/local/bin/username/filebot --license /home/username/.config/Filebot/filebot_license.psm

Download Client Integration

Deluge Integration

When installed with -o 'deluge', FileBot configures:

Location: /home/username/.config/Filebot/deluge-postprocess.sh

Deluge Setup:

1. Open Deluge Web UI
2. Navigate to Preferences → Execute Plugin (enable in Plugins if needed)
3. Add execution:
   • Event: Torrent Complete
   • Command: /home/username/.config/Filebot/deluge-postprocess.sh

rTorrent Integration

When installed with -o 'rtorrent', FileBot automatically adds to .rtorrent.rc:

method.set_key = event.download.finished,filebot,"execute.throw.bg={/home/username/.config/Filebot/rtorrent-postprocess.sh,$d.base_path=,$d.name=,$d.custom1=}"

No additional configuration needed - it’s automatic!

NZBGet Integration

When installed with -o 'nzbget', FileBot configures:

Location: /home/username/.config/NZBGet/scripts/nzbget-postprocess.sh

NZBGet Setup:

1. Open NZBGet Web UI
2. Navigate to Settings → Extension Scripts
3. Select nzbget-postprocess.sh for post-processing categories

SABnzbd Integration

When installed with -o 'sabnzbd', FileBot configures:

Location: /home/username/.config/SABnzbd/scripts/sabnzbd-postprocess.sh

SABnzbd Setup: QuickBox automatically configures:

• Script directory points to SABnzbd scripts folder
• Post-processing script enabled for Movies, TV, and Anime categories

Using FileBot

Command Line Usage

FileBot is accessible via the command line:

# Run as your user
/usr/local/bin/username/filebot [options]

Manual File Processing

Process a single file or directory:

/usr/local/bin/username/filebot -script fn:amc \
  --output /home/username/Media \
  --action hardlink \
  --conflict skip \
  /path/to/downloads

Options explained:

• --output - Destination media directory
• --action - How to handle files (hardlink, move, copy)
• --conflict - How to handle duplicates (skip, override)

AMC Script (Automated Media Center)

The AMC script is FileBot’s powerful automation tool:

filebot -script fn:amc \
  --output "/home/username/Media" \
  --action hardlink \
  --conflict skip \
  -non-strict \
  --log-file amc.log \
  --def unsorted=y music=y artwork=n \
  excludeList="/home/username/.config/Filebot/.excludes" \
  ut_dir="/path/to/completed" \
  ut_kind="multi"

Troubleshooting

License Issues

License not activating:

# Check license file exists
ls -la /home/username/.config/Filebot/*.psm
 
# Re-activate license
/usr/local/bin/username/filebot --license /home/username/.config/Filebot/filebot_license.psm

Permission Issues

FileBot can’t write to media directory:

# Fix ownership
sudo chown -R username:username /home/username/Media
 
# Fix permissions
sudo chmod -R 755 /home/username/Media

Post-Processing Not Running

Check post-processing script:

# Test script manually
bash -x /home/username/.config/Filebot/deluge-postprocess.sh \
  "torrent_id" "torrent_name" "/path/to/download"
 
# Check script permissions
ls -la /home/username/.config/Filebot/*-postprocess.sh
 
# Should be executable (chmod +x)

Check download client logs:

# Deluge
journalctl -u deluged@username -f
 
# rTorrent
tail -f /home/username/.sessions/rtorrent.log
 
# NZBGet
tail -f /home/username/.config/NZBGet/nzbget.log

Java Version Issues

FileBot requires Java 17:

# Check Java version
java -version
 
# Should show: openjdk version "17.x.x"
 
# Set Java 17 if multiple versions installed
sudo update-alternatives --config java

Advanced Configuration

Custom Naming Schemes

Edit /home/username/.config/Filebot/formatting:

# Movies with resolution and codec
movieFormat=Movies/"{n} ({y})/{n} ({y}) [{vf} {vc} {ac}]"
 
# TV shows with episode title
seriesFormat=TV/"{n}/Season {s.pad(2)}/{n} - {s00e00} - {t}"
 
# Anime with fansub group
animeFormat=Anime/"{n}/{n} - {s00e00} - {t} [{group}]"

Exclude Patterns

Add patterns to /home/username/.config/Filebot/.excludes:

# Exclude samples
*sample*
*SAMPLE*
 
# Exclude specific files
*.nfo
*.sfv
 
# Exclude paths
/path/to/exclude/*

Media Path Configuration

The media path is set during installation with -mp flag. To change:

1. Update post-processing scripts with new path
2. Ensure the new directory exists and is owned by your user
3. Update any hardcoded paths in custom scripts

Best Practices

Resources