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Unpackerr

Unpackerr

Automatic archive extraction for your *arr stack

Unpackerr - Automated Archive Extraction

Unpackerr monitors your download queues in Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, and Readarr, automatically extracting compressed downloads and cleaning up extracted files after successful import. Essential for users who download content in RAR or other archive formats.

What is Unpackerr?

Unpackerr is a lightweight daemon that watches your *arr application queues for completed downloads containing archives. Key features include:

👁️ Queue Monitoring

Polls your *arr apps for completed, queued downloads automatically

📦 Automatic Extraction

Extracts RAR, ZIP, 7-Zip, and other archive formats seamlessly

🧹 Smart Cleanup

Deletes extracted files after successful import to save space

🎬 Multi-App Support

Works with Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, and Readarr simultaneously

🔔 Webhook Notifications

Discord, Notifiarr, Telegram, and Slack integration

⚡ Parallel Processing

Configurable parallel extractions for faster processing

Archive Downloads

Unpackerr is essential if you download from sources that provide content in RAR or ZIP archives. Without it, your *arr apps cannot import archived content automatically.

Installation

Install Unpackerr

Install Unpackerr for a specific user:

qb install unpackerr -u username

Automatic *arr Integration

The QuickBox installer automatically detects and configures Unpackerr for any *arr applications (Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, Readarr) already installed for the user. *Install your arr apps first for seamless integration.

Installation Process

During installation, QuickBox Pro will:

  1. Add repository - Configure the official Golift package repository
  2. Install package - Download and install the latest Unpackerr release
  3. Auto-detect installed *arr applications for the user
  4. Configure API keys - Automatically retrieve and configure API connections
  5. Set up logging - Configure log rotation and file permissions
  6. Create service - Set up systemd service for reliable operation

CLI Commands

Basic Operations

CommandDescription
qb install unpackerr -u usernameInstall Unpackerr for a user
qb reinstall unpackerr -u usernameReinstall Unpackerr (preserves config)
qb update unpackerr -u usernameUpdate to latest version
qb remove unpackerr -u usernameRemove Unpackerr completely
qb help unpackerrDisplay help information

Usage Examples

Install Unpackerr:

qb install unpackerr -u myuser

Update Unpackerr:

qb update unpackerr -u myuser

Reinstall (fix corrupted installation):

qb reinstall unpackerr -u myuser

Remove Unpackerr and clean up:

qb remove unpackerr -u myuser

Supported Integrations

QuickBox Pro automatically configures Unpackerr with your installed *arr applications:

📺

*arr Applications

RadarrSonarrLidarrReadarr
📦

Archive Formats

RAR ArchivesZIP Archives7-Zip ArchivesMulti-part Archives
🔔

Notifications

Discord WebhooksNotifiarrTelegramSlack
⚙️

Features

Parallel ExtractionAuto CleanupFolder WatchingCustom Paths

Enhanced Features

Unpackerr on QuickBox Pro includes several advanced features:

🔄 Auto-Configuration

Automatically detects and configures API keys for all installed *arr applications

📊 Smart Polling

Configurable polling interval (default 2 minutes) to balance responsiveness and resource usage

🧹 Automatic Cleanup

Deletes extracted files after successful import with configurable delay

📝 Structured Logging

Comprehensive logging with automatic rotation (10 files × 10MB)

🔒 User Isolation

Per-user configuration and service instances for multi-user environments

💾 Automatic Backups

Configuration backups created during installation and available through QuickBox backup system

Service Management

Unpackerr runs as a systemd service for reliable operation:

Check Service Status

systemctl status unpackerr@username

Restart Service

systemctl restart unpackerr@username

View Live Logs

journalctl -u unpackerr@username -f

View Application Logs

# Application log
tail -f /home/username/.config/Unpackerr/logs/unpackerr.log

Automatic Recovery

The Unpackerr service is configured to automatically restart on failure (with a 10-second delay), ensuring continuous operation.

Configuration

Configuration File Location

After installation, configure Unpackerr by editing:

nano /home/username/.config/Unpackerr/unpackerr.conf

Key Configuration Options

## Logging Configuration
log_file = "/home/username/.config/Unpackerr/logs/unpackerr.log"
log_files = 10
log_file_mb = 10
 
## Polling Settings
# How often to poll *arr apps (recommend 1m-5m)
interval = "2m"
 
# Delay before starting extraction after download completes
start_delay = "1m"
 
# Delay before retrying failed extractions
retry_delay = "5m"
 
## Extraction Settings
# Number of parallel extractions (1 is recommended)
parallel = 1
 
# File permissions for extracted files
file_mode = "0644"
dir_mode = "0755"

*arr Application Configuration

Each *arr application section in the config supports these options:

[[radarr]]
  url = "http://127.0.0.1:7878/username/radarr"
  api_key = "your-api-key-here"
  # Protocols to monitor: "torrent", "usenet", or "torrent,usenet"
  protocols = "torrent"
  # Time to wait before deleting extracted files after import
  delete_delay = "5m"
  # Delete original download folder after import (use with caution for torrents)
  delete_orig = false

Torrent Users

Keep delete_orig = false when using torrents to avoid breaking your seeding. Unpackerr will only delete the extracted files, not the original archive needed for seeding.

How It Works

Extraction Workflow

  1. Monitor - Unpackerr polls your *arr apps at the configured interval
  2. Detect - Identifies completed downloads with extractable archives
  3. Wait - Respects start_delay to ensure download is fully complete
  4. Extract - Decompresses archives to the same location
  5. Import - Your *arr app detects and imports the extracted files
  6. Cleanup - After delete_delay, extracted files are removed

Webhook Notifications

Configure webhooks to receive notifications for:

  • Queued - Extraction queued
  • Started - Extraction in progress
  • Finished - Extraction complete
  • Deleted - Extracted files cleaned up
  • Failed - Extraction errors
[[webhook]]
  url = "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/your-webhook-url"
  name = "Discord"
  events = [0]  # 0 = all events

Directory Structure

Unpackerr files are organized as follows:

User Configuration
/home/username
.config/
└── Unpackerr/
│ ├── unpackerr.conf# Main configuration file
│ └── logs/
│ │ └── unpackerr.log# Application log (rotated)
tmp/
└── Unpackerr/# Temporary extraction directory
System Files
/etc/systemd/system
unpackerr@.service# Systemd service template

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Unpackerr not extracting files:

# Check service status
systemctl status unpackerr@username
 
# View recent logs for errors
journalctl -u unpackerr@username -n 100
 
# Enable debug mode in config
# Set: debug = true
# Then restart the service

API connection errors:

# Verify *arr app is running
systemctl status radarr@username
 
# Check API key is correct in unpackerr.conf
grep api_key /home/username/.config/Unpackerr/unpackerr.conf
 
# Test API connectivity manually
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" http://127.0.0.1:7878/api/v3/system/status

Permission errors:

# Check file ownership
ls -la /home/username/.config/Unpackerr/
 
# Fix permissions if needed
chown -R username:username /home/username/.config/Unpackerr/
 
# Or reinstall
qb reinstall unpackerr -u username

Extracted files not being imported:

  • Ensure your *arr app’s download path matches Unpackerr’s monitored path
  • Check that delete_delay is long enough for import to complete
  • Verify the extracted file format is supported by your *arr app

Use Cases

RAR-Heavy Trackers

Many private trackers distribute content in RAR archives:

🎬

Scene Releases

Multi-part RAR filesSplit archivesSFV verification
👥

P2P Releases

RAR for verificationCompressed packagesArchive bundles
📰

Usenet

PAR2 + RAR formatObfuscated archivesRepair files

Multi-App Setups

Run a single Unpackerr instance for all your *arr apps:

📺 Unified Monitoring

Monitor Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, and Readarr simultaneously

📄 Single Configuration

One config file with multiple app sections for easy management

🚀 Efficient Resources

Shared extraction queue minimizes system resource usage

Automated Media Management

Complete the automation chain:

1️⃣ Discovery

Prowlarr finds releases → Radarr/Sonarr grabs them

2️⃣ Download

Download client completes the download

3️⃣ Extract

Unpackerr extracts archives automatically

4️⃣ Import

Radarr/Sonarr imports and renames files

5️⃣ Cleanup

Unpackerr cleans up extracted files

Best Practices

Do

  • Install your *arr applications before Unpackerr for automatic API detection
  • Keep delete_orig = false when using torrents to preserve seeding
  • Set appropriate delete_delay to allow time for import completion
  • Use a dedicated temp directory for extractions
  • Configure webhook notifications for extraction status monitoring
  • Enable debug logging temporarily when troubleshooting issues

Don't

  • Don't set delete_orig = true with torrents (breaks seeding)
  • Don't use too aggressive polling intervals (1-5 minutes is recommended)
  • Don't skip configuring log rotation (prevents disk space issues)
  • Don't ignore extraction failures - check archive integrity
  • Don't run multiple Unpackerr instances for the same *arr app
  • Don't set parallel extractions too high (1 is recommended for most setups)

Additional Resources

Unpackerr Website

Official documentation and downloads

GitHub Repository

Source code and issue tracker

Golift Discord

Community support and discussions

Configuration Docs

Detailed configuration reference

🎬

*arr Stack

RadarrSonarrLidarrReadarr
🔔

Notifications

Notifiarr
🔍

Indexers

ProwlarrJackett

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