Readarr

Automated eBook and audiobook collection management

Readarr is an eBook and audiobook collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users. It can monitor multiple RSS feeds for new books from your favorite authors and will interface with clients and indexers to grab, sort, and rename them. Seamlessly integrated into QuickBox Pro, Readarr keeps your digital library organized with rich metadata and cover art.

Readarr has been retired (official Servarr notice)

The Servarr team has retired the Readarr project. Key points:

Effective immediately — retirement is in effect now.
Support window — only a brief transition period and not for metadata issues.
Metadata mirrors (e.g., rreading-glasses) are unsupported; use at your own risk.
Alternatives encouraged — consider migrating to other solutions.
Project hand-off — the team is open to someone taking over to revive it.

We recommend planning a migration path and treating this page as reference for existing installations only.

QuickBox status: Readarr is offered only as an archived application in our lineup. The project is archived on GitHub, and the QuickBox team will not provide further updates or additional support beyond this documentation.

Automatic Book Downloads

Monitor authors and automatically download new books when released with intelligent format selection

Audiobook Support

Full support for audiobooks with format preferences and quality profiles for different listening devices

Metadata & Cover Art

Automatic cover images, author bios, descriptions, and comprehensive metadata from GoodReads and other sources

Smart Organization

Customizable file naming and folder structures with automatic calibre library integration

Format Management

Support for EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, PDF, and other eBook formats with automatic conversion options

Series Tracking

Automatically track book series and download new releases in order with series metadata support

Installation

Install from the Dashboard

Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find Readarr in the catalog (browse Media Management or search), and click Install. The dashboard streams the install log live and Readarr appears in your Application Control panel when it finishes. Reinstall, Update, and Remove are available from the same panel.

In the install dialog you can pick the release channel — Develop (default) or Nightly. Because upstream is retired, no new releases are expected on either channel. See Channels & Versions for how channels work.

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

Project retired — updates are reference only

As the Readarr project is retired, Update will move you to the latest available build on your channel, but no new upstream releases are expected. Treat this app as reference for existing installations.

Install and manage from the CLI

The CLI runs the same install and is suited to automation and scripting. The --nightly channel flag maps to the Dashboard channel choice above:


qb install readarr -u username
qb install readarr -u username --nightly
qb reinstall readarr -u username
qb update readarr -u username
qb remove readarr -u username
qb help readarr

The complete command set:

Command	Description
`qb install readarr -u username`	Install Readarr (develop branch) with automatic configuration
`qb install readarr -u username --nightly`	Install nightly build for latest features
`qb reinstall readarr -u username`	Reinstall Readarr (preserves configuration and database)
`qb update readarr -u username`	Update to latest version on your branch (project retired — see note below)
`qb remove readarr -u username`	Remove Readarr and clean up all files
`qb help readarr`	Display comprehensive help information

Updates auto-detect the current channel from config.xml, so you only pass --nightly to switch channels. Full flag reference: CLI Reference.

Accessing Readarr

After installation, access Readarr at:


https://your-server-ip/username/readarr

QuickBox Dashboard Integration

Readarr is automatically integrated into your QuickBox dashboard. Find it in the Service Control panel with port, API key, and status information. Click the LAUNCH icon to open the web interface.

Initial Configuration

1. Configure Download Client

Settings → Download Clients → Add (+)
Select your client (qBittorrent, Deluge, etc.)
Enter connection details (enable advanced settings to access URL Base):

HTTPS

Hostlocalhost or server IP

Port443

URL Base/username/transmission

AuthUsername & Password

Test connection and save

2. Add Indexers via Prowlarr (Recommended)

Prowlarr provides centralized indexer management:

Install Prowlarr: qb install prowlarr -u username
In Prowlarr, go to Settings → Apps
Add Readarr as an application
Indexers automatically sync to Readarr

Why Prowlarr?

When you add or remove indexers in Prowlarr, they automatically sync to Readarr (and Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr). This centralized management saves time and ensures consistency across all your *arr applications.

Alternative: Manual indexers via Settings → Indexers → Add (+)

3. Set Root Folder

Settings → Media Management → Root Folders
Add folder for books (e.g., /home/username/Media/Books)

4. Quality Profiles & Formats

Configure format preferences:

Settings → Profiles
Edit or create quality profile
Select preferred formats:
- eBooks: EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, PDF
- Audiobooks: M4B, MP3
Set format priorities and cutoffs

Example Profile:

Primary: EPUB (for general reading)
Secondary: MOBI (for Kindle devices)
Audiobook: M4B (for iOS devices)

Recommended File Naming

Media Management Settings:


✓ Rename Books
✓ Replace Illegal Characters
✓ Standard Book Format: {Author Name} - {Book Title} ({Release Year})
✓ Author Folder Format: {Author Name}
✓ Book Folder Format: {Book Title} ({Release Year})

Adding Books

Add by Author

Click Add New → Add Author
Search for author by name
Select the author from search results
Choose:
- Root Folder
- Quality Profile
- Monitor settings
- Metadata profile
Click Add Author

Add by Book

Click Add New → Add Book
Search for specific book by title
Select the book from search results
Assign to existing or new author
Configure monitoring and quality
Click Add Book

Monitoring Options

All Books - Monitor and download all books from author
New Books - Only monitor future releases
None - Add to library but don’t search automatically

Service Management

Readarr runs as a systemd service for reliability and automatic startup.


systemctl status readarr@username     # Check status
systemctl restart readarr@username    # Restart service
journalctl -u readarr@username -f     # View live logs
systemctl enable readarr@username     # Start on boot
systemctl disable readarr@username    # Prevent auto-start

Troubleshooting

Readarr Won’t Start


journalctl -u readarr@username -f

Check for port conflicts:


grep -E '<Port>' ~/.config/Readarr/config.xml
# Default: 8686

Books Not Downloading

Symptoms

No releases found in manual search
Books not automatically downloading
Download client connection errors
Author shows as monitored but nothing happens

Resolution

Verify indexers are working: Settings → Indexers → Test
Check download client: Settings → Download Clients → Test
Ensure author/books are monitored (check monitor icons)
Try manual search: Book → Manual Search icon

Permission Issues


qb fix permissions -u username
systemctl restart readarr@username

Database Issues


# Backup current database
cp ~/.config/Readarr/readarr.db ~/.config/Readarr/readarr.db.backup
 
# Vacuum database to optimize
sqlite3 ~/.config/Readarr/readarr.db "VACUUM;"
 
# Reinstall to attempt repair
qb reinstall readarr -u username

Best Practices

Do

Use Prowlarr for centralized indexer management across all *arr apps
Configure format preferences based on your reading devices
Set up automatic backups of your Readarr database (~/.config/Readarr/readarr.db)
Use download client categories to separate Readarr downloads
Monitor only authors you actively read to save bandwidth
Enable metadata import for accurate book information and cover art
Configure proper file naming for consistent library organization
Keep Readarr updated via qb update readarr for latest features

Don't

Don't monitor every book from every author—be selective to save bandwidth
Don't use too many indexers—causes rate limits and excessive API hits
Don't download to system drive—use dedicated media storage
Don't ignore failed download warnings—investigate and resolve issues
Don't disable authentication if Readarr is exposed to the internet
Don't ignore database backups—corruption can happen and cause data loss
Don't manually edit the database (readarr.db)—use the web interface
Don't forget to configure quality profiles before adding authors

Additional Resources

Readarr Official Website

Official Readarr homepage with downloads and announcements

Readarr Wiki

Comprehensive documentation and configuration guides

Servarr Discord

Official Servarr community support server

Readarr GitHub

Source code, issues, and feature requests

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