Lidarr Configuration¶

This guide covers how to configure Lidarr instances in qBitrr for music library management, automated searching, and quality upgrades.

Quick Start¶

Every Lidarr instance in qBitrr requires a dedicated section in your config.toml file. The section name must follow the pattern Lidarr-<name>.

Basic Configuration¶

[Lidarr-Music]
# Toggle whether to manage this Lidarr instance
Managed = true

# The URL used to access Lidarr (e.g., http://ip:port)
URI = "http://localhost:8686"

# Lidarr API Key (Settings > General > Security)
APIKey = "your-lidarr-api-key"

# Category applied by Lidarr to torrents in qBittorrent
# MUST match: Lidarr > Settings > Download Clients > qBittorrent > Category
Category = "lidarr-music"

# Toggle whether to re-search failed torrents
ReSearch = true

# Import mode (Auto, Move, or Copy)
importMode = "Auto"

# RSS sync timer in minutes (0 = disabled)
RssSyncTimer = 1

# Refresh downloads timer in minutes (0 = disabled)
RefreshDownloadsTimer = 1

# Error messages to automatically blacklist
ArrErrorCodesToBlocklist = [
  "Not an upgrade for existing track file(s)",
  "Not a preferred word upgrade for existing track file(s)",
  "Unable to determine if file is a sample"
]

Connection Settings¶

Finding Your Lidarr Details¶

URI: Open Lidarr in your browser and copy the URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:8686)
APIKey: In Lidarr, go to Settings → General → Security → Copy the API Key
Category: Go to Settings → Download Clients → Click your qBittorrent client → Note the Category field

Category Mismatch

The Category value in qBitrr must exactly match the category configured in Lidarr's qBittorrent download client settings. If they don't match, qBitrr won't process your Lidarr torrents.

Multiple Lidarr Instances¶

You can configure multiple Lidarr instances (e.g., separate instances for different music quality levels):

[Lidarr-Music]
URI = "http://localhost:8686"
APIKey = "api-key-1"
Category = "lidarr-music"
# ... other settings

[Lidarr-Lossless]
URI = "http://localhost:8687"
APIKey = "api-key-2"
Category = "lidarr-lossless"
# ... other settings

Naming Convention

Instance names must start with Lidarr- followed by any descriptive name. Examples:

✅ Lidarr-Music
✅ Lidarr-Lossless
✅ Lidarr-4K
❌ Music (missing prefix)
❌ lidarr-music (lowercase)

Basic Settings¶

Managed¶

Managed = true  # Enable management for this Lidarr instance

When Managed = false, qBitrr will completely ignore this Lidarr instance. Useful for temporarily disabling an instance without removing its configuration.

Import Mode¶

importMode = "Auto"  # Auto | Move | Copy

Mode	Behavior
`Auto`	Let Lidarr decide based on its own settings
`Move`	Move files from download folder to library (faster, frees disk space)
`Copy`	Copy files and leave original (preserves seeding torrents)

Seeding for Music

Music trackers often have strict seeding requirements. Use Copy mode to preserve torrents for seeding while importing to your library.

ReSearch¶

ReSearch = true

When enabled, qBitrr automatically triggers a new search in Lidarr when:

A torrent fails or stalls beyond configured thresholds
A torrent is manually moved to the failed category
FFprobe validation detects a corrupted/fake file
An error code from ArrErrorCodesToBlocklist is encountered

Automation Settings¶

RSS Sync Timer¶

RssSyncTimer = 1  # Minutes between RSS syncs (0 = disabled)

Periodically tells Lidarr to refresh its RSS feeds from indexers. This helps Lidarr discover new album releases faster.

Recommended values:

1 - Very responsive (checks every minute)
5 - Balanced (checks every 5 minutes)
15 - Conservative (checks every 15 minutes)
0 - Disabled (not recommended)

Lidarr's Built-in RSS

Lidarr has its own RSS sync schedule. qBitrr's RssSyncTimer is additional to Lidarr's built-in sync, providing extra responsiveness for new releases.

Refresh Downloads Timer¶

RefreshDownloadsTimer = 1  # Minutes between queue refreshes (0 = disabled)

Tells Lidarr to update its download queue, ensuring it stays in sync with qBittorrent's actual state.

Recommended values:

1 - Very responsive (recommended)
5 - Balanced
0 - Disabled (not recommended, may cause sync issues)

Error Handling¶

Arr Error Codes to Blacklist¶

ArrErrorCodesToBlocklist = [
  "Not an upgrade for existing track file(s)",
  "Not a preferred word upgrade for existing track file(s)",
  "Unable to determine if file is a sample"
]

When Lidarr encounters these error messages during import, qBitrr will:

✅ Remove the failed files
✅ Mark the release as failed in Lidarr
✅ Blacklist the release to prevent re-download
✅ Trigger a new search (if ReSearch = true)

Common error codes to add:

"Not an upgrade for existing track file(s)" – Prevents re-downloading lower quality
"Unable to determine if file is a sample" – Blocks sample/fake files
"Not a preferred word upgrade for existing track file(s)" – Enforces preferred words

Disable error handling:

ArrErrorCodesToBlocklist = []  # Empty list = disabled

Automated Search Configuration¶

qBitrr can automatically search for missing albums and quality upgrades. Configure these settings in the [Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch] subsection.

Basic Search Settings¶

[Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch]
# Enable automated search for missing albums
SearchMissing = true

# Reverse search order (true = oldest first, false = newest first)
SearchInReverse = false

# Delay between searches in seconds
SearchRequestsEvery = 300

# Restart search loop when all albums are processed
SearchAgainOnSearchCompletion = true

Lidarr-Specific Settings

Lidarr doesn't have some Sonarr/Radarr features like:

No SearchByYear (albums don't sort by year the same way)
No SearchLimit (Lidarr manages its own task queue)
No AlsoSearchSpecials (not applicable to music)
No Unmonitored option (handled differently)
No SearchBySeries (not applicable to music)

Quality Upgrade Searches¶

[Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch]
# Search for better quality versions of existing albums
DoUpgradeSearch = false

# Search for albums not meeting quality profile requirements
QualityUnmetSearch = false

# Search for albums not meeting custom format score requirements
CustomFormatUnmetSearch = false

# Automatically remove torrents below minimum custom format score
ForceMinimumCustomFormat = false

When to enable:

DoUpgradeSearch = true – You want to continuously find better quality releases (e.g., upgrade MP3 → FLAC)
QualityUnmetSearch = true – You have quality profiles set and want to enforce them
CustomFormatUnmetSearch = true – You use custom formats for music quality/sources
ForceMinimumCustomFormat = true – Strictly enforce CF scores (removes non-compliant torrents)

Upgrade Bandwidth

Music files are large, especially lossless formats. Upgrade searches can consume significant bandwidth and indexer API calls. Enable selectively.

Temporary Quality Profiles¶

Temporarily lower quality standards for missing albums, then upgrade them later:

[Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch]
# Use temp profile for missing albums
UseTempForMissing = false

# Don't switch back to main profile after import
KeepTempProfile = false

# Map main profiles to temp profiles
QualityProfileMappings = { "Lossless" = "MP3-320", "MP3-320" = "MP3-V0" }

# Reset all temp profiles on qBitrr startup
ForceResetTempProfiles = false

# Auto-reset temp profiles after timeout (0 = disabled)
TempProfileResetTimeoutMinutes = 0

# Retry failed profile switch API calls
ProfileSwitchRetryAttempts = 3

How it works:

Album is missing and uses Lossless profile
qBitrr switches it to MP3-320 profile (temp)
Lidarr searches with lower quality requirements
After import, qBitrr switches back to Lossless (main)
Future upgrade searches look for lossless quality

Common use case:

# Grab MP3 now, upgrade to FLAC later
QualityProfileMappings = { "Lossless (FLAC)" = "Lossy (MP3-320)" }

Request Integration¶

No Overseerr/Ombi Support

Overseerr and Ombi do not support music requests. These settings are not available for Lidarr instances. Music request management must be handled through Lidarr's built-in wanted list.

Torrent Management¶

Configure how qBitrr handles Lidarr's torrents in the [Lidarr-Music.Torrent] subsection.

Audio File Configuration¶

[Lidarr-Music.Torrent]
# Case-sensitive regex matching
CaseSensitiveMatches = false

# Exclude folders matching these patterns
FolderExclusionRegex = ["\\bextras?\\b", "\\bsamples?\\b", "\\bscans?\\b", "\\bartwork\\b"]

# Exclude files matching these patterns
FileNameExclusionRegex = ["\\bsample\\b", "\\btrailer\\b", "\\bcover\\b"]

# Only allow these file extensions (music-specific)
FileExtensionAllowlist = [".mp3", ".flac", ".m4a", ".aac", ".ogg", ".opus", ".wav", ".ape", ".wma", ".!qB", ".parts"]

# Auto-delete non-playable files
AutoDelete = false

# Ignore torrents younger than this (seconds)
IgnoreTorrentsYoungerThan = 180

# Maximum allowed ETA before considering torrent failed (seconds, -1 = disabled)
MaximumETA = -1

# Don't delete torrents above this completion percentage
MaximumDeletablePercentage = 0.99

# Ignore slow torrents instead of removing them
DoNotRemoveSlow = true

# Maximum stalled time before removal (minutes, -1 = disabled)
StalledDelay = 15

# Re-search before removing stalled torrents
ReSearchStalled = false

Music File Extensions

Lidarr uses different file extensions than Radarr/Sonarr:

Lossless: - .flac - Free Lossless Audio Codec - .ape - Monkey's Audio - .wav - Waveform Audio

Lossy: - .mp3 - MP3 - .m4a - AAC/ALAC - .ogg - Vorbis - .opus - Opus - .wma - Windows Media Audio

Music Tracker Considerations¶

Music trackers often have stricter rules than movie/TV trackers:

[Lidarr-Music.Torrent]
# Longer stall delay for music trackers
StalledDelay = 30  # 30 minutes instead of 15

# Be conservative with slow torrent removal
DoNotRemoveSlow = true

# Higher ETA tolerance for rare albums
MaximumETA = 86400  # 24 hours

Seeding Configuration¶

Configure seeding limits and behavior in the [Lidarr-Music.Torrent.SeedingMode] subsection.

Music Seeding Best Practices¶

[Lidarr-Music.Torrent.SeedingMode]
# Download rate limit per torrent (-1 = unlimited, or KB/s)
DownloadRateLimitPerTorrent = -1

# Upload rate limit per torrent (-1 = unlimited, or KB/s)
UploadRateLimitPerTorrent = -1

# Maximum upload ratio before stopping seeding (-1 = unlimited)
MaxUploadRatio = 3.0  # Music trackers often require higher ratios

# Maximum seeding time in seconds (-1 = unlimited)
MaxSeedingTime = 2592000  # 30 days

# Remove torrent condition:
# -1 = Never remove
#  1 = Remove when MaxUploadRatio is met
#  2 = Remove when MaxSeedingTime is met
#  3 = Remove when EITHER condition is met
#  4 = Remove when BOTH conditions are met
RemoveTorrent = 3

# Remove dead trackers automatically
RemoveDeadTrackers = false

# Remove trackers with these error messages
RemoveTrackerWithMessage = [
  "skipping tracker announce (unreachable)",
  "No such host is known",
  "unsupported URL protocol",
  "info hash is not authorized with this tracker"
]

Music Tracker Seeding Requirements

Many music trackers have strict seeding requirements:

RED/OPS: Seed for 72 hours OR reach 1.0 ratio
APL: Seed for 120 hours OR reach 1.0 ratio
Private trackers: Often require minimum 1.0 ratio

Configure MaxUploadRatio and MaxSeedingTime accordingly!

Tracker-Specific Configuration¶

Example for RED (Redacted):

[[Lidarr-Music.Torrent.Trackers]]
Name = "RED"
Priority = 10
URI = "https://flacsfor.me/announce"

# RED requires 72 hours OR 1.0 ratio
MaxSeedingTime = 259200  # 72 hours
MaxUploadRatio = 1.0

# Other settings
DownloadRateLimit = -1
UploadRateLimit = -1
AddTrackerIfMissing = false
RemoveIfExists = false
SuperSeedMode = false
AddTags = ["qBitrr-music", "RED"]

Complete Examples¶

Standard Music Library¶

[Lidarr-Music]
Managed = true
URI = "http://localhost:8686"
APIKey = "your-lidarr-api-key"
Category = "lidarr-music"
ReSearch = true
importMode = "Copy"  # Preserve seeding
RssSyncTimer = 5
RefreshDownloadsTimer = 5
ArrErrorCodesToBlocklist = [
  "Not an upgrade for existing track file(s)",
  "Unable to determine if file is a sample"
]

[Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch]
SearchMissing = true
SearchInReverse = false
SearchRequestsEvery = 300
DoUpgradeSearch = false
QualityUnmetSearch = false
CustomFormatUnmetSearch = false
ForceMinimumCustomFormat = false
SearchAgainOnSearchCompletion = true
UseTempForMissing = false
KeepTempProfile = false
QualityProfileMappings = {}
ForceResetTempProfiles = false
TempProfileResetTimeoutMinutes = 0
ProfileSwitchRetryAttempts = 3

[Lidarr-Music.Torrent]
CaseSensitiveMatches = false
FolderExclusionRegex = ["\\bextras?\\b", "\\bsamples?\\b", "\\bartwork\\b"]
FileNameExclusionRegex = ["\\bsample\\b", "\\bcover\\b"]
FileExtensionAllowlist = [".mp3", ".flac", ".m4a", ".ogg", ".!qB", ".parts"]
AutoDelete = false
IgnoreTorrentsYoungerThan = 180
MaximumETA = -1
MaximumDeletablePercentage = 0.99
DoNotRemoveSlow = true
StalledDelay = 30
ReSearchStalled = false

[Lidarr-Music.Torrent.SeedingMode]
DownloadRateLimitPerTorrent = -1
UploadRateLimitPerTorrent = -1
MaxUploadRatio = 2.0
MaxSeedingTime = 2592000  # 30 days
RemoveTorrent = 3
RemoveDeadTrackers = false

Lossless-Only Library with Temp Profiles¶

[Lidarr-Lossless]
Managed = true
URI = "http://localhost:8687"
APIKey = "your-lossless-lidarr-api-key"
Category = "lidarr-lossless"
ReSearch = true
importMode = "Copy"
RssSyncTimer = 5
RefreshDownloadsTimer = 5

[Lidarr-Lossless.EntrySearch]
SearchMissing = true
DoUpgradeSearch = true  # Always look for better lossless releases
QualityUnmetSearch = true
CustomFormatUnmetSearch = true
ForceMinimumCustomFormat = true  # Strictly enforce lossless

# Grab MP3 now, upgrade to FLAC later
UseTempForMissing = true
QualityProfileMappings = { "Lossless (FLAC)" = "Lossy (MP3-320)" }
TempProfileResetTimeoutMinutes = 10080  # 7 days

[Lidarr-Lossless.Torrent]
FileExtensionAllowlist = [".flac", ".ape", ".wav", ".!qB", ".parts"]  # Lossless only
MaximumETA = 86400  # 24 hours (lossless files are larger)
StalledDelay = 45  # Longer wait for rare albums

[Lidarr-Lossless.Torrent.SeedingMode]
MaxUploadRatio = 3.0  # Higher ratio for lossless
MaxSeedingTime = 5184000  # 60 days
RemoveTorrent = 4  # Remove only when BOTH ratio AND time met

Private Tracker Setup (RED/OPS)¶

[Lidarr-PrivateTracker]
Managed = true
URI = "http://localhost:8688"
APIKey = "your-api-key"
Category = "lidarr-private"
ReSearch = true
importMode = "Copy"  # Must preserve seeding!

[Lidarr-PrivateTracker.EntrySearch]
SearchMissing = true
DoUpgradeSearch = true  # Look for better encodes
CustomFormatUnmetSearch = true  # Enforce scene/source rules

[Lidarr-PrivateTracker.Torrent]
# Strict file filtering for private trackers
FileExtensionAllowlist = [".flac", ".mp3", ".!qB", ".parts"]
MaximumETA = 172800  # 48 hours (be patient with rare albums)
StalledDelay = 60  # 1 hour stall tolerance
DoNotRemoveSlow = true  # Never remove slow torrents

[Lidarr-PrivateTracker.Torrent.SeedingMode]
MaxUploadRatio = -1  # Never stop based on ratio
MaxSeedingTime = 6220800  # 72 hours minimum
RemoveTorrent = 2  # Remove only after 72 hours

[[Lidarr-PrivateTracker.Torrent.Trackers]]
Name = "RED"
Priority = 10
URI = "https://flacsfor.me/announce"
MaxSeedingTime = 259200  # 72 hours
MaxUploadRatio = 1.0
AddTags = ["RED", "private", "lossless"]

Troubleshooting¶

Torrents Not Being Processed¶

Symptoms: qBitrr doesn't monitor or manage Lidarr torrents

Solutions:

✅ Verify Category in qBitrr matches Lidarr's download client category exactly
✅ Check Managed = true in config
✅ Ensure Lidarr's qBittorrent download client is tagging torrents
✅ Enable debug logging: ConsoleLevel = "DEBUG" in [Settings]
✅ Check category-specific log: ~/logs/Lidarr-Music.log

Searches Not Triggering¶

Symptoms: qBitrr doesn't search for missing albums

Solutions:

✅ Verify SearchMissing = true in [Lidarr-Music.EntrySearch]
✅ Ensure Lidarr has indexers configured and working
✅ Review SearchRequestsEvery delay setting
✅ Check Lidarr logs for rate limiting or indexer errors
✅ Verify albums are marked as "Wanted" in Lidarr

Files Not Importing¶

Symptoms: Albums download but don't import to library

Solutions:

✅ Check FileExtensionAllowlist includes your audio formats
✅ Verify path mapping between qBittorrent and Lidarr (common Docker issue)
✅ Check file permissions on downloaded albums
✅ Look for "Unknown Artist" or "Unknown Album" in Lidarr (metadata issue)
✅ Review Lidarr's import logs for specific errors

Seeding Ratio Not Met¶

Symptoms: Torrents removed before meeting tracker requirements

Solutions:

✅ Increase MaxUploadRatio:

MaxUploadRatio = 3.0  # Or higher for strict trackers

✅ Increase MaxSeedingTime:

MaxSeedingTime = 259200  # 72 hours for RED/OPS

✅ Change removal condition:

RemoveTorrent = 4  # Remove only when BOTH ratio AND time met

✅ Use Copy import mode:

importMode = "Copy"  # Preserves files for seeding

Connection Failures¶

Symptoms: "Connection refused" or "Unauthorized" errors

Solutions:

✅ Test Lidarr API manually:

curl -H "X-Api-Key: your-api-key" http://localhost:8686/api/v1/system/status

✅ Verify URI is correct (include http:// or https://)
✅ Check APIKey is copied correctly (no extra spaces)
✅ Ensure Lidarr is running and accessible
✅ Check firewall rules if Lidarr is on a different machine

Next Steps¶

Configure Radarr: Radarr Configuration
Configure Sonarr: Sonarr Configuration
Advanced Torrent Settings: Torrent Configuration
Seeding Configuration: Seeding Settings
Troubleshooting: Common Issues