Prowlarr + qBittorrent Setup Guide: Complete Download Stack for Jellyfin (2026)

Prowlarr + qBittorrent: Complete Download Stack for Jellyfin (2026)

Radarr and Sonarr handle automation - but they need two things to work: an indexer manager (Prowlarr) and a download client (qBittorrent or Transmission). This guide covers the full download layer setup and how it feeds directly into your Jellyfin library.

The Full Stack Overview

Prowlarr (indexers) → Radarr/Sonarr (automation) → qBittorrent (download) → Jellyfin (media server)

Docker Compose: Full Stack

services:
  prowlarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/prowlarr:latest
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/Paris
    volumes:
      - ./prowlarr/config:/config
    ports:
      - 9696:9696
    restart: unless-stopped

  qbittorrent:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/Paris
      - WEBUI_PORT=8080
    volumes:
      - ./qbittorrent/config:/config
      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
    ports:
      - 8080:8080
      - 6881:6881
      - 6881:6881/udp
    restart: unless-stopped

  radarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/Paris
    volumes:
      - ./radarr/config:/config
      - /path/to/movies:/movies
      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
    ports:
      - 7878:7878
    restart: unless-stopped

  sonarr:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/Paris
    volumes:
      - ./sonarr/config:/config
      - /path/to/tv:/tv
      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
    ports:
      - 8989:8989
    restart: unless-stopped

Critical: All containers must share the same /downloads path so Radarr/Sonarr can move completed files.

Step 1: Configure Prowlarr

Prowlarr replaces individual indexer configuration in Radarr and Sonarr. Configure once, sync everywhere.

Add indexers

1. Open Prowlarr at http://your-server:9696
2. Indexers → Add Indexer
3. Search for your preferred indexers (public or private trackers)
4. Configure credentials if required
5. Test and save

Connect to Radarr and Sonarr

1. Settings → Apps → Add Application
2. Select Radarr → enter URL and API key
3. Repeat for Sonarr
4. Click Sync App Indexers - all indexers push to both apps automatically

From now on, add indexers only in Prowlarr. They sync to all connected apps.

Step 2: Configure qBittorrent

Initial setup

1. Open qBittorrent Web UI at http://your-server:8080
2. Default credentials: admin / adminadmin (change immediately)
3. Tools → Options → Web UI → Change username and password

Recommended settings

Downloads tab:

• Default save path: /downloads/complete
• Keep incomplete torrents in: /downloads/incomplete
• Enable "Append .!qB extension to incomplete files"

Connection tab:

• Listening port: 6881 (or random, avoid ISP-blocked ports)
• Enable UPnP/NAT-PMP if behind a router

Speed tab:

• Set upload limits to avoid saturating your connection
• Schedule lower speeds during peak hours

BitTorrent tab:

• Enable DHT, PeX, and Local Peer Discovery for public trackers
• Set seeding ratio limit (e.g., 2.0) to be a good community member

Step 3: Connect qBittorrent to Radarr and Sonarr

In Radarr

1. Settings → Download Clients → Add
2. Select qBittorrent
3. Host: qbittorrent (Docker service name)
4. Port: 8080
5. Username / Password: your qBittorrent credentials
6. Category: radarr (qBittorrent will create this category automatically)
7. Test → Save

In Sonarr

Same steps, use category sonarr.

Using separate categories lets you apply different rules (seeding limits, paths) per app.

Step 4: Configure Root Folders and Import

Radarr root folder

Settings → Media Management → Root Folders → Add /movies

When a download completes, Radarr:

1. Detects the completed file in /downloads
2. Renames it according to your naming format
3. Moves (hardlinks) it to /movies/Movie Name (Year)/
4. Triggers a Jellyfin library scan

Enable hardlinks (critical for storage efficiency)

Hardlinks let the file exist in both /downloads (for seeding) and /movies (for Jellyfin) without using double the disk space.

This only works if /downloads and /movies are on the same filesystem. This is why the Docker volume mapping must be consistent across all containers.

Step 5: Connect Radarr/Sonarr to Jellyfin

After import, trigger an automatic Jellyfin library scan:

In Radarr

1. Settings → Connect → Add Connection → Jellyfin
2. Host: jellyfin, Port: 8096
3. API Key: from Jellyfin Dashboard → API Keys
4. Select which libraries to refresh
5. Save

Now when Radarr imports a movie, Jellyfin automatically scans and adds it - no manual refresh needed.

Naming Conventions

Jellyfin requires specific naming for correct metadata matching:

Movies:

/movies/Movie Name (2024)/Movie Name (2024).mkv

TV Shows:

/tv/Show Name/Season 01/Show Name - S01E01 - Episode Title.mkv

Radarr and Sonarr handle renaming automatically - configure the format in Settings → Media Management → Naming.

Troubleshooting

Monitor Your Download Activity

Once your stack is running, new content appears in Jellyfin automatically. But you still want to know:

• When new content is available for your users
• Whether the server is handling new streams correctly
• If a new download triggered unexpected transcoding

JellyWatch notifies you when new sessions start and shows real-time transcoding status - so you know the moment your users start watching newly imported content.

Your download stack is running - now monitor what your users do with it. Download JellyWatch on Google Play - session monitoring, transcoding alerts, and server health for Jellyfin on Android.

On Emby? Download EmbyWatch on Google Play - the same monitoring experience for Emby servers.