# Automation Flow

> What happens from the moment you request a movie or show to the moment it appears in Plex.

# Automation Flow

Once everything is configured, the entire process from request to playback runs without any manual steps.

## Step 1 — Request

You (or another user) open **Seerr** and search for a movie or TV show.

Requests can be set to auto-approve, or require admin approval first. Once approved, Seerr sends the request to **Radarr** (for movies) or **Sonarr** (for TV shows).

## Step 2 — Search

Sonarr or Radarr receives the request and looks for a matching release.

It searches through the indexers synced from **Prowlarr** and filters results against your quality profile — resolution, codec, size limits. Once a suitable release is found, it sends the NZB file to **SABnzbd**.

## Step 3 — Download

**SABnzbd** downloads the content from Usenet and unpacks it.

Files land in `/mnt/downloads`. SABnzbd notifies Sonarr or Radarr when the download is complete.

## Step 4 — Import

Sonarr or Radarr picks up the completed download and imports it into the media library.

Files are moved (or hard-linked) from `/mnt/downloads` to `/mnt/media/tv` or `/mnt/media/movies`. The file is renamed according to your naming scheme, and the download folder is cleaned up.

Hard links only work if both paths are on the same filesystem — which is why all paths come from the same ZFS pool.

## Step 5 — Available in Plex

Plex detects the new file via a library scan or a direct notification from Sonarr/Radarr. It fetches metadata automatically: cover art, episode info, ratings.

The content is usually available to stream within a minute or two of the import finishing.

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## Things to keep in mind

**Path consistency** — Sonarr, Radarr, and SABnzbd must all see the same paths inside their containers. If the paths don't match, imports will fail silently. This is the most common source of problems after a fresh setup.

**Permissions** — The user running Sonarr and Radarr needs write access to both `/mnt/downloads` and `/mnt/media`. This is handled by aligning UID/GID across all containers (`PUID=1000`, `PGID=1000`).

**Quality profiles** — If nothing downloads, check your quality profile in Sonarr or Radarr. It may be too strict for what your indexers have available.