Last updated Jun 3, 2026

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.

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.