Media Manager

A self-hosted media pipeline for your NAS. Grab a magnet link, and Media Manager downloads it via qBittorrent, renames files with TMDB metadata, and drops them into the right Plex library folder — automatically.

This is a manual grab tool. It doesn't replace Radarr/Sonarr — it fills the gap when you want to grab something specific that isn't in your *arr stack. Think of it as a streamlined pipeline: paste a magnet, pick a library, and walk away.

How It Works

Magnet link → qBittorrent downloads → Copy to library → TMDB rename → Done

The server runs as a Docker container on your NAS. It exposes:

• Admin UI at /admin — manage settings, configure libraries, watch the pipeline in real time
• REST API — used by the Desktop app and Chrome extension to submit magnets and manage jobs
• WebSocket — live pipeline progress updates pushed to all connected clients

You can also send magnets to a second qBittorrent instance on your PC (behind a VPN) using the "MyPC" target — useful for content you want on your desktop instead of your NAS.

Requirements

• A NAS or Linux server that can run Docker (Unraid, TrueNAS, Ubuntu, etc.)
• qBittorrent with the Web UI enabled
• A free TMDB API key (for file renaming)
• Plex library folders (or any media folders you want to organize into)

Install

1. Create your folder structure

Pick a location for the app data and make sure your media library folders exist:

mkdir -p /path/to/appdata/media-manager/config

2. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Penderrin-Projects/Media-Manager.git
cd Media-Manager

3. Set up Docker Compose

Edit docker-compose.yml and adjust the volume paths to match your NAS. Each media library on your NAS needs its own volume mount:

services:
  media-manager:
    build: .
    container_name: media-manager
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "9876:9876"
    volumes:
      # Config — persists your settings between restarts
      - /path/to/appdata/media-manager/config:/config

      # Torrents — where qBittorrent saves completed downloads
      # Must be the same folder qBit uses, mounted into the container
      - /path/to/torrents:/torrents

      # Media libraries — one mount per library
      # The right side (container path) is what you enter in the admin UI
      - /path/to/Movies:/media/movies
      - /path/to/TV Shows:/media/tv
      # Add more as needed:
      # - /path/to/Anime:/media/anime
      # - /path/to/Kids Movies:/media/kids-movies
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York   # Your timezone
      - LOG_LEVEL=info         # debug, info, warn, error

Key concept: The left side of each -v mount is the real folder on your NAS. The right side is the path inside the container. When you configure libraries in the admin UI, you use the container path (right side).

4. Start the container

docker-compose up -d

5. Open the Admin UI

http://YOUR_NAS_IP:9876/admin

Configure

Go to the Settings tab and fill in each section:

qBittorrent (NAS)

Field	What to enter
Web UI URL	Your qBit web interface address, e.g. http://192.168.1.100:8085
Username	Your qBit Web UI username
Password	Your qBit Web UI password
Download Path	The path inside the container where qBit's downloads appear. If you mounted -v /path/to/torrents:/torrents, enter /torrents

Click Test to verify the connection. You should see "Connected" with the qBit version.

TMDB

1. Go to themoviedb.org and create a free account
2. Navigate to Settings → API → Request an API key
3. Paste the key into the API Key field
4. Click Test — you should see "OK"

Library Paths

Click + Add Library for each media folder you want to use. Each library has:

Field	What it does
Name	A label you'll see when adding torrents (e.g. "Movies", "Anime Shows")
Path	The container path matching your Docker volume mount (e.g. /media/movies)
Shows	Check this for TV series libraries. Enables season folders and episode naming (S01E01). Leave unchecked for movie libraries.

Example: You have /mnt/user/Plex/Anime Movies on your NAS, mounted as -v /mnt/user/Plex/Anime Movies:/media/anime-movies. In the admin UI, create a library named "Anime Movies" with path /media/anime-movies and leave Shows unchecked.

Click Save All Settings when done.

qBittorrent (MyPC) — Optional

If you also want to send magnets to a qBittorrent on your desktop PC:

Field	What to enter
Web UI URL	Your PC's qBit URL, e.g. http://192.168.1.50:8080
Username	PC qBit username
Password	PC qBit password

Tip: For safety, go into your PC's qBit settings (Advanced → Network Interface) and bind it to your VPN adapter. This acts as a kill switch — torrents only download when the VPN is connected.

Adding a New Library Later

Two steps:

1. Add a Docker volume mount — edit your compose file, add the -v line, and recreate the container (docker-compose up -d)
2. Add the library in the Admin UI — Settings → Library Paths → + Add Library → name it, set the container path, check "Shows" if it's a TV library, and save

How to Use

Media Manager doesn't have a built-in search — that's what Radarr/Sonarr are for. Instead, you feed it magnet links:

• Chrome Extension — Click any magnet link on a website and it's automatically sent to Media Manager. See the Desktop App repo.
• Desktop App — Paste a magnet URL, pick your library and rename options, and click Add. See the Desktop App repo.
• API — POST a magnet directly:

curl -X POST http://YOUR_NAS_IP:9876/auto-grab \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "magnet:?xt=urn:btih:...", "title": "Movie Name", "type": "movie"}'

Set type to movie or tv to control rename behavior and default library.

Pipeline Targets

When adding a torrent, you choose a target:

• Media (default) — Full pipeline: download on NAS → copy to library → TMDB rename
• MyPC — Just forwards the magnet to your PC's qBittorrent. No rename, no library move.

Monitoring

Watch your jobs in real time from the Pipeline tab in the admin UI. Each job shows its current step, download progress, and any errors. The page updates live via WebSocket — no need to refresh.

Security

The admin UI and API are open by default (no authentication). This is fine for a home network, but if your NAS is exposed to the internet, add an API key to your config file:

{
  "server": {
    "apiKey": "pick-a-strong-secret"
  }
}

All API calls and the Desktop app will need to include this key to connect.

Updating

Pull the latest code and rebuild:

cd Media-Manager
git pull
docker-compose up -d --build

Your settings are stored in the /config volume and persist across updates.

Companion Apps

• Media Manager Desktop — Windows Electron app with a visual pipeline queue, add-torrent modal with rename/library options, and a Chrome extension for one-click magnet capture from any torrent site.