docker-compose-cookbooks/readarr_dev/README.md

Readarr

Overview

Readarr is an automated eBook and audiobook collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users. It monitors authors on your watchlist, scans configured indexers for new releases or upgrades, and sends them to your download client. After download, it renames and organizes files into your book library and can notify your media server.

Project Details

• Project Repository: https://readarr.com/
• Container Image: ghcr.io/hotio/readarr
• Reverse Proxy Port: 8787

Getting Started

Open http://localhost:8787 in your browser and complete the initial setup wizard:

1. Choose your UI language
2. Add a download client — select qBittorrent, enter its host/port/credentials
3. Add an indexer — or connect to Prowlarr for automatic indexer sync

Once the wizard finishes, you'll see an empty library. To populate it:

• Go to Settings → Media Management and add a Root Folder (e.g., /media/books) — this is where your organized book library will live
• Click Add Author and search by name — Readarr fetches metadata, covers, and available editions
• Optionally connect a List (Goodreads, etc.) to auto-import authors from your reading lists

Download flow

qBittorrent downloads to /media/downloads/prowlarr → Readarr picks it up, renames the file, and moves it into <Root Folder>/Author Name/Book Name/

Environment Variable Notes

Variable	Description
READARR_IMAGE	Container image (default: ghcr.io/hotio/readarr:release)
READARR_RESTART	Restart policy (default: unless-stopped)
READARR_PORT	Published port for the web UI (default: 8787)
VOL_PATH	Base path for persistent data volumes (default: /data)
READARR_MEDIA	Shared media root on the host (default: /data/media), mounted at /media. Must be the same folder qBittorrent, Sonarr, Radarr and Jellyfin use
TZ	Container timezone (default: America/Vancouver)

Volume Notes

Volume	Purpose
${VOL_PATH:-/data}/readarr/config	Application configuration and database
${READARR_MEDIA:-/data/media} → /media	Shared media root: downloads in /media/downloads, library in /media/books

Network Notes

Requires an external proxy network. Create it once with:

docker network create proxy

Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name=readarr \
  -e PUID=1000 \
  -e PGID=1000 \
  -e UMASK=002 \
  -e TZ=America/Vancouver \
  -p 8787:8787 \
  -v ${VOL_PATH:-/data}/readarr/config:/config \
  -v ${READARR_MEDIA:-/data/media}:/media \
  --network proxy \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ghcr.io/hotio/readarr:release

Additional Notes / Gotchas

• One shared media folder. qBittorrent, Sonarr, Radarr, Readarr and Jellyfin all use /data/media on the host, mounted at /media, so a download has the same path in every container: no Remote Path Mapping needed, and imports can use hardlinks. Enable Settings → Media Management → Use Hardlinks instead of Copy.
• Layout: /data/media/downloads/prowlarr (qBittorrent category prowlarr), /data/media/books (Readarr root, Jellyfin's /books library).
• In the qBittorrent download client settings, set Category to prowlarr.

Dockhand Stack, Deploy from Git

• Cookbooks Repository
• stackname: readarr_dev
• Compose file path: readarr_dev/compose.yaml
• Additional env file (optional): readarr_dev/sample.env

Load readarr_dev/sample.env into the Environment variables in Dockhand, then create the Stack.