Readarr Book Manager

intermediate

Readarr ebook and audiobook collection manager in the *arr family.

Overview

Readarr is an automated ebook and audiobook collection manager that emerged as part of the popular *arr stack ecosystem, joining Sonarr and Radarr to bring the same automated media management capabilities to digital books. This application monitors multiple RSS feeds for new releases, automatically searches for and downloads books based on your preferences, and integrates with popular ebook management tools like Calibre. Readarr supports both ebooks in various formats (EPUB, MOBI, PDF) and audiobooks, making it a comprehensive solution for book enthusiasts who want to automate their digital library management. The application features intelligent metadata matching using GoodReads integration, author monitoring, and quality profiles to ensure you get the best versions of your desired books. This Docker deployment using the LinuxServer.io image provides a stable, containerized environment for running Readarr with proper volume management for your book collections and configuration persistence. The setup is ideal for users already familiar with the *arr ecosystem who want to extend their automated media management to include books, or for avid readers looking to streamline their digital library acquisition and organization workflow.

Key Features

Automated author and book series monitoring with RSS feed integration
GoodReads metadata integration for accurate book information and cover art
Native Calibre integration for ebook format conversion and library management
Quality profiles supporting multiple ebook formats (EPUB, MOBI, PDF, AZW3)
Audiobook support with chapter detection and metadata tagging
Custom naming conventions and folder structure organization
Download client integration with popular torrent and usenet applications
Release filtering with preferred words, size limits, and quality restrictions

Common Use Cases

1Home media server administrators expanding their *arr stack to include book management
2Digital book collectors automating acquisition of new releases from favorite authors
3Audiobook enthusiasts maintaining organized libraries with proper metadata
4Users with existing Calibre libraries seeking automated book discovery and downloads
5Book series followers who want automatic notifications and downloads of new installments
6Digital reading groups coordinating shared book collections and recommendations
7Library archivists managing large-scale ebook digitization and organization projects

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed with at least 2GB available RAM
Minimum 10GB free disk space for application data and book storage
Port 8787 available for Readarr web interface access
Basic understanding of torrent/usenet download clients configuration
Familiarity with book metadata and file format management
Optional: Existing Calibre installation for enhanced ebook management

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  readarr: 
3    image: linuxserver/readarr:develop
4    container_name: readarr
5    environment: 
6      - PUID=1000
7      - PGID=1000
8      - TZ=${TZ}
9    volumes: 
10      - readarr_config:/config
11      - /path/to/books:/books
12      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
13    ports: 
14      - "8787:8787"
15    restart: unless-stopped
16    networks: 
17      - readarr-network
18
19volumes: 
20  readarr_config: 
21
22networks: 
23  readarr-network: 
24    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Readarr
2TZ=UTC

Usage Notes

1UI at http://localhost:8787
2Add root folder for books
3Configure download client
4Supports Calibre integration
5Metadata from GoodReads

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  readarr:
5    image: linuxserver/readarr:develop
6    container_name: readarr
7    environment:
8      - PUID=1000
9      - PGID=1000
10      - TZ=${TZ}
11    volumes:
12      - readarr_config:/config
13      - /path/to/books:/books
14      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
15    ports:
16      - "8787:8787"
17    restart: unless-stopped
18    networks:
19      - readarr-network
20
21volumes:
22  readarr_config:
23
24networks:
25  readarr-network:
26    driver: bridge
27EOF
28
29# 2. Create the .env file
30cat > .env << 'EOF'
31# Readarr
32TZ=UTC
33EOF
34
35# 3. Start the services
36docker compose up -d
37
38# 4. View logs
39docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/readarr-books/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Books not downloading automatically: Verify download client connection settings and ensure indexers are properly configured with valid API keys
Metadata not populating from GoodReads: Check internet connectivity and consider using alternative metadata sources if GoodReads API limits are reached
Calibre integration failing: Ensure Calibre Content Server is running and accessible, and verify the correct database path is configured in Readarr
Permission denied errors on book folders: Verify PUID/PGID environment variables match your host user permissions for mounted volume directories
Search results returning no matches: Adjust quality profiles and indexer priorities, and check that book titles match GoodReads naming conventions
High memory usage during large library imports: Increase Docker container memory limits and process imports in smaller batches

Community Notes

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