Automating Your Music Library with Lidarr-Extended Lidarr-Extended is a specialized Docker container that enhances the standard Lidarr application—a popular music collection manager—by integrating a suite of advanced scripts and third-party tools. Developed primarily by RandomNinjaAtk, this "extended" version is designed to bridge the gap between simple library management and high-quality, fully automated music acquisition. Key Features of Lidarr-Extended
Unlike the base version of Lidarr, which focuses on managing and tracking artists/albums, Lidarr-Extended adds a layer of automated scripts to handle the heavy lifting of downloading and processing files:
Integrated Downloader: It searches for missing albums based on your Lidarr "missing" or "cutoff" lists and downloads them using built-in third-party clients.
High-Fidelity Formats: Supports downloading in multiple qualities, including FLAC (lossless), MP3 (320/128), and AAC (320/96). Automatic Post-Processing:
Conversion: Can convert downloaded FLAC files to your preferred bitrate or format (e.g., converting to high-quality MP3 for mobile use) before importing.
Tagging: Utilizes Beets for advanced pre-matching and metadata tagging, ensuring tracks are correctly labeled and include high-resolution cover art before Lidarr even sees them.
ReplayGain: Automatically adds ReplayGain tags to tracks to ensure consistent volume levels across your entire library.
Discovery: Can automatically add "Top Artists" from various online services to your Lidarr database, helping you discover and track new music without manual entry. How It Works
The container operates as a "wrapper" around the official LinuxServer.io Lidarr image. It does not modify Lidarr’s core code; instead, it communicates with the application via public APIs. When a "wanted" album is detected: lidarr-extended
The extended scripts trigger a search through online sources. Files are downloaded to a temporary dlclient directory.
Scripts process the files (tagging, volume leveling, or conversion) in an import folder.
Lidarr is notified to officially import the cleaned, tagged files into your main media library. Installation and Usage
Lidarr-Extended is typically deployed via Docker. Users can find the official repository and setup guides on the RandomNinjaAtk GitHub.
Note for Users: Because this is a third-party fork, it is not officially supported by the core Lidarr development team. Users encountering issues with specific extended features (like script errors or downloader integration) should refer to the GitHub Wiki or community discussions on platforms like Reddit. RandomNinjaAtk/docker-lidarr-extended - GitHub
Lidarr-extended is a specialized, automated music management solution that builds upon the standard Lidarr application. It is primarily known as a Docker container project maintained by RandomNinjaAtk
, designed to automate the downloading and tagging of high-quality music from online streaming sources like Deezer and Tidal. Core Purpose and Features While the standard
focuses on monitoring RSS feeds for Usenet and BitTorrent releases, Lidarr-extended acts as a supplemental "companion" that fills gaps by sourcing files directly from streaming platforms. Automated Sourcing Issue 2: "My download client is overwhelmed with
: It automatically searches for albums on Lidarr’s "Wanted" list and downloads them using third-party scripts. High Fidelity Support : Users can specify download qualities, including MP3 (320kbps) Integrated Metadata : It utilizes
for advanced tagging and ensures music is properly organized with cover art before Lidarr even "sees" the files for import. Streamlined Import
: Once the download and tagging are complete, the script notifies Lidarr to import the files into the main library. How It Works
Lidarr-extended is typically deployed as a Docker container, often based on the LinuxServer.io Lidarr image. Configuration : Users must provide credentials, such as a Deezer Token or Tidal account details, within a configuration file ( extended.conf : It relies heavily on MusicBrainz
for metadata, which is often hard-coded into the extended scripts to ensure accuracy. The "Magic" Script : A background script (often
) runs periodically, checking for missing albums, fetching them from the streaming provider, and performing post-processing. Key Considerations for Users
Once upon a time in the quiet, glowing corner of a home server rack, there lived a software manager named Lidarr. Lidarr was diligent, spending its days organizing vast libraries of music and scouting the digital horizon for new tracks from MusicBrainz. But Lidarr was also a dreamer; it wanted to do more than just search—it wanted to discover. The Transformation
One day, Lidarr met a powerful collection of scripts known as Lidarr-extended. This wasn't just a minor update; it was like Lidarr had found a magical map. By integrating with high-quality streaming sources like Tidal and Deezer, Lidarr-extended gained the ability to see beyond the user’s current library. " or "Broadcast
It began to act like an expert digital curator. If the user liked a specific rock band, Lidarr-extended would whisper to the server, "If they like them, they’ll love these five related artists," and automatically add them to the "monitored" list. It even had a clever rule to prevent "endless loops," ensuring the library didn't grow into an uncontrollable digital jungle. The Quest for Quality
But the story didn't end with discovery. Lidarr-extended was a bit of a perfectionist. While standard Lidarr was content with what it could find on trackers, the "extended" version reached out to Tidarr and other specialized tools to pull down Master-quality FLAC files. It worked tirelessly to:
Auto-Add Artists: Scouring Tidal for related musicians based on the user's existing taste.
Manage High-Fidelity Streams: Triggering downloads of lossless audio that would make any audiophile weep with joy.
Sync with Ease: Using shared volumes in Docker containers to ensure the music moved seamlessly from the cloud to the hard drive. The Modern Legend
Today, users often call it "Lidarr on Steroids". It sits as a crown jewel in many self-hosted setups, tucked away in dashboards alongside other "arr" legends like Sonarr and Radarr. While it occasionally runs into a "connection refused" gremlin or a "wget" hiccup, its community of tech-wizards on GitHub always manages to find the fix.
And so, the music never stops. Thanks to Lidarr-extended, the server isn't just a storage box anymore—it's a living, breathing concert hall that knows what you want to hear before you even do. arr-scripts/lidarr/extended.conf at main - GitHub
Standard Lidarr relies on the "Release Group" type in MusicBrainz. If a release is marked as "Single," "EP," or "Broadcast," Lidarr often ignores it unless you tweak complex profiles. Lidarr-Extended treats every release type equally. If a song exists on MusicBrainz, Lidarr-Extended can find it.
The most stable method is using the ghcr.io/hotio/lidarr-extended image (maintained by the Hotio team).
docker run -d \
--name=lidarr-extended \
-e PUID=1000 \
-e PGID=1000 \
-e TZ=America/New_York \
-p 8686:8686 \
-v /path/to/data:/config \
-v /path/to/music:/music \
-v /path/to/downloads:/downloads \
--restart unless-stopped \
ghcr.io/hotio/lidarr-extended
Fix: Standard Lidarr has a limit of 5 concurrent searches. Lidarr-Extended allows you to set a "Single track delay profile." Set Max concurrent singles downloads = 3.