How to build additions lists from external ratings for library audit enthusiasts in 2026

Learn how library audit enthusiasts can turn a public ratings list into stable additions lists that pull movies into Radarr and shows into Sonarr.

By VLClean · 2026-10-18

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Library audit enthusiasts can build additions lists by choosing a public ratings list that is readable, turning it into stable links for movies and shows, and checking that additions land in Radarr and Sonarr as expected.

Option	How it works	Cost details
Watcharr	Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]
Manual shared list	People add rated titles by hand to a chosen shared list, and titles are added to the library manually.	not published
Manual spreadsheet	Rated titles are collected in a chosen spreadsheet and reviewed before being added to the library.	not published

What you need before you start

A library that is managed with Radarr for movies and Sonarr for shows is the base. Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many library owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready because they are where the additions lists will feed in.

Pick one public external ratings list that you are allowed to read, such as a public IMDb list or watchlist, and keep its id or link exact. Decide what the audit is for: whether you want to see every new title you rated, catch titles you meant to add but have not, or check a theme across the library. Decide what to do with titles that cannot be matched by the lookup, because those are the ones that tell you where the audit is incomplete. Choose how people who share the library will get the same additions links, and write down who reviews the resulting additions before they count.

Step by step

Choose one public external ratings list that you are allowed to read, and keep its exact link or id so the same list always points to the same place.

Turn that list into the addition links your library needs: one that feeds movies to Radarr and one that feeds shows to Sonarr. A tool can do this split for you.

Set how often the library checks the links, and know that a checked link is a floor, not a guarantee: a scheduled run can be delayed, so allow time before a new title appears.

Decide what happens to titles that cannot be matched to the library's id system. Keep the list of skipped titles so you can see them, because those are exactly the gaps the audit should surface.

Check the additions links are pulling correctly on a regular day each week, and compare what arrived against the ratings list to confirm nothing is missing.

Review what confused you after the first week, such as a title that did not arrive or one that arrived twice, and adjust how the additions link or the matching step is set up.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into two stable links by pasting it: one for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] The two links come from the list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1]

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The page shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop, and trailer. ^[1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link, and a title on two lists is added only once. ^[1] If a read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] You paste, copy, and browse from any screen in the web app, and the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

The hosted version is for noncommercial use, because commercial use is not licensed and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it splits a list into movies and shows, how it reports skipped titles, and how its additions move into Radarr and Sonarr.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid turning a list into additions without checking how titles are split between movies and shows. A title that lands in the wrong place is a gap the audit will not show as a gap.

Avoid ignoring titles that cannot be matched. These are the ones the audit depends on, so keep the list of skipped titles and review it rather than letting it pass unseen.

Avoid leaving additions un-reviewed after the links are set. An additions list that nobody checks can grow in ways the audit no longer reflects.

Avoid skipping account and privacy checks before sharing the ability to add lists. Review what the tool asks for and what access it uses, and confirm each list is public and allowed to be read before you rely on it.

Frequently asked questions

Can Watcharr build additions lists from external ratings?

Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into two stable links by pasting it: one for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] The two links come from the list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] That makes it a way to build and keep additions lists from a ratings list.

How often do Watcharr additions lists update in Radarr and Sonarr?

Each Watcharr link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] These are floors, so a scheduled run can be delayed. If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

Does Watcharr skip shows that cannot be matched to the library?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The skipped titles still show on the page, so a library audit enthusiast can see exactly which shows need attention.

Can Watcharr help a household share additions lists?

Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a tool for additions lists?

Check how a tool splits a list into movies and shows, how it matches titles, and how it reports titles it cannot match. Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Its hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Compare those details with how your Radarr and Sonarr are managed before choosing.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)