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How to connect Watcharr to other home services for self hosted tracker tinkerers in 2026

See how to connect Watcharr to Radarr and Sonarr for self hosted tracker tinkerers.

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You paste one public IMDb list into Watcharr and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows, then you add those two links to the two helper programs running at home. [1]

OptionWhat it doesCost details
WatcharrPaste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1]not published
Direct IMDb list in Radarr and SonarrCheck how the helper program handles adding an IMDb list by URL before choosing this option.not published
Home note or trackerCheck how much manual adding each title needs before choosing this option.not published

What you need before you start

Self hosted tracker tinkerers need a public IMDb list or watchlist to connect. [1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages, so confirm the list is set to public before going further. [1]

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many home server owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. These are the home services the IMDb list connects to, so have both installed and working first.

The IMDb list splits into one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Radarr checks its link every 15 minutes and Sonarr checks its link every 5, so each helper program reads its own list on its own schedule. [1]

The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [1] The same list always gives the same two links. [1]

For shows, Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [1] Decide whether one person should sign in, because signing in enables combining several lists, while watching without signing in still gives the two links. [1] [1]

Step by step

  1. Pick the public IMDb list you want to connect to the home services, and write down its id so the links stay identifiable.
  1. Paste the list into Watcharr to get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1]
  1. Add the movies link to Radarr and the shows link to Sonarr where each helper program reads a list. To add a list with one click, click the bookmark inside Radarr or Sonarr, which adds the list for you using that app's own access credential, and does not send it anywhere else. [1]
  1. Confirm the two helper programs pick up the list. Radarr checks the link about every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, so a freshly added link is picked up on the next scheduled check. [1]
  1. If several people in the household want lists combined, sign in to Watcharr so several IMDb lists become one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. [1]
  1. If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [1] When signed in, the list is re-read about every 15 minutes, and a warning appears when a list fails three reads in a row. [1]
  1. Check the skipped shows that Watcharr reports, because shows it cannot match to a TheTVDB id are left out. [1] Look at the page to see the list's covers in a row. Each cover opens TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. [1]
  1. Check that the movies and shows appear in Radarr and Sonarr once their scheduled checks have run.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr turns a public IMDb list into two links that Radarr and Sonarr read on their own schedules. [1] [1]

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Radarr checks its link every 15 minutes and Sonarr checks its link every 5, so each helper program reads its own list on its own schedule. [1] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's own access credential, and does not send it anywhere else. [1]

Watcharr works with any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] A title that is on two lists is added only once when signed-in users combine several lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household. [1] The page shows the list's titles as a row of covers, and each cover opens a short summary with the plot, the genres, the rating, a wide picture and a trailer. [1]

Watcharr runs as a hosted web app with its own database, plus a separate scheduled job that reads IMDb. Cloudflare is a company that hosts web apps and databases, and GitHub is a service that runs scheduled jobs. [1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app; the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. [1] Its code can be read under noncommercial terms, and older versions have different terms. [1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. [1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it handles list updates, matching shows to movie databases, and the way lists move into Radarr and Sonarr.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid connecting an IMDb list that is not public. Watcharr accepts public IMDb lists, so check the list's public setting before starting. [1]

Avoid treating the scheduled checks as instant. Radarr checks the link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, so allow time for a new link to be picked up. [1]

Avoid expecting every show to arrive. A show without a matching TheTVDB id is skipped, and the page reports which ones these are, so review the skipped list instead of assuming a gap is a fault. [1]

Avoid handing out the links without a note of the list's id. The links are built from the id, so change the list id and the same list no longer gives the same two links. [1]

Avoid ignoring failed reads when signed in. If a list fails three reads in a row, Watcharr warns you, so fix the list rather than leaving the last good copy serving old titles. [1] [1]

Frequently asked questions

How does Watcharr connect an IMDb list to home services?

You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [1] Adding the two links to Radarr and Sonarr lets the two helper programs pick up the titles on their own schedules. [1]

Does connecting Watcharr need anything installed at home?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. [1] It runs as a hosted web app with its own database, plus a separate scheduled job that reads IMDb. [1] The home services that receive the lists are Radarr and Sonarr, because one link is for Radarr with the movies and one is for Sonarr with the shows. [1]

Why does a connected list show fewer titles than the IMDb list?

For shows, Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [1] A show without a TheTVDB id is therefore left out of the Sonarr link, even though it was on the IMDb list. Allow for the next scheduled checks before judging that titles are missing. [1]

Can a connected list stop giving titles if a read fails?

If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly, so titles already read stay available. [1] If you sign in, the list is re-read about every 15 minutes and Watcharr warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [1] The warning is the cue to check the list, because the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly while the live list fails. [1]

Can more than one IMDb list be connected at once?

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] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] This keeps a single movies link and a single shows link to manage in the home services. [1]

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

Try Watcharr

Sources

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

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