# How to keep request data on your own hardware for privacy focused owners in 2026

Learn how privacy focused owners can keep request data on their own hardware with practical setup steps.

By VLClean · 2026-10-24

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

Privacy focused owners can keep request data on their own hardware by preparing the request workflow, choosing where the request list is stored, and sharing clear instructions with the people who send requests.

Option	How requests are handled	Cost details
Askarr	Search for a movie or show on Askarr and request it, and the owner's own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. ^[1]	The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. ^[1]
Request form	People submit movie or show titles through the chosen form.	not published
Shared request list	People add movie or show ideas to the chosen shared list.	not published

What you need before you start

Decide which request data matters to keep, such as the list of titles people ask for and the record of what was added and when. That choice shapes where the data should stay.

Prepare the titles or types of content that are allowed, so people know what kinds of requests fit the server. Keep the request rules simple, such as whether people can ask for any title or only certain types of movies and shows.

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many Plex owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready, because the list of requested titles often ends up in them. Decide who will review requests before anything is added.

Choose where people will send requests. The choice can be a request tool, a form, or another method that gives viewers a clear place to submit titles, and check where each choice keeps the request list.

Step by step

Pick one place where people will send requests, such as a request website or a shared message thread, and tell everyone to use only that place.

Decide what request data to keep, such as the titles asked for, who asked for them, and when each was added, and name where that record lives.

Check the chosen method against your hardware, so the request list stays on the server you control and no outside service has to be reached from it.

Write a short note for viewers that says who can request, what kinds of titles are accepted, and how they will hear that a title was added.

Send the note and the request location to the people you want to allow, with two lines on how to search for a title and how to submit it.

Review new requests on a regular day each week, keep the ones you want, and remove the ones you do not.

Ask a few viewers after the first week what confused them, and edit your note to fix those points.

Tools that can do it

Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] Askarr can be used by searching for a movie or show on Askarr and requesting it, and the owner's own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. ^[1]

You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time, and they then pick up your requests from it. ^[1] Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. ^[1] Nothing is installed. ^[1]

The Askarr site shows when a title was added and downloaded. ^[1] Askarr also allows title searches by pasting a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link. ^[1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a method, check where it stores the request list, how it handles title searches, and how requests move into the library workflow on the owner's hardware.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid choosing a method without checking where it keeps the request list. The data that matters should stay on hardware the owner controls, so confirm that before sharing it with other people.

Avoid sharing a request method without explaining the rules. Viewers need to know what types of titles can be requested and who decides what gets added.

Avoid setting up a method that reaches into the server when it does not need to. A request list can be kept separate from the library workflow, and checking the access a method asks for avoids surprises.

Avoid forgetting to review requests after setup. A request list can become harder to manage if old or unwanted requests are left without attention.

Frequently asked questions

How can privacy focused owners keep request data on their own hardware?

An owner can choose a method that records requests in a place they control, decide which data matters, and review requests on a set day. The important parts are confirming where the request list is stored and checking that no outside service has to reach the server. Review requests regularly so the list stays manageable.

Can Askarr keep the request list with the owner's own Radarr and Sonarr?

You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time, and they then pick up your requests from it. ^[1] Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] Nothing is installed. ^[1] The list of requested titles therefore sits with the owner's own Radarr and Sonarr, on the hardware that runs them.

Does Askarr ever connect to the owner's Radarr or Sonarr?

Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. ^[1] Nothing is installed. ^[1] The owner adds Askarr as an import list, and Radarr and Sonarr read requests from it. ^[1] Before choosing, check any other method for the access it asks for and what it does with the request data.

Where does the list of titles requested through Askarr end up?

The owner's own Radarr and Sonarr pick up requests from Askarr after it is added as an import list. ^[1] The Askarr site shows when a title was added and downloaded. ^[1] Once Askarr is added as an import list, Radarr and Sonarr read the requests from it. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing how to keep request data on the owner's hardware?

Check where a method stores the request list, what access it asks for, and how requests move into the library workflow. The Askarr plans list 'Request history with live status', which the source gives without naming a plan, so check the plan page for which ones include it. ^[1] Compare those details with how the server is managed before choosing a method.

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. ^[1]

Try Askarr

Sources

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