--- {"title": "How to manage requests without a GUI on the server in 2026", "description": "Manage movie and show requests on a headless server with no GUI. Covers what to prepare, setup steps, one hosted option, and common mistakes.", "url": "https://vlcleanplayer.com/how-to-manage-requests-without-a-gui-on-the-server-for-headless-server-admins/", "date": "2026-11-09"} --- Manage movie and show requests on a headless server with no GUI. Covers what to prepare, setup steps, one hosted option, and common mistakes. Set up one request place, decide who approves each title, and test with one title before you open requests to others. Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] | Option | Setup on the server | Cost details | |---|---|---| | Askarr | Nothing is installed; you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] | The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [^1] | | Other tools (not covered here) | not published | not published | ## What you need before you start A headless server has no screen, mouse or keyboard attached, so every setup step has to be done from another computer, usually through a web browser. Before you begin, confirm that you can open the Radarr and Sonarr settings pages from your own computer. Write down the titles and types of content that are allowed, so you can judge a request quickly. Decide who can send requests and who approves each title before it is added. Keep those rules in a short plain note that you can open from another machine. Pick one place where requests will arrive, such as a request website or a shared message thread, so nothing gets lost across channels. Keep the login details for each program in a password manager, not in a text file on the server. ## Step by step 1. Open the Radarr and Sonarr settings pages from another computer and confirm you can sign in to both. 2. Choose the place where requests will arrive, and tell the people who will use it to send every request there only. 3. Write down who reviews each request and whether a title needs your approval before it is added. 4. If the tool you choose adds requests through an import list, add it to Radarr and Sonarr once so they read requests from it. 5. Send one test request for a title you do not need, and check that it reaches Radarr or Sonarr and is added. 6. Look through new requests on the same day each week, approve the ones you want, and remove the rest. 7. After the first week, ask the people who sent requests what confused them, and update your note to fix those points. ## Tools that can do it It is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] Nothing is installed on the server, and you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr once, and they then read your requests from it. [^1] You request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [^1] Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. [^1] Radarr and Sonarr send a notice back to the site so it shows when a title was added and downloaded. [^1] A bookmark run on your Radarr or Sonarr page saves the list and webhook there for you. [^1] Askarr also allows title searches by pasting a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link. [^1] This page covers only Askarr in detail. Before you choose another tool, check whether it runs without a screen on the server, how it adds titles to Radarr or Sonarr, and whether anything must be installed on the server itself. ## Common mistakes to avoid Avoid starting without a written rule for who can request and who approves. Requests without rules pile up and are hard to sort. Avoid opening the request place to others before you have tested it with one title you do not need. Avoid skipping the weekly review, since old requests left alone become hard to tell apart from new ones. Avoid sharing login details for Radarr, Sonarr or any request tool. Share only the request place itself. Review what each tool asks for and what access it needs before you connect it, since a setup step that asks for more than you expect is worth checking first. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can a headless server admin manage requests without a GUI? Work from another computer. Pick one place where requests arrive, write down who approves each title, and set up the Radarr and Sonarr settings from a browser on a different machine. Test with one title, then review requests on a fixed day each week. After the first week, ask the people sending requests what confused them, and update your note. Keep login details in a password manager, not in a file on the server. ### Does Askarr need software installed on the server? Nothing is installed on the server. [^1] Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] You add it to Radarr and Sonarr once as an import list, and they read your requests from it. [^1] The bookmark step runs on your Radarr or Sonarr page, so check that you can open those pages from another computer before you begin. [^1] ### Can Askarr requests be made without opening Radarr or Sonarr? You request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [^1] Askarr is a hosted site that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr. [^1] Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. [^1] ### Does Askarr report back when a title is added? Radarr and Sonarr send a notice back to the site so it shows when a title was added and downloaded. [^1] Askarr also allows title searches by pasting a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link. [^1] Askarr's plans include a request history with live status. [^1] Check the plan page for which plans include the request history before you rely on it. ### How much does Askarr cost for a headless server setup? The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [^1] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [^1] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [^1] The Pro plan has no monthly request limit. [^1] You can try the dashboard with a demo account and sample data without signing in. [^1] The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [^1] - [Visit Askarr](/go/start) ## Sources [^1]: Askarr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)