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How to share a request queue with housemates in 2026

Set up one shared request queue for housemates in a dorm or shared house, with clear rules, a single place to send titles, and a regular review.

By VLClean ยท

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

Agree on who can request and who reviews, pick one place where housemates send titles, and write a short set of rules everyone can read. Housemates request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [1]

OptionRequest methodCost details
AskarrHousemates request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [1]The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [1] A card payment fee is not published.
Shared formnot publishednot published
Shared message threadnot publishednot published

What you need before you start

Dorm and shared house streamers usually have one shared library, so the first job is agreeing on who is in the group. Write down the housemates who can send requests, and decide whether guests or friends outside the house can send them too.

Decide what kinds of titles fit the library, such as movies, shows, or both, and keep those rules short enough that everyone reads them. Agree on who reviews requests before anything is added, because a queue with no owner tends to collect titles nobody wants.

Radarr and Sonarr are the programs that add movies and shows to your library. Radarr adds movies to a library and Sonarr adds shows. Pick the housemate whose Radarr and Sonarr will act on requests, and make sure they work before the queue opens. Finally, choose one place for requests, such as a website, a form, or a shared message thread, so nobody has to guess where to send a title.

Step by step

  1. Name the housemates who can request, and name one person who reviews the queue.
  2. Pick one request place and tell everyone to use only that place.
  3. Write a short note with the rules: which kinds of titles are allowed, who approves them, and how people will hear that a title was added.
  4. Connect the request place to the Radarr and Sonarr copy that will add titles. You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr once as an import list, and they read your requests from it. [1] Askarr is a website that works with the movie and show helpers you already run. [1]
  5. Send one test request from each housemate, check that it shows up where the reviewer looks, and fix anything that confuses people.
  6. Review the queue on the same day each week, approve what the group wants, and remove old or unwanted requests.
  7. After the first week, ask housemates what was unclear and update the note.

Tools that can do it

Askarr is a website that works with the movie and show helpers you already run. [1] Housemates request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [1] Askarr never connects to your movie and show helpers and never gets their passwords. [1]

The movie and show helpers you run send a message back to Askarr, so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. [1] Askarr's plans include a request history that shows the status of each request as it changes. [1] Housemates can paste a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link to find a title. [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] The bonus applies only to friends who sign up through your link, and each one adds 10 requests a month to your limit. [1] The Plus plan costs $3.99 a month and allows 50 requests a month. [1] The Pro plan costs $6.99 a month and allows unlimited requests. [1] Fees for a shared form and a shared message thread are not published.

Other options, such as a shared form and a shared message thread, are not covered by a source here. Check how each one handles approvals and titles before you choose it, using the steps above.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid sharing a request place without rules. Housemates need to know which titles are allowed and who decides what gets added.

Avoid skipping the test request. Before the queue opens to everyone, send one request from each housemate and check that it reaches the reviewer.

Avoid leaving the queue unattended. Old or unwanted requests pile up when nobody reviews them, so keep the weekly review on the calendar.

Avoid running two request places at once. When people send titles to more than one spot, some requests get missed. Pick one place and say so in the note.

Avoid sharing account details carelessly. Check what information a request tool asks for and who can see it before inviting housemates to join.

Frequently asked questions

How does Askarr let housemates share one request queue?

Askarr is a website that works with the movie and show helpers you already run. [1] Housemates request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. [1] Once you add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time, they read the requests from it. [1] Nothing is installed, and the one-time setup happens inside Radarr and Sonarr. [1]

Does Askarr connect to a housemate's Radarr or Sonarr?

Askarr never connects to your movie and show helpers and never gets their passwords. [1] Check with the housemate who runs those programs about where requests should go before the queue opens. That step is the one to plan carefully, because it decides which copy adds titles to the shared library.

Can Askarr show housemates when a title was added?

The movie and show helpers you run send a message back to Askarr, so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. [1] Askarr's plans include a request history that shows the status of each request as it changes. [1] Check which plan includes it before the group relies on it.

How many requests can housemates make on Askarr for free?

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [1] The bonus applies only to friends who sign up through your link, and each one adds 10 requests a month to your limit. [1] The Pro plan costs $6.99 a month and allows unlimited requests. [1] Fees for a shared form and a shared message thread are not published. Check the current plan page before deciding, since prices can change.

Can Askarr be tried before the housemates sign up?

You can try the dashboard with a demo account and sample data without signing in. [1] Walk through the request steps with one or two housemates before the queue opens to everyone. A trial run shows which parts of the note need clearer wording and lets the reviewer see how requests arrive.

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

Try Askarr

Sources

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

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