How to track failed requests for notification watchers in 2026

Learn how request notification watchers can monitor and identify failed requests with practical steps and tool options.

By VLClean · 2026-11-10

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

Request notification watchers can track failed requests by setting up a monitoring process, choosing a tool that shows request status, and reviewing logs regularly to catch titles that did not arrive in the library.

Option	Request method	Cost details
Askarr	Search for a movie or show on Askarr and request it, and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. ^[1]	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]
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

Make sure the media server already has Radarr and Sonarr running and adding titles to the library. ^[1] Decide which people will watch for failed requests and give them access to the request tool or dashboard. Prepare a list of the request sources that feed into Radarr and Sonarr so you know where a failure might appear. Keep the rules simple, such as which request statuses count as failed and how long to wait before checking. Choose where the watchers will look for status updates, whether that is a request dashboard, a shared log, or a notification channel.

Step by step

Pick one place where watchers will check request status, such as a request website dashboard or a shared status page, and tell everyone to use only that place. 2. Write down which status values mean a request failed, such as a title stuck in pending or an error message from Radarr or Sonarr. 3. Write a short guide for watchers that says how to open the status page, how to filter for failed items, and what to do when one is found. 4. Send the guide and the status page link to the watchers you want to allow, with two lines on how to filter and how to report a stuck request. 5. Review the failed-request list on a regular day each week, retry or remove the ones that are stuck, and update the guide if new failure types appear. 6. Ask a few watchers after the first week what confused them, and edit the guide to fix those points.

Tools that can do it

Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] You request a movie or show on Askarr, and your own Radarr and Sonarr add it. ^[1] You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr once as an import list, and they read your requests from it. ^[1] Askarr never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. ^[1] A webhook from Radarr and Sonarr reports back so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. ^[1] Askarr's plans include a request history with live status. ^[1] You can paste a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link to find the title. ^[1] Nothing is installed; you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] A request form lets people submit movie or show titles through a form, and the owner reviews submissions manually. A shared request list lets people add movie or show ideas to a shared document or board, and the owner checks the list for titles to add. No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it handles title searches, approvals, updates, and the way requests move into the library workflow.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid sharing a status page without explaining which statuses mean a request failed. Watchers need to know what to look for and what to do when they see a stuck title. Avoid choosing a tool without checking how it shows request history and live status. The request process should be clear for both the people watching for failures and the person managing the server. Avoid forgetting to review the failed-request list after setup. A list of stuck titles can become harder to manage if old items are left without attention. Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what information a tool asks for and what access it uses before sharing it with other people.

Frequently asked questions

How can request notification watchers track failed requests?

A watcher can use a request tool that shows live status, filter for items that are not added or downloaded, and follow a guide that says what each status means and what to do next. Askarr's plans include a request history with live status. ^[1] Compare those details with the way the server is managed before choosing a request method.

Can a request tool show when Radarr or Sonarr added a title?

Check how each request tool handles status updates from Radarr and Sonarr before choosing one. Askarr uses a webhook from Radarr and Sonarr that reports back so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. ^[1]

Does Askarr require changes to Radarr or Sonarr to track failures?

Askarr is a hosted website that works with existing Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] Nothing is installed. ^[1] You add Askarr to Radarr and Sonarr one time, and they then pick up your requests from it. ^[1]

How do watchers find which requests failed in Askarr?

Watchers can open the Askarr dashboard and view the request history with live status to see which titles were not added or downloaded. ^[1] A TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link can also be pasted to find a specific title. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a request tool for tracking failures?

Check how a tool handles request history, live status, title searches, and the process for adding movies and shows. 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 the way the server is managed before choosing a request 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)