How to track watched shows and films for Jellyfin watchlist users in 2026

Track watched shows and films as a Jellyfin user by keeping one clear list and checking titles against the library.

By VLClean · 2026-11-14

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

To track watched shows and films, keep one clear list of the titles. Watcharr is made by VLClean, the team that publishes this site. It takes a public IMDb watchlist and gives one Radarr link for the movies and one Sonarr link for the shows. ^[1]

Option	How it tracks	Cost details
Watcharr	You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	not published
Manual tracking list	Watched titles are added to a shared list by hand.	not published
Shared watchlist	Titles are kept in one public watchlist and the library is checked against it.	not published

What you need before you start

Decide which titles you want to track and where your watched shows and films are listed. Keep one shared place for the tracks, so the record stays clear and everyone reads the same list.

The tracking method needs to match how titles are added to the Jellyfin library, so it helps to know whether Radarr and Sonarr are already in use. Radarr and Sonarr are helper programs that many media-server owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready if they are part of how tracked titles are added.

Choose where titles are tracked. The choice can be a public watchlist, a shared list, or another method that gives one clear place for the record. Decide which titles count as watched, such as anything you have finished, so the list does not grow unclear. Write down who updates the list and how often, so the tracking stays current. Keep in mind who can see the list and whether the titles on it are something you want to share. Have your Jellyfin library ready so new titles on the list can be checked against what is already available.

Step by step

Start with a list you already use, because moving later means carrying every title across. A clear routine keeps the tracking list accurate, so turn the steps below into the way titles are logged.

Choose one place where you keep the titles to track, such as a public watchlist or a shared list, and tell everyone who uses it to log titles in only that place. One place matters because a title logged in the wrong spot is easy to miss.

Write down who updates the list and whether a title needs approval before it moves from tracked to watched or into the library.

Decide which kinds of titles the list holds, such as movies and shows you have seen or want to see, so the record stays correct and easy to read.

Set a regular day each week to look through the list, remove titles that no longer apply, and fix anything that looks wrong. A set day keeps the list from growing old titles.

Check whether the tracking method reflects new titles in the Jellyfin library, so watched items match what is available to watch.

After a few weeks, ask anyone who uses the list what confused them, and edit the way titles are logged to fix those points.

Keep the steps in the same order each time, so the record is easy to check and to fix.

Tools that can do it

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] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1]

A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The page shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. ^[1] If you sign in, it re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

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] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app, and the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

Before choosing a tracking tool, check how it handles title tracking, updates, and the way titles move into the library workflow.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid keeping the tracking list without explaining its rules. Everyone who uses the list needs to know what kinds of titles it holds, who updates it, and what counts as watched.

Avoid choosing a tracking method without checking how it fits the current way movies and shows are added to the Jellyfin library. The tracking should be clear both for people who log titles and for the person who manages the server.

Avoid running the list in several places at once, because a title logged twice creates a record that is hard to trust.

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

Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what information a method asks for and what access it uses before sharing it with other people.

Frequently asked questions

How can Jellyfin users track watched shows and films?

A Jellyfin user can choose one place to keep the titles they track, decide who updates it, and explain what happens after a title is logged. The important parts are giving a clear place for watched shows and films and keeping the tracking easy to follow. Start with a list that already exists and make each title's place obvious, so everyone logs in the same spot.

Can Watcharr read an IMDb watchlist for a Jellyfin library?

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Radarr and Sonarr sit alongside Jellyfin and handle the movies and shows the library adds.

Does the Watcharr hosted version need software installed?

Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

How often does Watcharr update its lists?

Each Watcharr link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] If a user signs in, the list is re-read about every 15 minutes, and the page warns when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] If a read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a tracking tool for Jellyfin?

Check how a tool handles title tracking, updates, and the process for adding movies and shows, and compare those details with the way the Jellyfin library is managed. Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] Confirm what a tool does before choosing a tracking method, so the record and the library stay aligned.

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

Try Watcharr

Sources

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