How Arrflix Works
Arrflix manages the full lifecycle of media, from finding content to organizing it on disk. This page gives you the big picture before diving into each piece.
The Flow
Everything in Arrflix follows a straightforward path:
Search → Evaluate → Download → ImportSearch - You search for a movie or series. Arrflix queries your configured indexers (via Prowlarr) and returns a list of available releases.
Evaluate - You pick a release. Before the download starts, the Policy Engine evaluates the candidate and produces a plan: which downloader to use, which library to import into, and which name template to apply.
Download - The release is sent to your download client (e.g., qBittorrent). Arrflix monitors progress in the background.
Import - Once the download completes, Arrflix moves the file into your library. It hardlinks when possible to avoid duplicating disk space, and renames the file according to your name template.
The Building Blocks
Each step in the flow relies on a few configurable pieces:
| Concept | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Libraries | Define where your media lives on disk |
| Indexers | Provide sources to search for content |
| Downloaders | Fetch files from indexer results |
| Name Templates | Control how imported files are named and organized |
| Policy Engine | Automatically decides which downloader, library, and template to use |
Defaults and Policies
You don't need to configure policies to get started. If you set up a default downloader, library, and name template, Arrflix will use those for every download.
Policies are for when you want more control. For example, routing 4K content to a separate library, or using a different downloader for certain indexers.