Oraclarr
Ask your media stack what's going on, in plain language.
A locally-run, read-only MCP server that lets an LLM client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop) diagnose a self-hosted *arr media stack.
What it does
Oraclarr gives a language model one place to answer the operational "why" questions that normally mean tabbing through six web UIs. It aggregates across your services and returns a single, structured answer without changing anything (it is strictly read-only in this phase).
Covered now: Sonarr, Radarr, Sportarr, Prowlarr, qBittorrent, Tdarr, Profilarr, Jellyfin, and Cleanuparr — including multiple instances of the same type (e.g. a separate anime or 4K Sonarr/Radarr). Every tool fans out across all the instances you define and reports each one separately.
In practice
Once registered, you just ask your MCP client. Oraclarr picks the right tool and answers:
| You ask… | Oraclarr runs | …and tells you |
|---|---|---|
| "Is anything in my stack down?" | stack_health |
which services are unreachable, unhealthy, or low on disk |
| "Why hasn't the new episode of X downloaded yet?" | diagnose |
whether X is in your library, sitting in the download queue, or still on the wanted list |
| "Why did a sub-only release get grabbed when I only allow English dubs?" | explain_decision |
the release that was grabbed, its custom-format score, and the language formats that matched |
| "Why does Profilarr keep upgrading stuff that already looks fine?" | explain_decision + get_quality_config |
the profile's cutoff and upgrade thresholds next to the scores of recent grabs |
| "What's stuck downloading right now?" | get_queues |
a unified queue with progress and stall flags |
| "Is the Jellyfin library scan finished, and is anyone transcoding?" | get_library |
scan state and progress per library, failed tasks, and who is playing what (with transcode reasons) |
| "Why is Cleanuparr about to remove this download?" | get_queues + get_cleanup |
the strikes against it and their type, whether it's marked for removal, and the rules that apply |
Tools
All read-only and outcome-oriented (not one-per-endpoint, which keeps the model accurate):
| Tool | Answers |
|---|---|
stack_health |
Is anything down / unhealthy / low on disk? |
get_queues |
Unified active downloads (arr queue ↔ qBittorrent), stalls |
diagnose |
Where is X in the pipeline / why isn't it here yet? |
explain_decision |
Why was X grabbed or being upgraded? (profile, custom formats, grab history) |
get_quality_config |
Quality profiles, custom formats, release profiles, Profilarr sync state |
get_history |
Recent grabs / imports / failures |
get_wanted |
What's missing / cutoff-unmet? |
search_media |
Do I have X, what's its status? |
get_indexers |
Which indexers are failing? |
get_transcodes |
What's transcoding / stuck? |
get_upcoming |
What's airing or releasing soon, and will it land? (up to 90 days) |
get_library |
Jellyfin libraries, scan progress, tasks, playback and transcodes, recent additions, name search |
get_cleanup |
Cleanuparr dry-run state, cleaner schedules, seeding and stall rules, strikes |
Install
There are two ways to run Oraclarr. Pick one:
- 🐳 Docker (recommended). A small always-on container next to your arr stack. Works with Dockge, Portainer, Unraid and plain
docker compose. - 🐍 Python (uv). Runs directly on your machine with no container. Handy for local development, or if you don't use Docker.
Either way, every setting is an environment variable that starts with ORACLARR_. With Docker that means one .env file next to the compose file, and Dockge and Portainer show both in their editors. Start from .env.example. Configuration lists every variable. Your .env is never committed.
Option A — Docker (recommended)
Oraclarr runs as a long-running container that serves MCP over HTTP at http://<host>:7979/mcp. You need two files in one folder: docker-compose.yml and .env.
Using a stack manager (Dockge, Portainer, etc.): create a new stack, paste the compose below into the editor, and paste your settings into the stack's .env. Hit deploy. Portainer saves the variables from its web editor as stack.env, so in Portainer change the compose line to env_file: stack.env.
Using the command line:
cp docker-compose.example.yml docker-compose.yml
cp .env.example .env # then fill in your URLs and keys
docker compose up -d
This is the compose file. You don't edit it when you add or remove a service:
services:
oraclarr:
image: ghcr.io/bdog720/oraclarr-mcp:latest
container_name: oraclarr
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "7979:7979" # left side is the host port; change it if 7979 is taken
env_file: .env
Then connect Claude Desktop.
Option B — Python (uv)
Run Oraclarr directly, no Docker. Requires Python 3.12+ and uv.
The package is on PyPI as oraclarr-mcp. It speaks MCP over stdio, so your client starts the process and passes the settings in its env block:
"oraclarr": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["oraclarr-mcp"],
"env": {
"ORACLARR_SONARR_URL": "http://192.168.1.10:8989",
"ORACLARR_SONARR_API_KEY": "your-key",
"ORACLARR_RADARR_URL": "http://192.168.1.10:7878",
"ORACLARR_RADARR_API_KEY": "your-key"
}
}
From a clone (for development): put the same ORACLARR_* lines in a .env in the repo folder (it's read at startup), then:
uv sync
uv run python -m oraclarr_mcp
In a client config, use "command": "uv", "args": ["run", "python", "-m", "oraclarr_mcp"] and a "cwd" pointing at the repo.
Connect Claude Desktop
(For Option A / Docker. Option B registers itself with the JSON snippet above.)
Use the mcp-remote bridge in claude_desktop_config.json. It runs locally as
a Claude Desktop "local MCP server", so it can reach the container on your LAN
(requires Node.js / npx):
{
"mcpServers": {
"oraclarr": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://<host>:7979/mcp", "--allow-http"]
}
}
}
Replace <host> with the IP or hostname of the machine running the container.
Why
--allow-http? Recent versions ofmcp-remotereject plainhttp://URLs unless the host islocalhost. Without this flag the bridge exits immediately and Claude Desktop shows the server as "disconnected" — even though the server itself is reachable. The flag is safe here: the traffic stays on your trusted LAN.
Why not the native "Add custom connector"? Custom connectors connect to your server from Anthropic's cloud, not from your machine — so the URL must be a publicly reachable HTTPS endpoint (a
http://LAN/localhost URL is rejected). Pointing it at a homelab box means exposing this unauthenticated read-only service to the internet, which we don't recommend until authentication lands (a later phase). If you want it anyway, put a reverse proxy (Caddy/nginx) or tunnel (Cloudflare Tunnel, Tailscale Funnel) with TLS in front and add your own auth.
Security: the service is unauthenticated read-only MCP. Deploy on a trusted LAN only and do not expose port 7979 to the internet. Authentication is a later phase.
Transport settings (Docker only)
These apply to the Docker container only. The image already sets sensible defaults, so you normally don't touch them — the table is here for reference. The Python path (Option B) always uses stdio and ignores these entirely.
| Variable | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
ORACLARR_TRANSPORT |
http |
How clients reach the server. http = long-running service (Docker). stdio = the client launches the process (the Python path). You don't normally set this by hand — your install method picks it. |
ORACLARR_HTTP_HOST |
0.0.0.0 |
Which network interface to listen on. 0.0.0.0 means "reachable on your LAN" — leave as-is for Docker. |
ORACLARR_HTTP_PORT |
7979 |
Port inside the container. To change the port you reach it on, edit the ports: line in the compose instead. |
ORACLARR_CONFIG |
/config/config.yaml |
Where the container looks for an optional config.yaml. Leave as-is. |
Configuration
Each service is an instance with a name you choose. Its settings are variables named ORACLARR_<NAME>_<FIELD>, and an instance exists as soon as its _URL is set:
ORACLARR_SONARR_URL=http://192.168.1.10:8989
ORACLARR_SONARR_API_KEY=your-key
ORACLARR_SONARR_ANIME_TYPE=sonarr # a second Sonarr, named sonarr-anime
ORACLARR_SONARR_ANIME_URL=http://192.168.1.10:8990
ORACLARR_SONARR_ANIME_API_KEY=your-key
ORACLARR_QBITTORRENT_URL=http://192.168.1.10:8080
ORACLARR_QBITTORRENT_USERNAME=admin
ORACLARR_QBITTORRENT_PASSWORD=your-password
| Field | Needed for |
|---|---|
_URL |
every instance |
_TYPE |
only when the name isn't a service type. Types: sonarr, radarr, sportarr, prowlarr, qbittorrent, tdarr, profilarr, jellyfin, cleanuparr |
_API_KEY |
Sonarr, Radarr, Sportarr, Prowlarr, Profilarr, Jellyfin, Cleanuparr |
_USERNAME, _PASSWORD |
qBittorrent |
_ENABLED |
optional; false switches an instance off without deleting its lines |
Underscores in the name become dashes in the instance name, so SONARR_ANIME shows up as sonarr-anime. Blank values count as unset, so you can keep lines for services you don't run. A misspelled ORACLARR_ variable stops the container with a message that names it, instead of failing quietly later.
Server settings are optional:
| Variable | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
ORACLARR_TOOLSETS |
media,downloads,transcode,library |
Which groups of tools are offered |
ORACLARR_TOOL_BUDGET_SECONDS |
30 |
Time limit per tool call; slow instances report status: "timeout" |
ORACLARR_MAX_OUTPUT_BYTES |
200000 |
Safety net for oversized responses |
ORACLARR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS |
10 |
Timeout for each request to a service |
ORACLARR_ALLOW_WRITES |
false |
Read-only for now; writes are a future phase |
Jellyfin needs an API key (Dashboard → API Keys). get_library only registers when library is in the toolsets. Cleanuparr needs its account API key (Settings → Account → API Key).
Every tool call has a time budget, set by ORACLARR_TOOL_BUDGET_SECONDS. If an instance doesn't answer in time, it comes back as status: "timeout" and the other instances still return their data. List results carry only the useful fields and stop at each tool's limit. When there is more, truncated and total say so. API keys and passwords show up as *** in responses and log lines (values shorter than four characters are left alone).
Alternative: a config file
Oraclarr still reads a config.yaml if one exists at ORACLARR_CONFIG (/config/config.yaml in the container); config.example.yaml shows the format. If you use both, instances from both are loaded, and an ORACLARR_ variable wins over the same setting in the file. With Docker, mount the file with - ./config.yaml:/config/config.yaml:ro.
Migrating from config.yaml
Up to 1.2.0 the setup used config.yaml plus an environment: block in the compose file. That setup still works on 1.3.0 without changes. To move to .env only:
-
Add a block per instance to
.env:config.yaml.envsonarr: { type: sonarr, url: …, api_key: … }ORACLARR_SONARR_URL=…andORACLARR_SONARR_API_KEY=…sonarr-anime: { type: sonarr, … }ORACLARR_SONARR_ANIME_TYPE=sonarr, plus_URLand_API_KEYqbit: { type: qbittorrent, username: …, password: … }ORACLARR_QBIT_TYPE=qbittorrent, plus_URL,_USERNAMEand_PASSWORDserver: { toolsets: [a, b] }ORACLARR_TOOLSETS=a,b -
In the compose file, replace the
environment:block and theconfig.yamlvolume line withenv_file: .env. -
Redeploy (in Dockge: Update).
-
Once everything answers, delete
config.yaml. Keeping it does no harm, because.envwins.
Roadmap
Oraclarr is built in phases. v1 is deliberately read-only; write capability arrives behind explicit safety gates. The architecture (typed clients + outcome tools + config-selectable toolsets) is designed to extend to other self-hosted suites beyond *arr, too.
- ✅ Phase 1: read-only diagnostics. Sonarr, Radarr, Sportarr, Prowlarr, qBittorrent, Tdarr, Profilarr, Jellyfin, Cleanuparr.
- 🔜 Phase 2: more services, still read-only. Seerr, Gluetun, TrueNAS, Unpackerr, ntfy. The architecture also opens up to non-*arr stacks.
- 🔭 Phase 3: safe write actions. Trigger search, retry, refresh/rescan, approve requests, gated behind
allow_writeswith dry-run previews and an audit log. - 🔭 Phase 4: destructive actions. Delete media, blocklist, stack control, behind an explicit confirmation and allowlist.
Have a service you'd like covered? Open an issue.
💬 Feedback & Issues
Found a bug or have a feature request? We'd love to hear about it. Please open an issue here on GitHub.
🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Issues and PRs welcome — the codebase is TDD throughout:
uv run pytest # tests (respx-mocked, no live services needed)
uv run ruff check . # lint
Adding a service follows a small recipe (new client → register by type → extend a tool → write the test). See the project layout under src/oraclarr_mcp/.
📄 License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.
💖 Support the Project
If you find Oraclarr useful and it saves you from tabbing through six web UIs to work out why something didn't download, consider buying me a coffee to support future development!
Metadata
Release files for oraclarr-mcp 1.4.0
For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.
Source distribution (sdist)
| File | Size | Uploaded | Provenance | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0.tar.gz | 122.3 kB | With provenance | Details for oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0.tar.gz |
Built distribution (wheel)
| File | Interpreter | ABI | Platform | Actions Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details for oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl |
Total release size: 168.7 kB
Release files / oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0.tar.gz
| Download URL | oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0.tar.gz |
|---|---|
| Size | 122.3 kB |
| Tags | Source |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
bf9b494791f88d636ab1a8e3f612d9468b291bf7924992272faef6e7a0ee4137
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
90b322596cbbabcd56d56ab7c6c85cb05a71ce749b279aed24abb37e7880e811
|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 12, 2026.
Transparency logRelease files / oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl
| Download URL | oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl |
|---|---|
| Size | 46.5 kB |
| Tags | Python 3 |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
38e763ae1f0eacff73901550e7741b6e61b071443a8c2867050955afd3ae90c4
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
fbf1ac0ca5b4949bd1c12dacb5f67f6984a935ebac232c642e1056f14d785d05
|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 12, 2026.
Transparency logSecurity for oraclarr-mcp 1.4.0
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
Full provenance
All 2 files in this release have been uploaded with provenance metadata.
Attestation for oraclarr_mcp-1.4.0.tar.gz
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 12, 2026.
Transparency logA note on package security
PyPI is a repository for distributing packages, not a service for auditing them. While third-party security researchers and our staff do their best to detect and remove malicious packages, PyPI cannot guarantee the quality, security or suitability of any given package.
To learn more about protecting yourself from malicious actors, visit our package security documentation.