Lidarr-extended is a specialized, automated music management solution that builds upon the standard Lidarr application. It is primarily known as a Docker container project maintained by RandomNinjaAtk
, designed to automate the downloading and tagging of high-quality music from online streaming sources like Deezer and Tidal. Core Purpose and Features While the standard
focuses on monitoring RSS feeds for Usenet and BitTorrent releases, Lidarr-extended acts as a supplemental "companion" that fills gaps by sourcing files directly from streaming platforms. Automated Sourcing
: It automatically searches for albums on Lidarr’s "Wanted" list and downloads them using third-party scripts. High Fidelity Support : Users can specify download qualities, including MP3 (320kbps) Integrated Metadata : It utilizes
for advanced tagging and ensures music is properly organized with cover art before Lidarr even "sees" the files for import. Streamlined Import
: Once the download and tagging are complete, the script notifies Lidarr to import the files into the main library. How It Works lidarr-extended
Lidarr-extended is typically deployed as a Docker container, often based on the LinuxServer.io Lidarr image. Configuration : Users must provide credentials, such as a Deezer Token or Tidal account details, within a configuration file ( extended.conf : It relies heavily on MusicBrainz
for metadata, which is often hard-coded into the extended scripts to ensure accuracy. The "Magic" Script : A background script (often
) runs periodically, checking for missing albums, fetching them from the streaming provider, and performing post-processing. Key Considerations for Users
Once upon a time in the quiet, glowing corner of a home server rack, there lived a software manager named Lidarr. Lidarr was diligent, spending its days organizing vast libraries of music and scouting the digital horizon for new tracks from MusicBrainz. But Lidarr was also a dreamer; it wanted to do more than just search—it wanted to discover. The Transformation
One day, Lidarr met a powerful collection of scripts known as Lidarr-extended. This wasn't just a minor update; it was like Lidarr had found a magical map. By integrating with high-quality streaming sources like Tidal and Deezer, Lidarr-extended gained the ability to see beyond the user’s current library. Completeness: Users with large
It began to act like an expert digital curator. If the user liked a specific rock band, Lidarr-extended would whisper to the server, "If they like them, they’ll love these five related artists," and automatically add them to the "monitored" list. It even had a clever rule to prevent "endless loops," ensuring the library didn't grow into an uncontrollable digital jungle. The Quest for Quality
But the story didn't end with discovery. Lidarr-extended was a bit of a perfectionist. While standard Lidarr was content with what it could find on trackers, the "extended" version reached out to Tidarr and other specialized tools to pull down Master-quality FLAC files. It worked tirelessly to:
Auto-Add Artists: Scouring Tidal for related musicians based on the user's existing taste.
Manage High-Fidelity Streams: Triggering downloads of lossless audio that would make any audiophile weep with joy.
Sync with Ease: Using shared volumes in Docker containers to ensure the music moved seamlessly from the cloud to the hard drive. The Modern Legend Lidarr-extended is a specialized
Today, users often call it "Lidarr on Steroids". It sits as a crown jewel in many self-hosted setups, tucked away in dashboards alongside other "arr" legends like Sonarr and Radarr. While it occasionally runs into a "connection refused" gremlin or a "wget" hiccup, its community of tech-wizards on GitHub always manages to find the fix.
And so, the music never stops. Thanks to Lidarr-extended, the server isn't just a storage box anymore—it's a living, breathing concert hall that knows what you want to hear before you even do. arr-scripts/lidarr/extended.conf at main - GitHub
Since "Lidarr Extended" is not an official product from the Lidarr team, here is the most likely content you are referring to, based on existing GitHub projects and community scripts:
Compilations are the bane of Lidarr's existence. Standard Lidarr struggles to attribute tracks on a DJ mix or a movie soundtrack to the correct artist folder. Lidarr-Extended has a "Smart V.A. Linking" feature that creates symbolic links (symlinks). The file physically lives in the "Soundtracks" folder but appears in both the soundtrack folder and the individual artist's folder.
If you use public trackers (like The Pirate Bay or 1337x), standard Lidarr often returns "No results found" for singles. Lidarr-Extended has a "Loose Matching" toggle per indexer. Enable it. This tells the indexer to search for "Song Title" without requiring "Artist - Album - Track#."