MCP Server

MCP server for *arr media suite - Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Readarr, Prowlarr

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What is the MCP MCP server?

MCP MCP server is a hosted integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. MCP server for *arr media suite - Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Readarr, Prowlarr.

What you get

  • Unified media management — - Control all your *arr applications from one interface
  • Natural language queries — - Ask about your library in plain English
  • Cross-service search — - Find content across TV, movies, and music simultaneously
  • Download monitoring — - Check queue status and progress across all services
  • Calendar integration — - See upcoming releases for all media types
  • Configuration review — - Get AI-powered suggestions for optimizing your setup

What the assistant can call

Once MCP is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • arr_status — Get connection status for all configured *arr services
  • arr_search_all — Search across all configured services simultaneously
  • search — Generic discovery tool for remote MCP clients such as ChatGPT
  • fetch — Generic detail-fetch tool for items returned by search
  • sonarr_get_series — List all TV series in your library
  • sonarr_search — Search for TV series by name (returns tvdbId for adding)
  • sonarr_add_series — Add a TV series to Sonarr (supports tags)
  • sonarr_get_root_folders — Get available root folders for adding series
  • sonarr_get_quality_profiles — Get available quality profiles for adding series
  • sonarr_get_queue — View current download queue with limit and offset pagination
  • sonarr_get_calendar — See upcoming episodes
  • sonarr_get_episodes — List episodes for a series (shows missing vs available)

Configuration and credentials

You will need 8 environment variables: SONARR_URL, SONARR_API_KEY, RADARR_URL, RADARR_API_KEY, LIDARR_URL, LIDARR_API_KEY, PROWLARR_URL, PROWLARR_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Node.js 18+ - At least one *arr application running with API access: - Sonarr for TV series - Radarr for movies - Lidarr for music - Prowlarr for indexer management

Setting it up

Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.

Choosing this one

Among the monitoring and observability options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. MCP's toolset — arr_status, arr_search_all, search and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by aplaceforallmystuff; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Before you rely on it

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch MCP.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the mcp mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
arr_statusGet connection status for all configured *arr services
arr_search_allSearch across all configured services simultaneously
searchGeneric discovery tool for remote MCP clients such as ChatGPT
fetchGeneric detail-fetch tool for items returned by search
sonarr_get_seriesList all TV series in your library
sonarr_searchSearch for TV series by name (returns tvdbId for adding)
sonarr_add_seriesAdd a TV series to Sonarr (supports tags)
sonarr_get_root_foldersGet available root folders for adding series
sonarr_get_quality_profilesGet available quality profiles for adding series
sonarr_get_queueView current download queue with limit and offset pagination
sonarr_get_calendarSee upcoming episodes
sonarr_get_episodesList episodes for a series (shows missing vs available)
sonarr_search_missingTrigger search for all missing episodes in a series
sonarr_search_episodeTrigger search for specific episode(s)

How to install the MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-arr-server"],
      "env": {
        "SONARR_URL": "http://localhost:8989",
        "SONARR_API_KEY": "your-sonarr-api-key",
        "RADARR_URL": "http://localhost:7878",
        "RADARR_API_KEY": "your-radarr-api-key",
        "LIDARR_URL": "http://localhost:8686",
        "LIDARR_API_KEY": "your-lidarr-api-key",
        "PROWLARR_URL": "http://localhost:9696",
        "PROWLARR_API_KEY": "your-prowlarr-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js 18+ - At least one *arr application running with API access: - Sonarr for TV series - Radarr for movies - Lidarr for music - Prowlarr for indexer management
VariableDescriptionRequired
SONARR_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
SONARR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
RADARR_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
RADARR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
LIDARR_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
LIDARR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
PROWLARR_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
PROWLARR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use MCP to arr status.
  • Use MCP to arr search all.
  • Use MCP to search.

Frequently asked questions

It connects MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (arr_status, arr_search_all, search, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with MCP directly.