qBittorrent

Manage your download client through conversation -- speed limits, download paths, torrent monitoring, and preference tuning.

qBittorrent is the default download client in Talome's media pipeline. It handles the actual file transfers that Sonarr and Radarr initiate. Talome's integration gives the AI 6 tools to monitor active torrents, adjust speed limits, change download paths, and configure preferences -- all without opening the qBittorrent web UI.

In the media stack, qBittorrent sits between the arr apps and your media server. Sonarr and Radarr tell qBittorrent what to download, qBittorrent handles the transfer, and once complete, the arr apps import the files into your organized library. The AI understands this chain and can diagnose issues at any point.

Setup

1. Install qBittorrent

You: Install qBittorrent

The AI installs qBittorrent from the app store. It maps the downloads directory to your media path if known. qBittorrent's web UI runs on port 8080 by default.

2. Configure settings

Settings keys:

Key	Example	Description
`qbittorrent_url`	`http://localhost:8080`	qBittorrent web UI URL
`qbittorrent_username`	`admin`	Web UI username
`qbittorrent_password`	`adminadmin`	Web UI password

qBittorrent's default credentials are admin/adminadmin. The wire_apps tool detects qBittorrent and saves the URL and default credentials to settings. You should change the default password after installation.

3. Verify the connection

You: Is qBittorrent running?

AI: [qbt_get_version]
    qBittorrent is running.
    Version: qBittorrent v4.6.4
    libtorrent version: 2.0.10

    Web UI accessible at http://localhost:8080

Auto-Configuration

When wire_apps runs and detects qBittorrent:

Identifies the qBittorrent container by image name and port
Saves the URL and default credentials to Talome settings
Adds qBittorrent as a download client in Sonarr (via arr_add_download_client)
Adds qBittorrent as a download client in Radarr (via arr_add_download_client)
Tests the download client connection from both arr apps (via arr_test_download_client)
Sets the download path to match the shared media volume if applicable

This means after a single wire_apps call, Sonarr and Radarr can immediately send downloads to qBittorrent with no manual configuration.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
`qbt_get_version`	Returns the qBittorrent version, libtorrent version, and confirms the web API is reachable. Quick health check.
`qbt_get_preferences`	Returns the full preferences object: download paths, connection limits, speed limits, scheduling, proxy settings, and more.
`qbt_set_preferences`	Update one or more preferences. Accepts a partial preferences object -- only the specified keys are changed, others remain untouched.
`qbt_set_download_path`	Change the default download directory. Also supports setting separate paths for incomplete and completed downloads.
`qbt_set_speed_limits`	Set upload and download speed limits in bytes per second. Pass 0 for unlimited. Can set global limits or alternative-speed limits.
`qbt_list_torrents`	List all torrents with their name, status (downloading, seeding, paused, stalled), progress percentage, download/upload speed, size, and ETA. Supports filtering by status.

Conversation Examples

Monitoring active downloads

You: Show me what's downloading

AI: [qbt_list_torrents: filter: "downloading"]
    Active downloads:

    1. The.Bear.S03E07.1080p.WEB-DL — 1.8 GB
       Progress: 67% | Speed: 42.3 MB/s | ETA: 14s
       Status: Downloading

    2. Dune.Part.Two.2024.2160p.UHD.BluRay — 76.2 GB
       Progress: 12% | Speed: 28.1 MB/s | ETA: 32m
       Status: Downloading

    3. Oppenheimer.2023.1080p.BluRay — 14.3 GB
       Progress: 0% | Speed: 0 B/s | ETA: unknown
       Status: Stalled (checking metadata)

    2 active downloads, 1 stalled.

Setting speed limits

You: Limit download speed to 50 MB/s, I'm about to start a video call

AI: [qbt_set_speed_limits: download: 52428800, upload: 10485760]
    Speed limits set:
    Download: 50 MB/s (was unlimited)
    Upload: 10 MB/s (was unlimited)

    These limits will stay until you remove them. Want me to set
    a reminder to remove the limits after your call?

You: Remove the speed limits

AI: [qbt_set_speed_limits: download: 0, upload: 0]
    Speed limits removed. Downloads are now running at full speed.

Changing download paths

You: Move the download directory to /mnt/nas/Downloads

AI: [qbt_set_download_path: "/mnt/nas/Downloads"]
    Default download path changed to /mnt/nas/Downloads.

    Note: Existing torrents will continue downloading to their original
    path. Only new downloads will use the new directory. Make sure
    Sonarr and Radarr can also access /mnt/nas/Downloads for imports.

Checking and updating preferences

You: What are my current qBittorrent settings?

AI: [qbt_get_preferences]
    Key settings:

    Download path: /downloads
    Max active downloads: 5
    Max active uploads: 5
    Max connections: 500
    Max connections per torrent: 100
    Download speed limit: Unlimited
    Upload speed limit: Unlimited
    DHT: Enabled
    PeX: Enabled
    Encryption: Prefer encryption
    Listening port: 6881
    UPnP: Enabled

    Want me to change any of these?

You: Set max active downloads to 3 and enable alternative speed limits
     for weekdays 9am-5pm at 10 MB/s

AI: [qbt_set_preferences: {
      max_active_downloads: 3,
      scheduler_enabled: true,
      schedule_from_hour: 9,
      schedule_to_hour: 17,
      schedule_days: "weekdays",
      alt_dl_limit: 10485760
    }]
    Updated preferences:
    - Max active downloads: 3
    - Scheduling enabled: weekdays 9:00-17:00
    - Alternative speed during schedule: 10 MB/s download

    During work hours, downloads will be limited to 10 MB/s.
    Outside that window, they run at full speed.

Diagnosing stalled torrents

You: Why is my Oppenheimer download stuck at 0%?

AI: [qbt_list_torrents: filter: "stalled"]
    Oppenheimer.2023.1080p.BluRay — 14.3 GB
    Status: Stalled
    Seeds: 0 | Peers: 0
    Added: 2 hours ago
    Tracker: Error — "tracker is down"

    The torrent has no available seeds and the tracker is unreachable.
    This release may have been removed or the tracker is temporarily down.

    Options:
    1. Wait for the tracker to come back
    2. Mark this as failed in Radarr so it searches for an alternative release
    3. Search manually through Prowlarr for a different release

    Want me to mark it as failed and search for alternatives?

Viewing all torrents by status

You: Show me everything in qBittorrent, grouped by status

AI: [qbt_list_torrents]
    Downloading (2):
    - The.Bear.S03E07 — 67%, 42 MB/s
    - Dune.Part.Two — 12%, 28 MB/s

    Seeding (5):
    - Shogun.S01E06 — Ratio: 2.1, uploaded 4.8 GB
    - The.Last.of.Us.S02E01 — Ratio: 1.4, uploaded 2.1 GB
    ... and 3 more

    Paused (1):
    - Linux.ISO.Collection — Paused by user

    Total: 8 torrents, 2 downloading, 5 seeding, 1 paused

Advanced Usage

Bandwidth scheduling for households

If you have multiple people using the network, set up automatic speed scheduling:

You: Set up a schedule: full speed at night, limited during the day

AI: [qbt_set_preferences: {
      scheduler_enabled: true,
      schedule_from_hour: 8,
      schedule_to_hour: 23,
      schedule_days: "all",
      alt_dl_limit: 20971520,
      alt_up_limit: 5242880
    }]
    Schedule configured:
    - 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM: 20 MB/s download, 5 MB/s upload
    - 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM: Unlimited

    This keeps your daytime internet usable while maximizing
    overnight download speeds.

Connection tuning

For users with specific ISP configurations or VPN setups:

You: I'm using a VPN. Optimize qBittorrent for it.

AI: [qbt_set_preferences: {
      encryption: 2,
      dht: false,
      pex: false,
      lsd: false,
      anonymous_mode: true,
      max_connec: 200,
      max_connec_per_torrent: 50
    }]
    VPN-optimized settings applied:
    - Forced encryption (no unencrypted connections)
    - DHT, PeX, and LSD disabled (prevents IP leaks)
    - Anonymous mode enabled
    - Connection limits reduced (prevents VPN overload)

Coordinating with arr apps

The AI can diagnose download-to-import pipeline issues:

You: Sonarr says downloads are completing but not being imported

AI: [qbt_get_preferences]
    Download path: /downloads/complete

    [arr_list_download_clients: sonarr]
    qBittorrent configured with path: /downloads

    The paths don't match. Sonarr expects completed downloads in
    /downloads but qBittorrent is putting them in /downloads/complete.

    [qbt_set_preferences: { temp_path_enabled: false }]
    Disabled the separate completed path. Downloads now go directly
    to /downloads, which matches Sonarr's expectation.

Troubleshooting

Authentication fails

Cause: The default password was changed in qBittorrent's web UI but not updated in Talome settings.

Fix: Update the password in Settings > Integrations, or ask: "Update my qBittorrent password to newpassword123". Recent versions of qBittorrent generate a random password on first launch -- check the container logs for the initial password.

"Connection refused" errors

Cause: qBittorrent isn't running, or the URL/port is wrong.

Fix: Check if the container is running: "Is qBittorrent running?". If it is running, verify the port mapping: "What port is qBittorrent on?". The web UI defaults to 8080 but can be changed.

Downloads are extremely slow

Cause: Speed limits are set, too few connections allowed, or the listening port isn't forwarded.

Fix: Ask the AI to check: "Why are my downloads slow?". It will inspect speed limits, connection counts, and port settings. If behind a VPN, port forwarding may not be available.

Sonarr/Radarr can't connect to qBittorrent

Cause: The containers aren't on the same Docker network, or the hostname is wrong.

Fix: The arr apps need to reach qBittorrent by its Docker hostname (usually qbittorrent or the container name). Ask: "Test the download client connection in Sonarr" to diagnose. If they're on different networks, the AI can connect them: "Put Sonarr and qBittorrent on the same Docker network".