Configure SABnzbd or NZBGet for Sonarr and Radarr

Set categories, paths, unpacking, and Sonarr or Radarr download-client entries without mixing TV and movie jobs.

Sonarr and Radarr should send jobs to a download client with separate categories, then import the completed files into their own libraries. Category names must match, and the download client and the importing app must both see the completed-download path.

Choose either SABnzbd or NZBGet below. You do not need both.

Use separate categories

Use one category for Sonarr and another for Radarr. The names are your choice, but they must match exactly in the download client and in Sonarr or Radarr. This guide uses tv and movies.

Separate categories keep each app from claiming the other’s queue items and let you assign different completed folders without sending completed files directly into the final library.

SABnzbd settings

  1. In the SABnzbd web UI, open Config -> Folders.
  2. Set a Temporary Download Folder for active jobs and a Completed Download Folder for finished jobs. Leave enough free space for a complete job plus repair work.
  3. Open Config -> Categories and add tv and movies.
  4. Give each category a relative folder, such as tv and movies. SABnzbd places those folders under the completed-download folder.
  5. Leave sorting and custom scripts off unless your setup specifically needs them. Sonarr and Radarr already own importing and renaming.
  6. Save each category row. SABnzbd gives every row its own save button.

Leave SABnzbd’s par2 repair and unpacking on (Config -> Switches) so Sonarr and Radarr see the finished files, not an archive or an incomplete job.

NZBGet settings

  1. In the NZBGet web UI, open Settings -> PATHS.
  2. Set InterDir for active and post-processing work and DestDir for completed jobs.
  3. Open Settings -> CATEGORIES and add tv and movies.
  4. Set each category’s DestDir if you want separate completed subfolders. Keep those locations visible to Sonarr or Radarr under the paths they use.
  5. Confirm unpacking is enabled under Settings -> UNPACK.
  6. Select Save all changes and reload NZBGet when prompted.

Add the client to Sonarr

  1. In the Sonarr web UI, open Settings -> Download Clients and select the add button.
  2. Choose SABnzbd or NZBGet.
  3. Enter the host, port, and credentials that Sonarr can use to reach the client.
  4. Set Category to tv.
  5. Select Test, then save.

Add the client to Radarr

Repeat the same setup in Radarr, but set Category to movies. Test the Radarr entry on its own. A passing Sonarr test does not prove Radarr has the same network or path access.

Make container paths agree

Sonarr and Radarr import from the path reported by the download client. If separate containers mount the same host folder at different internal paths, add a Remote Path Mapping in the relevant Sonarr or Radarr app. Map the download client’s reported path to the local path that app can read.

A simpler container layout mounts the shared download folder at the same internal path in all three containers. Do not point a category at the final TV or movie library; let Sonarr and Radarr import and rename into those libraries.

Verify the setup in Kochab

  1. Add the chosen client to Kochab: Connect SABnzbd or Connect NZBGet.
  2. Open Services and select the client.
  3. Confirm the read-only Categories section includes tv and movies.
  4. Open This SABnzbd queue or This NZBGet queue after a test grab and confirm the job carries the expected category.
  5. Use Downloads -> History to check whether the job completed or failed.

Kochab can pause or resume the client, set its speed, inspect its queue and history, and show categories. Folder, category, unpacking, and script settings remain in the client’s web UI.

Common failures

  • Category does not exist: create the category in SABnzbd or NZBGet, save it, then test the Sonarr or Radarr download-client entry again.
  • The job finishes but never imports: compare the completed path reported by the client with the path visible inside Sonarr or Radarr. Fix the mount or Remote Path Mapping.
  • TV jobs appear under Radarr or movie jobs under Sonarr: confirm that Sonarr uses tv and Radarr uses movies, with exactly the same spelling in the download client.
  • Imports fail on permissions: make the completed folder readable and writable by the user or group running Sonarr and Radarr. Avoid opening the folder to every user as a first fix.

Official docs