Approval and Quota System

Manage user content requests with configurable quotas and administrative approval workflows. Set limits by user, require approval for specific content, and maintain control over library growth.

Quick Setup

1. Navigate to Plex → Users and select a user
2. Click Edit Quotas to configure limits
3. Set quota type (daily, weekly rolling, or monthly) and limits
4. Optionally enable Requires Approval for manual review
5. Configure approval settings in Approvals → Approval Settings (expiration, notifications)
6. Monitor and manage requests in the Approvals section

Key Features

• User Quotas: Set daily, weekly rolling, or monthly limits per user for movies and shows
• Approval Workflows: Require admin approval for quota-exceeded or rule-based content
• Automatic Expiration: Configure requests to auto-expire or auto-approve after set timeframes
• Bulk Operations: Approve, reject, or delete multiple requests simultaneously
• Smart Auto-Approval: Automatically approve requests when content already exists in library
• Real-time Notifications: Discord and Apprise notifications for new approval requests

How It Works

1. User adds content to their Plex watchlist
2. System checks quota status and routing rules
3. Approval created if limits exceeded or rules require it
4. Admin reviews and approves/rejects requests
5. Content routes to Sonarr/Radarr after approval

Quota Types

Type	Description
Daily	Reset at midnight in your timezone
Weekly Rolling	7-day rolling window that shifts each day
Monthly	Calendar month-based with configurable reset day

Watchlist Caps

Watchlist caps limit the total number of items a user can have on their watchlist at any time, independent of periodic quotas. While quotas control how many new requests a user can make per period, caps control the overall size of a user's watchlist.

	Periodic Quota	Watchlist Cap
Controls	New requests per time window	Total items on watchlist
Resets	Daily, weekly, or monthly	Never — based on current count
When exceeded	Creates approval request	Hard blocks routing entirely

How Caps Work

• A cap of 10 means the user can have up to 10 items on their watchlist. The 11th item is blocked.
• Caps count all watchlist items (pending + routed) for that content type.
• When a user hits their cap, new items are silently skipped — no approval request is created.
• Items approved before a cap was enabled still route through normally.
• Users with Bypass Approval enabled are exempt from caps.

Cap Notifications

Configure cap notifications in Approvals → Quota Settings:

Setting	Description
Admin Notifications	Send notifications to admin channels (Discord, Apprise) when a user reaches their cap
Notify User	Also notify the user via their configured channels (Discord DM, Apprise)

Quotas vs Caps

Use quotas to pace how fast users add content. Use caps to set a hard ceiling on total watchlist size. They work together — a user might have a monthly quota of 10 and a cap of 50.

Configuration

New User Defaults

Configure default quota and approval settings for newly discovered Plex users via Utilities > New User Defaults. This eliminates manual setup for each new user and ensures consistent policy enforcement. See the New User Defaults guide for complete details.

Individual User Management

Navigate to Plex → Users to manage individual user quotas:

User Settings

Setting	Description
Quota Type	Daily, Weekly Rolling, or Monthly
Quota Limit	Number of allowed requests per period
Separate Limits	Different quotas for movies vs shows
Bypass Approval	Allow trusted users unlimited requests (also exempts from caps)
Requires Approval	Force all requests from this user to require approval
Watchlist Cap	Maximum total items allowed on the user's watchlist per content type

Approval Settings

Configure approval behavior in Approvals → Approval Settings:

Setting	Description
Expiration Hours	How long before requests auto-expire (default: 72 hours)
Expiration Action	Auto-expire or auto-approve expired requests
Auto-Approve on Quota Reset	Approve pending requests when user's quota resets (disabled by default)
Cleanup Days	How long to keep expired requests in database
Notifications	Configure Discord and Apprise notifications for new requests

Auto-Approve on Quota Reset

When enabled, pending requests triggered by quota limits are automatically re-evaluated during maintenance runs. If the user's quota has reset and they have quota available, requests are auto-approved in FIFO order (oldest first). This eliminates manual approval of quota-exceeded requests after quotas reset.

Approval Management

The approval interface provides:

• Request Table: View all pending, approved, rejected, and expired requests
• Advanced Filtering: Filter by user, status, content type, trigger reason
• Real-time Updates: Live updates as requests are processed
• Bulk Actions: Process multiple requests efficiently

Approval Actions

Individual Actions:

• Approve & Execute: Routes content immediately
• Reject: Denies the request
• Delete: Removes from database

Routing Overrides (web UI only):

• Modify quality profile and root folder
• Adjust search settings, tags, and monitoring options
• Change series type, season monitoring (Sonarr)
• Set minimum availability (Radarr)
• Configure multi-instance syncing for default instances

Bulk Operations:

• Select multiple requests
• Apply action to all selected
• Add notes for record keeping

Content Router Integration

Configure approval requirements in routing rules:

IF season > 3
THEN require approval with reason "Long-running series requires approval"

The router stores complete routing decisions (instance, quality profile, tags) and executes them exactly as planned after approval.

Trigger Points

Trigger	Description
Quota Exceeded	User reaches their daily/weekly/monthly limit
Router Rules	Content matches rules configured for approval
Manual Flags	User account set to require approval for all requests
Watchlist Cap Reached	User's total watchlist items exceed their configured cap (hard block, no approval created)
Content Criteria	Specific attributes trigger approval

Discord Bot Integration

Manage approvals directly from Discord:

• Direct Message Notifications: Primary admin receives DMs with "Review Approvals" button

• Interactive /approvals Command: Browse pending requests with navigation buttons

• Full Management Interface: Approve, reject, view details, or delete requests

• History Browser: Filter and review past approvals by status

• Batch Notifications: Multiple requests grouped to reduce notification spam
• Mobile Friendly: Complete approval workflow from Discord mobile app

Best Practices

• Start with generous quotas and adjust based on usage
• Use router rules for premium or high-cost content
• Configure expiration to auto-handle old requests
• Enable notifications for timely processing
• Review usage statistics monthly

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Quotas not resetting	Check timezone configuration and cleanup settings
Approvals not routing	Verify target instances are still available
Missing notifications	Confirm Discord/Apprise configuration

API Reference

See Approval API and Quota API for programmatic access.