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Multi-Instance Support

Pulsarr provides comprehensive multi-instance support, allowing you to distribute and synchronize content across multiple Sonarr and Radarr instances with intelligent routing and automated synchronization.

Quick Setup​

  1. Navigate to Sonarr or Radarr in the settings
  2. Configure your primary instance and toggle Default Instance to ON
  3. Add secondary instances (the ones you want to sync to)
  4. Edit your default instance and select target instances from the Synced Instances dropdown
  5. Content added to the default instance will automatically sync to selected instances

Core Features​

Instance Synchronization: Automatically sync content between instances using configurable sync relationships and default instance behavior.

Content Distribution: Send the same content to multiple instances simultaneously with different configurations (quality profiles, root folders, etc.).

Sync Operations: Manual and automated synchronization that respects content router rules and suppresses duplicate notifications.

Instance Configuration​

Default Instance Behavior​

Each instance type (Sonarr/Radarr) can have one designated default instance:

  • Routing Target: Content can route to the default instance through routing rules or as a fallback
  • Automatic Sync: When content hits the default instance, it automatically syncs to all configured secondary instances
  • Sync Authority: Only the default instance can sync content to other instances

Synced Instances Configuration​

Only the default instance has a Synced Instances dropdown where you select which instances should receive synced content.

When you select instances in this dropdown, content added to the default instance will automatically sync to those selected instances using their respective configurations (quality profiles, root folders, etc.).

Instance Sync Architecture​

Default Instance → Syncs to: [Instance 2, Instance 3, Instance 5]
Instance 2 → Cannot sync (not default)
Instance 3 → Cannot sync (not default) 
Instance 5 → Cannot sync (not default)

Non-default instances cannot sync content to other instances - they can only receive synced content from the default instance.

Content Distribution Scenarios​

Quality Tier Distribution​

Use Case: Maintain the same content across different quality tiers.

Setup:

  • Default Instance: Standard quality profiles
  • Sync Target 1: High-quality 4K profiles
  • Sync Target 2: Archive/lower quality profiles

Result: All content appears in three instances with appropriate quality settings for each tier.

Geographic Distribution​

Use Case: Distribute content across different servers or locations.

Setup:

  • Default Instance: Primary server
  • Sync Target 1: Backup server
  • Sync Target 2: Remote location server

Result: Content redundancy across multiple locations with automatic synchronization.

User-Specific Libraries​

Use Case: Maintain separate libraries for different user groups while sharing popular content.

Setup:

  • Default Instance: General content library
  • Sync Target 1: Kids/family content library
  • Sync Target 2: Adult content library

Result: Popular content appears in all libraries, while specific content routes to appropriate libraries.

Sync Operations​

Automatic Synchronization​

Default Instance Sync: When content is added to the default instance, it automatically syncs to all configured secondary instances using their specific settings.

Router-Aware Sync: Sync operations use the content router to determine appropriate target instances rather than blind copying.

Notification Suppression: Duplicate notifications are automatically suppressed during sync operations to prevent notification spam.

Manual Synchronization​

Manual sync operations are available for:

  • Specific Instance Sync: Sync content from one instance to its configured targets
  • Full Library Sync: Sync all instances to ensure consistency
  • Progress Tracking: Real-time progress monitoring during sync operations

Sync Process Flow​

  1. Source Detection: Identify content in source instance
  2. Router Evaluation: Use content router rules to determine target instances
  3. Target Configuration: Apply target instance's quality profiles, root folders, and tags
  4. Status Tracking: Update sync status to prevent duplicate notifications
  5. Batch Processing: Process multiple items efficiently
  6. Completion Verification: Ensure sync completed successfully

Integration with Content Router​

Multi-instance support works seamlessly with content routing:

Rule-Based Distribution: Content router rules can send content to multiple instances simultaneously based on different criteria.

Priority Handling: When multiple rules target the same instance, the highest priority rule determines the instance configuration (quality profile, root folder, etc.).

Sync Compliance: Manual sync operations respect content router rules instead of performing blind content copying.

Notification Management​

Sync Detection: The system automatically detects when content is being synced between instances.

Notification Suppression: Duplicate notifications are suppressed during sync operations to prevent spam.

Status Tracking: Per-instance status tracking ensures users only receive notifications when content is genuinely available.

Webhook Processing: Intelligent webhook processing distinguishes between new content and synced content.

Best Practices​

Configuration​

  • Designate one instance per type as the default for predictable routing behavior
  • Configure sync relationships based on your content distribution strategy
  • Use different quality profiles and root folders for each target instance

Performance​

  • Monitor sync operations during initial setup to ensure proper performance
  • Consider batch processing for large library synchronizations
  • Use appropriate polling intervals for large instance configurations

Content Management​

  • Leverage content router rules for automated distribution
  • Use sync operations for manual library maintenance
  • Regularly verify sync status across instances

Troubleshooting​

Content not syncing between instances:

  • Verify the default instance has target instances selected in Synced Instances dropdown
  • Check that target instances are online and accessible
  • Review logs for sync operation errors
  • Ensure target instances have valid quality profiles and root folders

Duplicate notifications:

  • Verify notification suppression is enabled for sync operations
  • Check webhook processing status in logs
  • Confirm sync detection is working properly

Sync operations failing:

  • Verify all instances have correct API keys and URLs
  • Check target instance has sufficient storage space
  • Review content router rules for conflicts
  • Ensure network connectivity between instances

Wrong instance receiving content:

  • Review content router rule priorities
  • Verify default instance designation
  • Check synced instances selection in default instance settings
  • Confirm router rules are evaluating correctly

Example Configurations​

Simple Quality Tiers​

Default Sonarr (HD) → Sync to:
├── 4K Sonarr (Ultra HD profiles)
└── Archive Sonarr (Compressed profiles)

Multi-Target Distribution​

Default Sonarr → Syncs to:
├── Family Sonarr
├── Archive Sonarr
├── Kids Sonarr
└── Backup Sonarr

This powerful multi-instance architecture enables sophisticated content distribution strategies while maintaining automated synchronization and intelligent notification handling.

API Reference​

See the Sync API documentation for programmatic instance synchronization and the Sonarr and Radarr APIs for instance management.