Native installers

Each release includes builds for Linux, Windows and macOS with the runtime included, so there's nothing else to install. Download them from the latest release. After installing, open http://<your-server>:3003, or http://localhost:3003 on the same machine, and continue with Create the admin account in the quick start.

LinuxCopy Anchor Link

The install script needs curl, unzip and systemd, and supports x64 and arm64:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jamcalli/Pulsarr/master/scripts/installers/linux/install.sh | sudo bash

It installs the latest release to /opt/pulsarr, creates a pulsarr system user, and starts Pulsarr as a systemd service. On systems without systemd, use Docker instead.

Manage the service with systemctl:

sudo systemctl status pulsarr
sudo systemctl restart pulsarr
sudo journalctl -u pulsarr -f

To update, run the install script again. It keeps your .env and data.

To uninstall, add --uninstall to keep your data, or --purge to delete it:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jamcalli/Pulsarr/master/scripts/installers/linux/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --uninstall

Where files live:

• /opt/pulsarr/.env
• /opt/pulsarr/data/db/
• /opt/pulsarr/data/logs/

WindowsCopy Anchor Link

Download and run pulsarr-vX.Y.Z-windows-x64-setup.exe. The installer isn't code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you. Select More info, then Run anyway.

The Full installation runs Pulsarr as a Windows service, so it starts without anyone logging in. Compact installation skips the service and you start Pulsarr yourself. The installer also adds a Windows Firewall rule by default, so other devices on your network can reach Pulsarr. Sonarr and Radarr on another machine need it to send webhooks.

Manage the service in services.msc, or from an administrator prompt:

net stop pulsarr
net start pulsarr

pulsarr-service.exe stop, start and restart in C:\Program Files\Pulsarr do the same.

To update, run the new installer. It stops the service, replaces the program files and keeps your settings and data.

To uninstall, use Add or remove programs. The uninstaller asks whether to delete your data as well.

Pulsarr installs to C:\Program Files\Pulsarr. Where files live:

• C:\ProgramData\Pulsarr\.env
• C:\ProgramData\Pulsarr\db\
• C:\ProgramData\Pulsarr\logs\

macOSCopy Anchor Link

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later is required.

1. Download pulsarr-vX.Y.Z-macos-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon, or pulsarr-vX.Y.Z-macos-x64.dmg for Intel.

2. Open the DMG and drag Pulsarr to Applications.

3. The app isn't signed, so remove the quarantine flag macOS adds to downloads:

   Copy Text

   xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Pulsarr.app

4. Open Pulsarr. It runs in the background, with no window or Dock icon.

To stop Pulsarr, run pkill -f Pulsarr.app.

To update, stop Pulsarr, drag the new version over the old one, and run the xattr command again.

Where files live:

• ~/.config/Pulsarr/.env, created from a template the first time Pulsarr starts
• ~/.config/Pulsarr/db/
• ~/.config/Pulsarr/logs/

Start on loginCopy Anchor Link

To start Pulsarr when you log in, add a LaunchAgent:

cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.pulsarr.plist << 'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.pulsarr</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Applications/Pulsarr.app/Contents/MacOS/pulsarr</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
</dict>
</plist>
EOF
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.pulsarr.plist

Manage it with launchctl stop com.pulsarr and launchctl start com.pulsarr. KeepAlive restarts Pulsarr whenever it stops, so to keep it stopped run launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.pulsarr.plist instead of pkill.

BackupsCopy Anchor Link

Stop Pulsarr and copy the .env file and the db folder from the paths above. Logs can be left out.

Portable zipsCopy Anchor Link

Each platform also has a plain zip, such as pulsarr-vX.Y.Z-linux-x64.zip. Extract it anywhere. Before the first start, copy .env.example to .env, since the template carries the built-in TMDB key. On Linux the copy goes next to start.sh. On Windows and macOS it goes in the data folder, C:\ProgramData\Pulsarr or ~/.config/Pulsarr. Then run ./start.sh, or start.bat on Windows. On macOS, remove the quarantine flag first, as the zip's README.txt explains. To update, stop Pulsarr, then run ./update.sh or update.bat with the path to the new zip. Each zip has a README.txt that covers running it as a service.

Settings in .envCopy Anchor Link

Almost every setting can also be set in .env. See environment variables for the full list. The installers and the macOS app create it for you, at the paths listed above. Restart Pulsarr after changing it.

dataDir is the exception, because it decides which folder Pulsarr reads .env from. Set it as a real environment variable.