Cross-Seed Troubleshooting

Why didn't my cross-seed get added?

Rate limiting (HTTP 429)

Indexers limit how frequently you can make requests. If you see errors like "indexer TorrentLeech rate-limited until...", qui has recorded the cooldown and will skip that indexer until it's available. Check the Scheduler Activity panel on the Indexers page to see which indexers are in cooldown and when they'll be ready.

Release didn't match

qui uses strict matching to ensure cross-seeds have identical files. Both releases must match on:

• Title, year, and release group
• Resolution (1080p, 2160p)
• Source (WEB-DL, BluRay) and collection (AMZN, NF)
• Codec (x264, x265) and HDR format
• Audio format and channels
• Language, edition, cut, and version (v2, v3)
• Variants like IMAX, HYBRID, REPACK, PROPER

Season pack vs episodes

By default, season packs only match other season packs. Enable Find individual episodes in settings to allow season packs to match individual episode releases.

Cross-seed search run statuses

Library scan and completion search rows use added, skipped, or failed as the top-level outcome. Open the row details to see the per-attempt status and message.

Status or message	Outcome	What it usually means	What to check
exists	Skipped	The exact torrent infohash is already in the target qBittorrent instance.	This is normally harmless. If you expected a new tracker result, check the source and target indexers in Cross-Seed Overview.
no_match	Skipped	qui searched but did not find an existing local torrent with the required files.	Review release matching, source filters, and the discovery method in Library Scan or Auto-Search on Completion.
blocked	Skipped	The candidate infohash is on the cross-seed blocklist.	Remove it from Cross-Seed > Blocklist if you want qui to try it again. See Blocklist.
skipped_recheck	Skipped	The match would require a recheck, but Skip recheck is enabled.	See When Rechecks Are Required and Rules.
skipped_unsafe_pieces	Skipped	The incoming torrent has missing or extra files whose pieces overlap existing content, or a link-mode fallback would leave unsafe unmaterialized pieces. qui skips before adding to avoid modifying existing data.	See Cross-seed skipped: "extra files share pieces with content" and Reflink Mode.
below_threshold	Skipped	The matched files do not meet the configured completion threshold after materialization or recheck.	Check Size mismatch tolerance in Rules, then see Cross-seed stuck at low percentage after recheck.
requires_hardlink_reflink	Skipped	The torrent layout would scatter rootless or extra files in regular reuse mode.	Enable Hardlink Mode or Reflink Mode, or download the torrent normally.
size_mismatch	Failed	A search result already exists by infohash, but the earlier content prefilter rejected it because the torrent file list did not match the source sizes.	Compare the torrent files on the trackers. This protects you from treating different content as a valid cross-seed. See release matching.
content_mismatch	Failed	A search result already exists by infohash, but the earlier content prefilter rejected it for a non-size file-level reason.	Review the row message and enable trace logging if needed. See How do I see why a release was filtered?.
hardlink_error	Failed	Hardlink mode was enabled but qui could not create or use the hardlink tree.	See Hardlink mode failed and Hardlink Mode requirements.
reflink_error	Failed	Reflink mode was enabled but qui could not create or use the reflink tree.	See Reflink mode failed and Reflink Requirements.
no_save_path	Failed	qui could not find a valid target save path for the cross-seed. The matched torrent has no usable SavePath and the category does not provide an explicit SavePath.	Verify the matched torrent's save path and category save path in qBittorrent, then review category behavior.
error, alignment_failed, or pause_failed	Failed	qBittorrent rejected the add, a required file or folder rename failed, or qui could not pause a misaligned torrent after an alignment failure.	Check the instance connection, qBittorrent logs, and save path/category behavior in Rules.

Failed search or completion runs can trigger notification events. See Notifications for the event keys.

tip

size_mismatch failures are generated from the size reported inside of torrent files, not the content on disk. These failures are strong indicators that the cross seeded content has mismatching piece hashes between trackers. One or more trackers had a bad hash copy.

The failures are the size mismatches against the selected source torrent used for cross seed searching (typically content in a folder), they are not reports of which trackers actually have bad hashes. If the source torrent is the bad hash, the hash in debug logging [CROSSSEED-ASYNC] Starting async torrent analysis shows the source hash that was used.

tip

Use piece boundary protection to protect content against bad hash torrents.

Why did my season-pack check return 404?

The season-pack check webhook returns 404 Not Found whenever the pack is not ready to apply. In autobrr this usually appears as [external webhook status code] not matching: got 404 want: 200.

Common reasons:

• Coverage is below your threshold: qui did not find enough matching episodes
• Episodes are still downloading: only fully completed episode torrents count toward coverage
• Release details do not match: the episodes must match the pack's title, season, and normal release details such as source, resolution, and release group
• No eligible instance was scanned: the instance needs local filesystem access plus hardlink or reflink mode
• Webhook source filters excluded your episodes: include/exclude category or tag filters removed them from the scan
• The release is not a season pack or season-pack matching is disabled

If the pack should match except for REPACK, HDR, WEB, or year differences, check Cross-Seed > Rules > Season packs > Matching settings.

Open Cross-Seed > Rules > Season packs for recent season-pack activity. It shows the check/apply phase, status, reason, message, coverage, matched episodes, total episodes, selected instance, and link mode. You can also query /api/cross-seed/season-pack/runs?limit=20 directly.

See Season Packs for the full flow, setup requirements, and season-pack-specific debugging steps.

How do I see why a release was filtered?

Enable trace logging to see detailed rejection reasons:

loglevel = 'TRACE'

Look for [CROSSSEED-MATCH] Release filtered entries showing exactly which field caused the mismatch (e.g., group_mismatch, resolution_mismatch, language_mismatch).

For content-prefilter decisions, DEBUG is enough. Look for messages such as:

• crossseed: rejected existing content prefilter candidate after file-level matching
• [CROSSSEED-SEARCH] Late content filter exclusion
• [CROSSSEED-APPLY] Failed cached search selection already present after content prefilter rejection
• [CROSSSEED-SEARCH-AUTO] Existing search result failed due to prior content prefilter rejection

For season-pack checks, DEBUG is often enough. Look for the torrent name and messages such as:

• season pack: failed to resolve Sonarr season total
• season pack: metadata provider lookup failed
• load cached torrents for instance
• unsafe piece boundary with pending files
• torrent added paused; recheck queued
• Recheck completed below threshold, torrent left paused for manual review

When Rechecks Are Required (Reuse Mode)

In reuse mode (the default), most cross-seeds are added with hash verification skipped (skip_checking=true) and resume immediately. Some scenarios require a recheck:

1. Name or folder alignment needed

When the cross-seed torrent has a different display name or root folder, qui renames them to match. qBittorrent must recheck to verify files at the new paths.

2. Extra files in source torrent

When the source torrent contains files not on disk (NFO, SRT, samples not matching allowed extra file patterns), a recheck determines actual progress.

3. Hardlink/reflink filesystem fallback

When link-tree creation fails because the source files and link-tree base are on different filesystems, or because the filesystem does not support the requested link type, qui can fall back to regular mode if Fallback to regular mode is enabled. The torrent is added against the matched source files, not the link-tree directory.

These fallback torrents are treated like disc-based content: they are added paused, rechecked, and only auto-resume after qBittorrent reports 100% complete. If Skip recheck is enabled, qui skips them instead. With Skip recheck enabled, a better workflow would have Fallback to regular mode disabled, since all fallbacks require recheck.

For partial-in-pack, size-based, renamed, or otherwise non-perfect matches, qui also runs piece-boundary protection before the fallback add. This check is always enforced for link-mode fallback, even when Skip piece boundary safety check is enabled for regular reuse mode. If the check fails, qui skips the torrent before adding it to qBittorrent.

Auto-resume behavior

• Default tolerance 5% → auto-resumes at ≥95% completion
• Torrents below threshold stay paused for manual investigation
• Filesystem fallback and disc-layout torrents require 100% completion before auto-resume
• Configure via Size mismatch tolerance in Rules

Hardlink mode failed

Common causes:

• Filesystem mismatch: Hardlink base directory is on a different filesystem/volume than the download paths. Hardlinks cannot cross filesystems.
• Missing local filesystem access: The target instance doesn't have "Local filesystem access" enabled in Instance Settings.
• Permissions: qui cannot read the instance's content paths or write to the hardlink base directory.
• Invalid base directory: The hardlink base directory path doesn't exist and couldn't be created.

Hardlink/reflink cross-seed shows "missing files"

When hardlink or reflink mode creates every file needed by the incoming torrent, qui adds it with hash checking skipped and starts it immediately. No automatic recheck is triggered because there are no missing extras for qBittorrent to discover.

If qBittorrent still marks the torrent as missing files, the new torrent file most likely does not fully match the existing source/candidate files, even though qui matched them by name and size. Review the matching torrent group on the tracker/s before resuming or rechecking the torrent, as one of the copies has corrupted hash/es.

• Hardlink mode: Resuming the torrent will overwrite the bad hashes for that torrent, corrupting the existing torrent/s with the other piece hash/es.
• Reflink mode: Resuming the torrent will leverage copy-on-write to protect the other torrent hash/es.

tip

Torrents with bad hash/es should be reported at their relevant sites.

warning

Ignoring the bad hash/es in hardlink mode and resuming, will cause repeated full torrent rechecks, and downloading bad pieces, on torrents in the matching group, every time a peer requests the mis-matched hash/es and forces qBitTorrent to validate.

"Files not found" after cross-seed (default mode)

This typically occurs in default mode when the save path doesn't match where files actually exist:

• Check that the cross-seed's save path matches where files actually exist
• Verify the matched torrent's save path in qBittorrent
• Ensure the matched torrent has completed downloading (100% progress)

Reflink mode failed

Common causes:

• Filesystem doesn't support reflinks: The filesystem at the base directory doesn't support copy-on-write clones. On Linux, use BTRFS or XFS (with reflink enabled). On macOS, use APFS.
• Pooled/virtual mount: The base directory is on a pooled/virtual filesystem (like mergerfs, other FUSE mounts, or overlayfs) which often does not implement reflink cloning. Use a direct disk mount for both your seeded data and the reflink base directory.
• Filesystem mismatch: Base directory is on a different filesystem than the download paths.
• Missing local filesystem access: The target instance doesn't have "Local filesystem access" enabled.
• SkipRecheck enabled: If reflink mode would require recheck (extra files), it skips the cross-seed.

Cross-seed skipped: "extra files share pieces with content"

In regular reuse mode, this occurs when you have enabled the piece boundary safety check (disabled "Skip piece boundary safety check" in Rules). Link-mode fallback is stricter: for partial or otherwise non-perfect matches, qui always performs the check before adding the torrent to qBittorrent.

The incoming torrent has files not present in your matched torrent, and those files share torrent pieces with your existing content. Downloading them could overwrite parts of your existing files.

Solutions:

• Use reflink mode (recommended): Enable reflink mode for the instance—it safely clones files so qBittorrent can modify them without affecting originals
• Disable the safety check: Check "Skip piece boundary safety check" in Rules (the default). The match will proceed but may corrupt your existing seeded files if content differs
• If reflinks aren't available and you want to avoid any risk, download the torrent fresh

Cross-seed stuck at low percentage after recheck

• Check if the source torrent has extra files (NFO, samples) not present on disk
• Verify the "Size mismatch tolerance" setting in Rules
• Torrents below the auto-resume threshold stay paused for manual review

Blu-ray or DVD cross-seed left paused

Torrents containing disc-based media (Blu-ray BDMV or DVD VIDEO_TS folder structures) are always added paused.

Why? Disc layout torrents are sensitive to file alignment. Even minor path differences can cause qBittorrent to redownload large video segments, potentially corrupting your seeded content. Leaving them paused lets you verify the recheck completed at 100% before resuming.

What to do:

1. If Skip recheck is enabled in Cross-Seed Rules, disc-layout matches will be skipped.
2. Otherwise, qui triggers a recheck automatically and will only auto-resume once the recheck reaches 100%.
3. If you have auto-resume disabled, resume manually after verifying it reaches 100%.

The result message will indicate when this policy applies (example): "disc layout detected (BDMV), full recheck required"

Webhook returns HTTP 400 "invalid character" error

This typically means the torrent name contains special characters (like double quotes ") that break JSON encoding. The error often looks like:

{"level":"error","error":"invalid character 'V' after object key:value pair","time":"...","message":"Failed to decode webhook check request"}

Solution: In your autobrr webhook configuration, use toRawJson instead of quoting the template variable directly:

{
  "torrentName": {{ toRawJson .TorrentName }},
  "instanceIds": [1]
}

Not:

{
  "torrentName": "{{ .TorrentName }}",
  "instanceIds": [1]
}

The toRawJson function (from Sprig) properly escapes special characters and outputs a valid JSON string including the quotes.

Cross-seed in wrong category

• Check your cross-seed settings in qui
• Verify the matched torrent has the expected category
• For Dir Scan injections, Cross-Seed → Rules category modes do not apply. Dir Scan uses its own Default Category / Category override, and leaving it blank results in no category.

autoTMM unexpectedly enabled/disabled

• In reuse/affix mode (regular mode), autoTMM mirrors the matched torrent's setting (intentional)
• In indexer name or custom category mode, autoTMM is always disabled
• In hardlink/reflink mode, autoTMM is always disabled (explicit savepath)
• Dir Scan injections always disable autoTMM (explicit savepath)
• Check the original torrent's autoTMM status in qBittorrent