Deleterr on a Seedbox: Watch-History Library Cleanup

What Deleterr Is

Deleterr automates library cleanup. It reads Plex and Tautulli watch history, applies rules you set, and tells Sonarr and Radarr to delete or archive files that match. The result: a library that doesn't grow unbounded, scoped to what you actually watch.

It's headless. No web UI; just a config file (settings.yaml) and a daemon. That makes it slightly fiddlier than Maintainerr, which has a UI, but also lighter and easier to scope precisely.

Should You Use Deleterr or Maintainerr?

Honest comparison:

• Deleterr. Config-file driven, faster to set up programmatically, headless, smaller surface.
• Maintainerr. Web UI for rule building, easier for visual tweaking, slightly more features.

If you like editing YAML and want a clean script-like tool, Deleterr. If you want clicks and dropdowns, Maintainerr.

Why Run It on a Seedbox?

Deleterr runs in the background, talks to Plex/Tautulli/Sonarr/Radarr, and acts on schedule. A seedbox keeps it constantly running:

• 24/7 uptime
• Same panel as everything it talks to
• One-click install
• Internal URLs make all the integrations fast
• EU servers in Luxembourg, France, and Netherlands

Installing Deleterr

Open the Bytesized Panel, find Deleterr in the app catalog, click install. The panel sets up the container, the config volume, and the URL.

There's no web UI to open. You configure Deleterr by editing settings.yaml from the panel's file editor.

Configuring Rules

settings.yaml is plain YAML. The basic shape:

plex:
  url: http://internal-plex-url
  token: your-plex-token
tautulli:
  url: http://internal-tautulli-url
  api_key: your-tautulli-key
radarr:
  url: http://internal-radarr-url
  api_key: your-radarr-key
sonarr:
  url: http://internal-sonarr-url
  api_key: your-sonarr-key
rules:
  - name: Old unwatched movies
    media_type: movie
    delete_unwatched: true
    days_unwatched: 90

Apply that and Deleterr will tell Radarr to delete any movie added more than 90 days ago that nobody's watched.

Common Rule Patterns

Three patterns most people start with:

• Delete unwatched after N days. The most common. Pruning for storage.
• Delete N days after last watch. "I watched it; don't keep it forever."
• Always keep tagged shows. Rules can have exclusion tags so favourites don't get deleted.

Build up incrementally. Start with one rule on a small subset, watch what it does, then expand.

Common Gotchas

Rules deleting too much. Test on a tag-restricted subset first. Deleterr deletes what you tell it to, no second guesses.

Tautulli connection fails. Use the internal URL from the panel. The public HTTPS URL works but is slower.

Plex token expired. Re-extract from Plex (Settings > Network > Show Advanced > Plex token) and update the YAML.

Schedule not firing. The container runs on its own internal cron. Check the logs from the panel; the schedule defaults to once daily.

FAQ

Is Deleterr free? Yes. Free and open source.

Does it work without Plex? No. Plex is the source of watch history. For Jellyfin or Emby, Maintainerr is the better fit.

Will it delete files I'm not done watching? Only if your rules say so. Sensible rules use Tautulli's "watched" status which marks an episode/movie as fully consumed.

Can I undo a delete? No, deletes go to Sonarr/Radarr which call the underlying file system. Rules are run-once-daily by default; if a bad rule fires, the damage is done. Test on small tags first.

What's the difference vs Tautulli's own cleanup? Tautulli has limited cleanup. Deleterr does the *arr-app integration so deletes ripple through your library cleanly.

Ready to Set It Up?

Browse Appbox plans, install Deleterr from the panel, edit settings.yaml, watch your library quietly maintain itself.