FileBot on a Seedbox: Licensed Media Renamer

What FileBot Is

FileBot is a media file renamer. Point it at a folder of badly-named files and it pulls metadata from TheTVDB, TheMovieDB, AniDB, and Plex's match endpoints, then renames and moves them into a clean Plex/Jellyfin-friendly structure.

It's the gold standard for this; nothing else hits the same accuracy across messy filenames, anime, and TV with weird episode numbering.

Heads Up: FileBot Is Paid

FileBot is paid software. There's no free tier any more. A license is around USD 6/year or USD 60 lifetime, paid directly to the FileBot project. Buy from the FileBot site, then activate inside the app.

Bytesized doesn't bundle the license; we just package the app for one-click install.

Why Run It on a Seedbox?

FileBot does its job once and stops. But running it on a seedbox makes a few things easier:

• Already on the same machine as your library; no copy needed
• Always available when you import a messy back catalog
• Headless mode (filebot -script) runs from the command line for batch jobs
• One-click install in the panel

Installing FileBot

Open the Bytesized Panel, find FileBot in the app catalog, click install. The panel handles the install and the URL.

Click "Open" to land on the web UI.

License Activation

First-run prompts for the license key. Paste it in once. License survives upgrades.

If you bought via the FileBot site, the license arrives by email. The same license works on multiple machines (no per-host enforcement).

Renaming Workflow

The interactive workflow:

1. Drag a folder of files into the FileBot UI.
2. Pick the database: TheTVDB for TV, TheMovieDB for movies, AniDB for anime.
3. Click "Match." FileBot reads filenames, queries the database, and shows the proposed rename.
4. Review. Edit any matches FileBot got wrong.
5. Click "Rename." Files are renamed and moved according to your rename pattern.

Default rename patterns produce Plex-friendly output (Show Name/Season 01/Show Name - S01E01 - Title.mkv).

Headless Mode for Batch Jobs

For ongoing automation:

filebot -script fn:amc   --output ~/files/library   --action move   --conflict skip   --def music=y subtitles=en clean=y   ~/files/incoming

This runs FileBot's "amc" (auto media center) script over the incoming folder, moves matched files to your library folder, and skips conflicts. Cron this on a schedule and incoming files clean themselves up.

Sonarr and Radarr Already Doing This?

If Sonarr and Radarr are handling your imports, they rename and move files automatically. FileBot is most useful for:

• Cleaning up legacy libraries that pre-date your *arr apps
• Anime libraries with non-standard naming
• One-off batches that aren't going through *arr

For ongoing TV/movie management, *arr apps cover it. FileBot is the heavy artillery for messy backcatalogs.

Common Gotchas

License invalid. Make sure you bought the license that matches the FileBot edition you're running. The Anton/Steam Store versions have separate licenses from the direct-from-FileBot license.

Match wrong. FileBot's auto-match is good but not perfect. Always review before renaming. Reject matches you don't trust.

Subtitles disappearing. FileBot's default rename pattern handles .eng.srt-style sidecars; if your subs are named differently, set the subtitle option in the rename pattern.

Anime not matching. Switch to AniDB as the source. TheTVDB and TheMovieDB don't index anime well.

FAQ

Is FileBot free? No. Paid software. ~USD 6/year or ~USD 60 lifetime.

Will the *arr apps replace it? For ongoing imports, yes. For initial library cleanup, no. FileBot has better fuzzy matching for messy filenames.

Does it work with Plex naming conventions? Yes. The default rename pattern is Plex-friendly. Same patterns work for Jellyfin and Emby.

Can I run it on the smallest plan? Yes. FileBot is light; a Lite plan handles it fine.

Does FileBot upload my files anywhere? No. It queries TheTVDB / TheMovieDB / AniDB for metadata only. Renaming happens locally.

Ready to Set It Up?

Browse Appbox plans, install FileBot from the panel, buy a license from FileBot, paste it in, start cleaning up.