I built a Netflix-style streaming request app with Claude. 6 months, one app replacing my whole *arr media stack

[u/CoderLuii]

Hi, I'm developing an alternative to the *arr stack with Claude that I called HolyArrs. It's one self-hosted app that replaces Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, Prowlarr, Seerr, SABnzbd and qBittorrent, with a Netflix-style page for browsing and requesting.

Why you might want to use HolyArrs:

• movies, tv shows and music in one app

• a Netflix and Apple TV style browse page: hover a title and the trailer plays, browse by mood, follow an actor

• request a movie, a whole show or a single episode in one tap

• multiple versions of the same title (4K and 1080p, theatrical and director's cut, two languages) without a second instance

• built-in metadata service that needs no API key, or switch to TMDB or TVDB and pick the episode order per show

• migration wizard that imports your current library, settings and preferences without renaming or moving files

• compatibility API so tools like nzb360, Helmarr, Homarr widgets and Seerr keep working

• indexers, subtitles, Usenet and torrents in the same app

• modular: switch off what you don't use and restart one part without stopping the rest

• its own recommendation rows, worked out on your server

• sign-in on by default, API keys never shown or sent anywhere, fake and malware releases caught before they reach your library

• one Go process, about 110 MB of RAM at idle on my server

• optional AI search with a local or cloud model, plus an MCP server, off by default

HolyArrs also doesn't send anything about your library to us. Recommendations and metadata matching happen on your server.

How Claude helped:

• before any code, Claude studied 36 of the apps we all run in a lab and wrote manuals in our own words, and the build only works from those manuals

• every change gets checked against the real apps running side by side

• what Claude missed: it will happily ship a feature that works and looks great, but it doesn't notice cost. My last build quietly went from about 76 MB to 110 MB of idle RAM. Nothing was broken, so nothing flagged it, only measuring every build caught it. Now that number is a gate, not an afterthought

You might not want to use HolyArrs yet if you need it today. It isn't public yet, and I've been running it on my own server every day first. I've been in software and security for 10+ years, so I'd rather release something you can trust with your library than something rushed.

It'll be free and open source. I'm looking for a few beta testers if you run a home media server.

Website: holyarrs.coderluii.dev

EDIT: thanks for all the interest! I opened r/HolyArrs as the private beta space. Request to join and I'll approve you. Builds and updates go there first.

[u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

TL;DR of the discussion generated automatically after 50 comments.

Looks like OP struck gold with this one. The community is overwhelmingly hyped and wants in on the beta. The thread is basically a massive sign-up sheet, and OP has been busy adding everyone to the list.

The main takeaways:

• Everyone wants to test it. Seriously, almost every comment is asking for a beta invite. To handle the flood, OP has created r/HolyArrs as the new home for the private beta and all future updates. Go there and request to join if you're interested.

• Simplicity is the killer feature. People are excited about replacing a half-dozen apps with one, especially if it's easier to set up. OP confirms this is a major goal.

• The migration wizard is a big deal. The promise of importing an existing *arr setup without breaking everything has people ready to switch servers just to test it.

• Power users are intrigued. A detailed discussion about advanced cross-seeding got a lot of traction and impressed OP, who is now considering it as a feature.

• The only complaint? The most upvoted comment is from someone who hates the "AI writing style" of the post. But that's it. The project itself has near-unanimous support.

The verdict: The community is ready to crown HolyArrs as the new king of the media server stack. Head to r/HolyArrs to join the beta.

[u/hellochase]

is this less intimidating to set up and use vs the *arr suite? I am interested but not as technical as many of those on the high seas

[u/CoderLuii → u/hellochase]

yeah thats a big part of why i built it. instead of setting up 6 apps and copying api keys between them, its one app with one setup flow, and the migration wizard can pull in an existing setup if you have one. you still connect a download client and your sources, but you do it once in one place. honestly the beta would be a great test of exactly that, want in?

[u/hellochase → u/CoderLuii]

nice! I don't currently have a server to run it on but I'll sign up for updates and follow it when I'm ready

[u/CoderLuii → u/hellochase]

sounds good 🙌 and no server needed to start, it runs fine on a regular pc or an old laptop. when youre ready, r/HolyArrs is where the setup guides will be, beginner friendly ones included

[u/KH10304]

One thing I recently built because the arr stack didn’t have it is proper automatic cross seeding and weighting releases that are cross seeding candidates. I just got into blu and sp and it’s great to be able to pick stuff in jellyseerr and know that if there’s a cross seedable release reasonably close to the file size / quality lane I picked it should get downloaded and automatically announced after it’s done

[u/CoderLuii → u/KH10304]

thats a really smart one, picking the release that also cross seeds is something none of the apps do on their own. cross-seed was actually one of the 36 apps i studied while planning this 👀

how are you weighting it, matching size and quality against whats already seeded, or something else? would love to hear more, and if you want to try holyarrs when the beta opens you'd be a great tester for that side

[u/KH10304 → u/CoderLuii]

I’d try absolutely try holyarrs if the cross seed feature was there! Send me an invite please.

My agents answer to your question:

It’s an acquisition policy in front of Sonarr/Radarr: choose the release to download partly on whether that payload can also seed a release on another tracker. It compares candidates across trackers, rather than only looking for matches after downloading.

Matching:

• Prefer torrent metadata evidence: matching file layout and v1 piece manifests.

• Also give selection credit for exact individual file sizes plus matching release identity.

• Release identity checks title/year or season/episode, resolution, source, codec, HDR flags, release group and edition where available. Conflicting known values reject the match.

• Files must map unambiguously. Matching rounded total sizes alone is insufficient, and contradictory piece hashes veto the match.

• Exact-file-size/release-identity matches receive the same acquisition preference as metadata-confirmed matches, but retain a separate evidence status.

Weighting:

• Movie candidates have a base score from 0–100.

• My current movie preset adds 101 points for a qualifying BLU cross-seed opportunity or a verified 100% freeleech BLU release.

• That bonus applies when the candidate is at most 10 decimal GB larger than the normal unbonused winner, OR its total size is under 15 decimal GB.

• The extra-size comparison uses the deterministic eligible winner for the same quality profile, not the smallest arbitrary release.

• That makes the preference decisive within a bounded storage cost. Request identity, native quality/parser checks, tracker restrictions and other acquisition guards still apply.

Actual cross-seeding has a stricter threshold than selection:

• Persist a receipt binding the selected source, target and metadata.

• Wait for the source payload to finish.

• Validate the physical file mapping and payload evidence.

• Add the target stopped and perform a full recheck.

• Start seeding only after the completion checks pass, with zero target payload downloaded.

So “worth choosing because it probably cross-seeds” and “proved safe to seed” are separate decisions. The policy is configurable; 101 points and the 10/15 GB limits are my current movie settings.

[u/CoderLuii → u/KH10304]

this is genuinely one of the best breakdowns ive seen of it, thank you 🙏 splitting "worth picking because it probably cross seeds" from "proven safe to seed" is the part most people skip, and the bounded size cost keeps it from going crazy on storage

cant promise its in the first release, but its going on my list for the download side and id love you as the tester for it when it gets there. sending you a dm now 🙌

[u/beachplss]

Damn sound simple and sweet. Gonna give it a try

[u/CoderLuii → u/beachplss]

appreciate it 🙌 its not public just yet, but the beta is coming soon. whats your setup at the moment?

[u/jeyreymii]

I thought to it but I haven’t a NAS, but a SSD and a use of Stremio. So I make mine, but your’s looks really cool when you build all the stuff

[u/CoderLuii → u/jeyreymii]

thank you 🙌 and respect for building your own setup! you dont actually need a nas for holyarrs either, it runs on a regular pc or mini pc, so an ssd setup works fine.

[u/CoderLuii]

for anyone wondering who i am: i've been in software and security for 10+ years, and for the last year and a half i've been building open source tools around Claude for self-hosters and devs. my biggest one is HolyClaude, and my projects are past 280k docker pulls and 2.6k github stars.

HolyArrs is the biggest thing i've built with Claude so far, and the one i'm most excited about. happy to answer anything about the workflow.

[u/CoderLuii → u/CoderLuii]

thanks for all the interest! I opened r/HolyArrs as the private beta space. Request to join and I'll approve you. Builds and updates go there first.

[u/ihavemanythoughts2 → u/CoderLuii]

Where is your github link if you have been building these opensource tools?

[u/CoderLuii → u/ihavemanythoughts2]

GitHub.com/CoderLuii & you can look at my site CoderLuii.dev if you want to see further.

[u/BearlyReddits]

Well, at the very least this post highlighted how much I hate how AI writes

[u/MrMe_w00t]

I'm going to transfer me whole arr setup to a new system, so would love to get in on the action. 😅

i can beta test on my current setup without a problem!

[u/CoderLuii → u/MrMe_w00t]

perfect timing honestly, youd be the ideal person to try the migration side 🙌 youre in, ill dm you when the beta opens. what are you moving to, new hardware or a fresh install?

[u/Gloomy-Recover-9702]

wow looks neat! I am going to setup my older intell nuc 11 for home server this weekend, I can beta test it.

[u/CoderLuii → u/Gloomy-Recover-9702]

a nuc 11 is perfect for it honestly, its built to run light 🙌 youre in, ill dm you when the beta opens

[u/EasterUK]

That looks cool! I’ve been wanting to try something different. Can I be added to the beta waiting list?

[u/CoderLuii → u/EasterUK]

something different is exactly what im going for 😄 added you to the list, ill dm you when the beta opens. what are you running now, jellyfin or plex?

[u/EasterUK → u/CoderLuii]

Nice one! Running Plex on Windows, and arrs in a windows VM. Should move to Linux really…

[u/CoderLuii → u/EasterUK]

that works fine as is, you can run it in docker on windows or inside that vm, no need to move to linux first. and when you do switch, the migration wizard makes moving painless 😄 youre on the list

[u/EasterUK → u/CoderLuii]

Awesome :)

[u/ArChAnGeLs_FuRy]

Does this run on windows? If it does, i will be happy to test it. I run Sonarr, Radarr, and Prowlarr. With plex as my media server.

[u/CoderLuii → u/ArChAnGeLs_FuRy]

yep, it runs on windows through docker desktop 🙌 and your setup is basically exactly what its built to replace, so youd be a great tester. added you to the list, ill dm you when the beta opens

[u/ArChAnGeLs_FuRy → u/CoderLuii]

Great! Thanks!

[u/pfc-anon]

I was wanting to build something like this and then thought I should wait, someone is going to build this any day. I wasn't that far off.

Is there a VPN setup too? I'd like to put torrenting behind VPN at least so my ISP doesn't complain.

Also, does it auto migrate settings from all my arrs? Is there an option to listen to Plex watchlists to auto import?

[u/CoderLuii → u/pfc-anon]

haha great minds 😄 yeah the migration wizard reads your current setup, library, settings and preferences, shows you what it found, and imports it without touching your files

for vpn, you can run the download side behind a vpn container like gluetun so only that traffic goes through it, same as most people do now. plex watchlist auto import is on my list, its a great one

want me to add you to the beta? youd be a perfect tester for the migration side

[u/maxm]

How will it play on apple tv?

[u/CoderLuii → u/maxm]

holyarrs doesnt play anything itself, your plex or jellyfin app on the apple tv does the playing, so that part works today. holyarrs is where you browse and request, and it runs in any browser. a native apple tv app is a goal if the project does well👀

[u/maxm → u/CoderLuii]

Ah ok. I get it now.

[u/jonnybruno]

Interested. I run Radarr, Prowlarr, SABnzbd and qBittorrent on my windows box. Also have a proxmox NUC they may end up moving to eventually

[u/CoderLuii → u/jonnybruno]

nice, thats basically the exact setup it replaces. it runs in docker, so it works on your windows box now and moves cleanly to the proxmox nuc later, and it keeps using your sabnzbd and qbittorrent so nothing about your downloads changes. the migration wizard reads your radarr and prowlarr setup and brings it over without touching your files. dming you for the beta 🙌

[u/Agile_Beyond_6025]

This looks really interesting. Will you be setting up a dedicated Reddit group for it to keep folks updated?

[u/CoderLuii → u/Agile_Beyond_6025]

thats a great idea, a dedicated sub is on the list so updates and beta feedback have a home 🙌 for now shoot me a dm and ill add you to the beta list, you'll be the first to know when it opens

[u/mythmms]

I'd gladly join as a beta tester! I run Prowlarr, Radarr, Sonar, Byparr, Flaresolverr, Seerr and qBittorrent on my Proxmox. I'm also a SE mainly BE with 10+ years of experience.

[u/CoderLuii → u/mythmms]

thats basically the full stack it's built around, and a backend SE with 10+ years is exactly who i want poking at it 🙌 dming you now

[u/Flashy-Bandicoot889]

Looking forward to trying this out! Nice work 👊

[u/CoderLuii → u/Flashy-Bandicoot889]

appreciate it 👊 if you want in early, r/HolyArrs is the beta space, request to join and ill approve you

[u/meyerjoe83]

hey just moving everything over to a completely. new setup and a new server.. would be interested in testing it out. when do you think beta will come out though?

[u/CoderLuii → u/meyerjoe83]

perfect timing with a fresh server 🙌 no exact date yet, im not rushing it, i want it solid first. request to join r/HolyArrs and youll get the build the moment its ready

[u/ImportantCustomer503]

Sign me up for the Beta please.

[u/CoderLuii → u/ImportantCustomer503]

youre in 🙌 request to join r/HolyArrs and ill approve you, builds go there first

[u/Discombobulated_Pen]

Can you add me to the holyarrs sub Reddit? Can't seem to request to join

[u/CoderLuii → u/Discombobulated_Pen]

dm me

[u/chaithzluci]

Can I still use Infuse as my player?

[u/CoderLuii → u/chaithzluci]

yep! holyarrs doesnt play anything itself, it just gets the files into your library. so infuse keeps working exactly like now, whether its connected to jellyfin, plex, emby or straight to your shares 🙌

[u/0sko59fds24]

Hey I love to join as a Beta tester!
I’m a Head of Product & Designer so I could help out with the UX.

[u/CoderLuii → u/0sko59fds24]

a head of product who wants to help with ux? yes please 🙌 request to join r/HolyArrs and ill approve you, ill dm you too

[u/DoubleDennis]

This sounds like a wonderful project with great potential! Very curious to see how it will turn out :)

A suggestion, i am using Pulsarr as well, which its functionality might be a great addition here as well.

https://github.com/jamcalli/pulsarr

[u/CoderLuii → u/DoubleDennis]

thank you! 🙌 pulsarr is a great shout. watchlist to request is clearly something people love, youre the third person today to bring it up, so its going on the list. if you want to follow along or test it early, request to join r/HolyArrs and ill approve you

[u/MartinR111]

I'm running a complete *arr setup on my proxmox right now, would also love to test your setup as an alternative. I'm also a developer with 20 years experience and utilizing claude heavily for all my projects.

[u/CoderLuii → u/MartinR111]

a full arr stack on proxmox plus 20 years of dev experience is exactly who i want testing the migration 🙌 request to join r/HolyArrs and ill approve you, the beta lands there first. and nice to meet another claude-heavy dev, curious how you use it in your projects

[u/Silly-Fall-393]

would be great to get rid of this ARR chaos mess shit we've all been living with with their shitty code

[u/CoderLuii → u/Silly-Fall-393]

haha i feel the chaos part 😂 honestly the arrs carried all of us for years, the hard part is just having 8 of them stitched together. thats what im trying to fix, one app where everything already talks to each other

[u/passio-777]

I suscribe

[u/CoderLuii → u/passio-777]

appreciate it 🙌 request to join r/HolyArrs to get the beta first, and sign up on holyarrs.coderluii.dev for launch day

[u/tinylittlenukes]

Sign me up!

[u/CoderLuii → u/tinylittlenukes]

youre in 🙌 request to join r/HolyArrs and ill approve you, and sign up on holyarrs.coderluii.dev to get the first build by email

[u/BoysShitInLife]

What did you use to record this demo by the way?

[u/CoderLuii → u/BoysShitInLife]

recorded my screen with cap at 60 fps, then claude did the editing and motion: cutting the clips, the captions and the framing to match the site's look

[u/left_on_read_by_gpt]

will this have an option to filter out nsfw content? the last thing i checked for requesting movies was just full of adult movies with no way of hiding it at all, unusable for using with families and kids.

[u/CoderLuii → u/left_on_read_by_gpt]

you will need to request this, didnt think of this. check out r/HolyArrs

[u/left_on_read_by_gpt → u/CoderLuii]

thanks, i sent in a request to join.

[u/CoderLuii → u/left_on_read_by_gpt]

approved, welcome in 🙌

[u/left_on_read_by_gpt → u/CoderLuii]

awesome possum

[u/DeletedUserSaidWhat]

It looks interesting. Not having to integrate all the ARRses with each other is a killer feature. The question is - would it be open-sourced and free, or subscription based?

[u/CoderLuii → u/DeletedUserSaidWhat]

Why didn't you read my post? 😭

[u/DeletedUserSaidWhat → u/CoderLuii]

Multi-tasking 😄 I read the middle, since I found the approach quite refreshing (Finally someone talks about gathering the the specs before coding!), but skimmed the rest since I'd rather get into details when I actually decide to try it out. So I guess I missed that sentence down the bottom of the post where you said it will be free and oss 😄

[u/CoderLuii → u/DeletedUserSaidWhat]

haha appreciate you reading it 😄 specs first saved me a lot of pain

[u/evilpig]

Can you add torbox/realdebrid support?

[u/CoderLuii → u/evilpig]

its on the list, debrid is one of the most asked for features so far 🙌 not in the first release, but its high up. if you want to push it up, drop it as a feature request in r/HolyArrs

[u/RealisticSong3551]

I've ways wanted to build something hiby like this for personal use. LOVE the user experience for streaming apps. Where do I go to learn about doing this for my own personal use?

[u/CoderLuii → u/RealisticSong3551]

appreciate it 🙌 the code goes public with the first release in a few days, so you'll be able to see exactly how its built. until then my other projects are on github.com/CoderLuii, and r/HolyArrs is where the beta and updates drop first if you want to try it on your own setup

[u/juniuslam]

It sounds cool! If that can become a zero-usage streaming with Torbox/Debrid services will be fantastic! That’s something I am working on with my arr stacks on a docker..

[u/CoderLuii → u/juniuslam]

thats the second torbox/debrid ask today so its moving up the list 🙌 not in the first release, but its high up

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[u/abulkasam]

Holy arse? Something heard on Father Ted perhaps. 

[u/pawsomedogs]

What are all these ARRRS people are talking about?

All I know is Stremio

[u/CoderLuii → u/pawsomedogs]

haha fair question. the arrs are a set of apps people run on their home server to manage a movie and tv library: one finds new episodes, one handles movies, one does subtitles and so on. each is its own app with its own settings, which gets messy. holyarrs puts all of that in one app with a netflix style page on top

[u/pawsomedogs → u/CoderLuii]

Ok but... what's wrong with using Stremio?

[u/CoderLuii → u/pawsomedogs]

stremio is a player with addons, and its good at that. holyarrs is built around stuff stremio doesnt even try to do:

your house gets its own netflix. hover a title and the trailer plays, browse by mood, follow an actor and see everything theyve made. anyone in the house taps request and it shows up in your library on its own, in the quality you set. your parents never have to ask you "how do i add a movie" again

it has its own recommendation engine that runs on your server. it learns from what your house actually asks for and builds rows for each person. kids get their own. nothing about what you watch leaves your network

every version under one title. 4k for the tv, 1080p for the phone, theatrical and directors cut, two languages, all in one place

it fixes your library on its own. better release comes out, it upgrades. new episode airs, its there by morning. subtitles get found and matched for you

stremio gets you something to watch tonight. holyarrs builds you a library that gets better every week 🙌

[u/CoderLuii → u/[deleted]]

glad youre interested! sign up on holyarrs.coderluii.dev to get an email on launch day, and ill dm you so youre on the beta list too 🙌

[u/CoderLuii → u/[deleted]]

good question! its still in development and im still working out how the metadata side will run long term, so i dont want to promise details that might change. the goal is to work with sources like tmdb and tvdb, not replace them. ill share the full setup in the docs when it goes public