Curatarr

A Discord bot for requesting audiobooks via Bookshelf (the Readarr fork). Think of it as Requestrr, but for audiobooks.

[!WARNING] This project was built with AI assistance (vibe coded). While it works, the code hasn't been professionally audited — use at your own risk. If you get a chance, feel free to review the code before deploying. PRs and fixes are always welcome!

Features

• /request — Search and request audiobooks with a clean two-step UI (dropdown → embed → Request button)
• /library — Search your existing Bookshelf library
• /status — View the current download queue
• /pending — Admin only: view and approve/deny pending requests via DM
• /logs — Admin only: view recent bot activity
• Ephemeral responses — only the person who typed sees the bot's reply, no channel clutter
• Approval mode — optionally require admin approval before downloads trigger
• Admin DMs — requests ping you directly via Discord DM with Approve/Deny buttons
• Requester notifications — users get a DM when their request is approved or denied
• Duplicate detection — checks your library before showing results
• Full JSON logging — every action logged to disk

[!NOTE] This is a passion project and I'm actively looking for developers who want to get involved! Whether it's bug fixes, new features, or just throwing ideas around — open an issue or start a discussion. Would love to see where this goes with some help. 🎧

Requirements

• Bookshelf (Readarr fork) running and accessible
• Prowlarr with audiobook indexers configured and synced to Bookshelf
• A Discord bot token (Discord Developer Portal)
• Docker

Quick Start

1. Create a Discord Application

1. Go to discord.com/developers/applications
2. Click New Application and name it Curatarr
3. Go to Bot → click Add Bot
4. Under Token click Reset Token and copy it — this is your DISCORD_TOKEN
5. Scroll down and enable these Privileged Gateway Intents:
   • Server Members Intent
   • Message Content Intent
6. Go to OAuth2 → copy the Client ID — this is your DISCORD_CLIENT_ID

2. Invite the Bot to Your Server

Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator and set:

• Scopes: bot, applications.commands
• Bot Permissions: Send Messages, Embed Links, Use Slash Commands, Read Message History

Copy the generated URL and open it in your browser to add the bot to your server.

3. Get Your IDs

Discord Server ID:

• In Discord: Settings → Advanced → Enable Developer Mode
• Right-click your server name → Copy Server ID

Your Discord User ID (for approval DMs):

• Right-click your name in Discord → Copy User ID

Bookshelf API Key:

• In Bookshelf: Settings → General → API Key

4. Deploy with Docker

Option A — Docker Compose (recommended)

version: "3.8"

services:
  curatarr:
    image: sidkapahiii/curatarr:latest
    container_name: curatarr
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - DISCORD_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token
      - DISCORD_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
      - DISCORD_GUILD_ID=your_server_id
      - BOOKSHELF_URL=http://bookshelf:8787
      - BOOKSHELF_API_KEY=your_bookshelf_api_key
      - ADMIN_USER_ID=your_discord_user_id
      - QUALITY_PROFILE_NAME=Spoken
      - METADATA_PROFILE_NAME=None
      - REQUIRE_APPROVAL=false
      - LOG_FILE=/config/curatarr.log
      - TZ=America/Toronto
    volumes:
      - /mnt/user/appdata/curatarr:/config
    networks:
      - your_docker_network

networks:
  your_docker_network:
    external: true

docker compose up -d

Option B — Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name curatarr \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --network your_docker_network \
  -e DISCORD_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token \
  -e DISCORD_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id \
  -e DISCORD_GUILD_ID=your_server_id \
  -e BOOKSHELF_URL=http://bookshelf:8787 \
  -e BOOKSHELF_API_KEY=your_bookshelf_api_key \
  -e ADMIN_USER_ID=your_discord_user_id \
  -e QUALITY_PROFILE_NAME=Spoken \
  -e METADATA_PROFILE_NAME=None \
  -e REQUIRE_APPROVAL=false \
  -e LOG_FILE=/config/curatarr.log \
  -e TZ=America/Toronto \
  -v /mnt/user/appdata/curatarr:/config \
  sidkapahiii/curatarr:latest

Option C — Unraid Community Apps

Search for Curatarr in the Community Apps store and install directly. All fields are pre-populated — just fill in your values.

Environment Variables

How It Works

For Users

1. Type /request and enter a book title or author name
2. A dropdown appears — select the book you want
3. The book embed appears with a Request button
4. Click Request
5. If approval is off: book is added to Bookshelf and download starts immediately
6. If approval is on: you get a confirmation and will receive a DM when approved or denied

For Admins

• When a request comes in (approval mode), you receive a DM with Approve and Deny buttons
• /pending — sends all pending requests to your DMs
• /logs — shows the last 20 log entries
• /status — shows the current Bookshelf download queue
• Admins bypass the approval queue and can request directly

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/sidkapahi/curatarr.git
cd curatarr
npm install
docker build -t curatarr:latest .

To push to Docker Hub:

docker tag curatarr:latest sidkapahiii/curatarr:latest
docker push sidkapahiii/curatarr:latest

Updating

If running from the Docker image:

docker pull sidkapahiii/curatarr:latest
docker restart curatarr

Logs

All actions are logged to /config/curatarr.log in JSON format:

{"timestamp":"2026-04-08, 12:00:00","level":"INFO","message":"Request command","data":{"user":"Sid#1234","query":"Dune"}}
{"timestamp":"2026-04-08, 12:00:05","level":"INFO","message":"Book added successfully","data":{"title":"Dune Messiah","id":3}}
{"timestamp":"2026-04-08, 12:00:05","level":"INFO","message":"Search triggered","data":{"bookId":3}}

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding to slash commands

• Make sure DISCORD_GUILD_ID is set — global command registration can take up to an hour
• Check the bot has Use Slash Commands permission in your server

"Failed to add book" error

• Verify your BOOKSHELF_URL is reachable from the container
• Check QUALITY_PROFILE_NAME and METADATA_PROFILE_NAME match exactly what's in Bookshelf Settings → Profiles
• Check /logs for the detailed error message

Book added but not downloading

• Make sure Prowlarr indexers are synced to Bookshelf (Settings → Indexers in Bookshelf)
• For audiobooks, AudioBookBay and MyAnonamouse (MAM) are the best indexers
• Check Bookshelf → Activity → Queue after a request

Approval DMs not arriving

• Set ADMIN_USER_ID to your Discord user ID (right-click your name → Copy User ID)
• Make sure you haven't blocked DMs from server members

License

MIT — do whatever you want with it.