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FAQ

How do I keep settings across updates?​

Mount a host directory to /config:

-v /path/to/config:/config

Does SeedSync collect any data?​

No. SeedSync does not collect or transmit data.

SeedSync can't connect to my remote server​

  • Verify the hostname/IP and SSH port
  • Confirm username/password or SSH key
  • Check the Logs page for specific errors

Locale errors in logs​

Some servers require a matching locale. Add these environment variables to the container:

-e LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8
-e LANG=en_US.UTF-8

SeedSync can't find a shell on my remote server​

SeedSync automatically detects the available shell on the remote server, checking /bin/bash, /usr/bin/bash, and /bin/sh in order. If none of these are available or your provider restricts shell access, check with your provider for the correct shell path.

SeedSync fails with "scp: dest open '/tmp/scanfs': Permission denied"​

Some seedbox providers restrict writes to /tmp on the remote server. SeedSync copies its scanner utility there by default.

To fix this, open the Settings page, find Server Script Path, and change it from /tmp to a directory you own on the remote server — for example:

  • ~ (your home directory)
  • ~/.local
  • /home/yourusername

Save and restart. SeedSync will copy the scanner to the new path on its next startup.

SeedSync fails with "Server Script Path is a directory on the remote server"​

This happens when Server Script Path overlaps with your sync directory. For example, if your remote sync path is /home/user/downloads and the script path is also set to /home/user/downloads, SeedSync tries to install scanfs there — but if a folder named scanfs already exists (from a previous sync), it can't be overwritten.

To fix:

  1. Change Server Script Path to a location outside your sync tree, such as ~ or ~/.local.

  2. Remove the conflicting directory from the remote server:

    rm -rf /home/user/downloads/scanfs

    Replace /home/user/downloads with your actual remote sync path.

  3. Save and restart the container.

SeedSync fails with "command not found: python3"​

SeedSync requires Python 3 on the remote server to run its filesystem scanner. Most Linux servers include Python 3 by default, but some minimal or container-based seedbox environments may not.

To fix, install Python 3 on your remote server:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install python3

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install python3

If you don't have root access, check with your seedbox provider — most will have Python 3 available at a different path or can install it on request.

The best approach is to use hard links with a dedicated completion directory. This keeps SeedSync's sync directory clean, avoids downloading files you don't want, and lets your torrents continue seeding without interference.

How it works​

  1. Configure your torrent client (ruTorrent, qBittorrent, etc.) to hard link completed downloads into a dedicated directory. For example, if your client downloads to /downloads/tv, have it hard link completed files to /downloads/complete.
  2. Point SeedSync at the completion directory (/downloads/complete).
  3. Enable Auto-Queue and turn on "Delete remote file after syncing" in SeedSync settings.
note

Hard links only work when both directories are on the same filesystem. If your download and completion directories are on different mounts, use a bind mount to place them on the same filesystem, or use a copy-on-complete script instead (at the cost of extra disk space).

Hard links don't consume extra disk space on the seedbox — they create another reference to the same data on disk. When SeedSync finishes syncing and deletes from /downloads/complete, only the hard link is removed. The original file stays intact for seeding.

  • qBittorrent: Use qbit-hardlinker to automatically hard link completed downloads to your SeedSync directory.
  • ruTorrent: Use a post-completion script that creates hard links. Note that the Autotools "Move to" option performs a move, not a hard link — this would break seeding since the original file is relocated.

Example directory layout​

/downloads/
├── tv/              ← Sonarr downloads here, torrents continue seeding
├── movies/          ← Radarr downloads here
└── complete/        ← Hard links go here, SeedSync watches this directory
tip

This setup also solves the common problem of setting up SeedSync on a seedbox that already has many existing files. Since only newly completed downloads get hard linked into the completion directory, SeedSync won't try to sync your entire library.

Where are settings stored?​

Inside the container at /config/settings.cfg.