When Recyclarr does not behave as expected, its logs are one of the most useful places to start troubleshooting. Recyclarr logs provide information about configuration loading, Sonarr and Radarr connections, synchronization operations, custom formats, quality profiles, and errors encountered during execution. Reading the logs correctly can help you determine whether a problem comes from the Recyclarr configuration, an API connection, the network, or the target application.
The exact method for viewing Recyclarr logs depends on how Recyclarr is installed. Docker users will normally inspect container logs, while native installations can view output directly from the command line or from the environment used to run scheduled jobs. Regardless of the installation method, start by reproducing the problem and then examine the log entries generated at that time.
This approach is more reliable than changing several configuration values at once. A specific error message can often point directly to the setting or connection that needs attention.
Where Does Recyclarr Output Its Logs?
Recyclarr commonly outputs log information directly to the console when it runs. If you execute a Recyclarr command manually, the terminal output can provide immediate information about what the application is doing.
The logs may show:
- Configuration files being loaded
- Sonarr connections
- Radarr connections
- Synchronization activity
- Custom format processing
- Quality profile processing
- Configuration warnings
- API errors
- Invalid settings
- Unexpected failures
The exact wording and level of detail can vary depending on the Recyclarr version and how the application is launched.
If you are troubleshooting a scheduled execution, make sure you inspect the logs from the actual scheduled process rather than relying only on the output from a previous manual command.
How Do I View Recyclarr Logs in Docker?
If Recyclarr is running inside Docker, the simplest way to view its logs is through Docker’s container logging system.
First, identify the Recyclarr container:
docker ps
Find the container associated with Recyclarr and then view its logs:
docker logs recyclarr
Replace recyclarr with the actual container name if yours is different.
To follow the logs while Recyclarr is running, use:
docker logs -f recyclarr
The -f option follows new log entries as they are produced. This is useful when you want to watch a synchronization operation in real time.
You can stop following the output with Ctrl+C. This does not stop the Recyclarr container; it only ends the log-viewing command.
How Do I View Recyclarr Logs With Docker Compose?
If you manage Recyclarr through Docker Compose, you can inspect the service logs using the Compose command.
For example:
docker compose logs recyclarr
To continuously monitor new entries:
docker compose logs -f recyclarr
If your service has a different name, replace recyclarr with the service name defined in your Compose file.
You can also limit the amount of recent output when troubleshooting a large log:
docker compose logs --tail=100 recyclarr
This displays the latest 100 lines instead of dumping the entire available log history.
How Do I View Logs When Running Recyclarr Manually?
If Recyclarr is installed natively and executed from a terminal, its output is normally visible directly in the terminal window.
Run the relevant Recyclarr command and observe the output as the operation progresses.
This is useful for troubleshooting because you can immediately see:
- Whether Recyclarr starts correctly.
- Whether the configuration loads.
- Which instance it is connecting to.
- Whether synchronization begins.
- Where an error occurs.
If the command fails, copy the relevant error message before making configuration changes. The surrounding log entries can provide important context.
How Do I Get More Useful Recyclarr Log Details?
When a problem is difficult to diagnose, increasing the amount of diagnostic information can make the underlying issue easier to identify.
Use the logging options supported by your installed Recyclarr version and deployment method. Recyclarr’s command-line help can show the available options:
recyclarr --help
You can also check the help for the specific command you are using.
Do not assume that a logging option from an older Recyclarr version is still valid. Command-line options can change between releases, so use the help output associated with your installed version.
How Do I Find Errors in a Large Recyclarr Log?
Large logs can contain many normal informational messages. Focus first on entries that indicate an actual failure or warning.
Look for terms such as:
error
failed
exception
warning
invalid
unauthorized
forbidden
timeout
connection
On Linux systems, you can filter command output with tools such as grep.
For example:
docker logs recyclarr 2>&1 | grep -i error
You can also search for warnings:
docker logs recyclarr 2>&1 | grep -i warning
Remember that an error keyword alone does not always identify the root cause. Read several lines before and after the message to understand what Recyclarr was attempting to do.
What Does a Recyclarr Configuration Error Look Like?
Configuration problems generally appear when Recyclarr attempts to parse or process your YAML configuration.
Potential causes include:
- Incorrect YAML indentation
- Invalid property names
- Unsupported configuration values
- Missing required settings
- Incorrect structure
- Typographical errors
- References to unavailable configuration data
If the log indicates a configuration parsing failure, inspect the YAML file before investigating Sonarr or Radarr connectivity.
A useful troubleshooting approach is to identify the exact file and section mentioned by the error rather than reviewing the entire configuration randomly.
What If Recyclarr Cannot Connect to Sonarr?
If the logs show that Recyclarr cannot connect to Sonarr, check the connection information first.
Verify:
- Sonarr’s URL
- Port number
- API key
- Network accessibility
- Firewall rules
- Container networking
- Reverse proxy configuration, if used
A connection error can look different from an authentication error. If Recyclarr reaches Sonarr but receives an unauthorized response, the API key or authentication configuration deserves attention. If it cannot establish a connection at all, the URL, port, routing, or firewall may be more relevant.
What If Recyclarr Cannot Connect to Radarr?
The same basic troubleshooting process applies to Radarr.
Check the Radarr URL, port, API key, and network path between Recyclarr and Radarr.
If Recyclarr runs inside Docker, remember that networking is determined by the container configuration. A hostname that works from the host system may not necessarily resolve in exactly the same way from inside the Recyclarr container.
The logs can help distinguish between a DNS failure, connection refusal, timeout, and authentication problem.
How Do I Troubleshoot API Authentication Errors?
Authentication-related log entries usually indicate that Recyclarr reached the target application but could not authenticate successfully.
Check the API key configured for the affected Sonarr or Radarr instance.
If you recently regenerated an API key, the old value stored in Recyclarr will no longer work.
Also verify that the correct API key belongs to the correct application. Using a Radarr API key for a Sonarr connection, for example, will not authenticate successfully.
Avoid posting API keys publicly when sharing logs for troubleshooting. Remove credentials and other sensitive values before publishing diagnostic output.
How Do I Troubleshoot Connection Timeouts?
A timeout means Recyclarr attempted to communicate with a service but did not receive a response within the expected period.
Possible causes include:
- Incorrect hostname
- Incorrect port
- Firewall restrictions
- Docker network configuration
- Reverse proxy problems
- Service downtime
- Routing problems
- DNS issues
Start by checking whether the target Sonarr or Radarr instance is accessible from the same environment where Recyclarr runs.
For Docker deployments, testing connectivity from inside the container can be particularly useful because the container has its own networking context.
How Do I Troubleshoot Custom Format Errors From the Logs?
If the logs identify a problem with a custom format, inspect the corresponding configuration and the custom format reference.
Errors may occur because of:
- An invalid custom format identifier
- A missing custom format
- Incorrect configuration syntax
- An outdated configuration
- A reference that no longer matches the target application
Look at the exact custom format named in the log rather than changing unrelated sections.
If Recyclarr reports that a TRaSH ID or custom format cannot be found, verify the identifier and configuration source before attempting other changes.
How Do I Troubleshoot Quality Profile Errors?
Quality profile synchronization errors should be investigated using the log entries surrounding the failed profile.
Check whether:
- The referenced profile exists.
- The target Sonarr or Radarr instance is correct.
- The configuration uses the expected profile name.
- The required quality definitions are available.
- The API account has sufficient access.
If the error occurs only for one profile while other profiles synchronize successfully, focus on that profile’s configuration rather than the entire Recyclarr installation.
How Do I Save Recyclarr Logs to a File?
Saving logs to a file can make troubleshooting easier, particularly when you need to review a long synchronization process.
With Docker, you can redirect the output to a file from the host:
docker logs recyclarr > recyclarr.log 2>&1
For Docker Compose:
docker compose logs recyclarr > recyclarr.log 2>&1
You can then search the saved file with standard command-line tools.
For example:
grep -i error recyclarr.log
Be careful when sharing the resulting file. Logs can contain server addresses, usernames, configuration details, or other information that you may not want to publish.
How Do I Troubleshoot Scheduled Recyclarr Runs?
If Recyclarr works manually but fails when scheduled, compare the environment used by the manual and scheduled executions.
The scheduled process may run with:
- Different environment variables
- Different working directories
- Different file permissions
- Different user permissions
- Different filesystem paths
- Different network access
This can explain why a command succeeds interactively but fails when executed automatically.
Check the scheduler or service logs as well as the Recyclarr output. The failure may occur before Recyclarr even starts.
Should I Restart Recyclarr When Troubleshooting?
Restarting Recyclarr can be useful after correcting a configuration or environment problem, but restarting should not be the first troubleshooting step.
First capture the error and determine what it indicates.
Then:
- Identify the suspected cause.
- Make the necessary correction.
- Restart or rerun Recyclarr.
- Check the new logs.
- Confirm whether the original error has disappeared.
This creates a clear troubleshooting trail and prevents repeated restarts from obscuring the underlying problem.
What Information Should I Include When Asking for Help?
If you need help from a community or support resource, provide the relevant error and enough surrounding context to explain what Recyclarr was doing.
Useful information can include:
- Recyclarr version
- Installation method
- Operating system
- Docker or Compose configuration, where relevant
- Relevant configuration section
- Sonarr or Radarr version
- Exact error message
- Several surrounding log lines
Remove API keys, passwords, tokens, private credentials, and other sensitive information before sharing logs.
A complete error message is usually much more useful than a screenshot containing only the final line.
A Practical Recyclarr Log Troubleshooting Workflow
When Recyclarr reports an error, follow a consistent process instead of changing several settings at once.
First, reproduce the problem manually if possible. Then capture the relevant log output.
Next, identify whether the failure is related to configuration, connectivity, authentication, synchronization, or the target Sonarr/Radarr instance.
After identifying the category, check the specific setting referenced in the error. Make one change at a time and run Recyclarr again.
Finally, compare the new output with the original error. If the error disappears but another one appears, troubleshoot the new issue separately.
This approach makes it much easier to determine what actually fixed the problem.
Recyclarr Log Troubleshooting Checklist
Before considering a log-related problem resolved, verify:
- Recyclarr starts without configuration errors.
- The expected configuration files are loaded.
- Sonarr connections succeed.
- Radarr connections succeed.
- API authentication succeeds.
- Custom formats are processed correctly.
- Quality profiles are processed correctly.
- Synchronization completes without unexpected errors.
- Scheduled execution works when applicable.
- No sensitive credentials are exposed in shared logs.
Conclusion
Recyclarr logs provide a direct view of what happens when the application loads its configuration, connects to Sonarr or Radarr, and performs synchronization. Docker users can usually inspect logs with docker logs or Docker Compose, while native installations can review the command output directly.
When troubleshooting, focus on the exact error and the surrounding messages rather than treating every warning as a failure. Configuration errors, API authentication problems, network timeouts, permissions, and custom format issues each require a different approach.
The most effective workflow is to reproduce the problem, capture the relevant logs, identify the failure category, make one targeted correction, and run Recyclarr again. This keeps troubleshooting controlled and makes it easier to determine whether the problem has actually been resolved.