FAQ
Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting.
Q&A
General
What should I know before using Seanime?
I recommend getting familiar with torrenting, media servers, media players, and basic privacy stuff before using Seanime. Wiki. Seanime is a tool for managing your anime and manga collection, it does not provide any security guarantees around torrenting or streaming, use at your own risk.
Why AniList?
AniList is the "database" that Seanime uses for user, anime and manga data. Its API is way more powerful and flexible than other alternatives such as MyAnimeList, and it allows Seanime to just build on top of it without having to maintain a system of its own. If you're not already using AniList, you should consider switching or use an extension like MAL-Sync to keep your lists in sync between multiple services. A future version of Seanime might implement its own list system, eliminating the reliance on AniList, but that's not a priority at the moment.
Does Seanime support MyAnimeList?
No. You can use an extension like MAL-Sync to keep your lists in sync.
Is Seanime available on Docker?
Docker support was dropped due to the complexity of containerizing it with all the dependencies needed for the various features. You can still try to containerize it yourself and contribute to the project.
What do I do if my ISP blocks Nyaa?
You can use a VPN to bypass the block or use a different torrent provider (i.e. AnimeTosho).
Can I run multiple instances?
You can run multiple instances of Seanime by specifying a different data directory. How to.
Can I have multiple users?
No, unlike other media servers, Seanime is built around the idea of a single user for a single instance. You can run multiple instances of Seanime for multiple different accounts and point them to the same media directory.
Anime
Why am I seeing "No metadata found on AniDB"?
This error occurs when the mapping API Seanime uses cannot find episode metadata on AniDB. This is usually due to the anime being a Special or OVA, or it being adult content. This is not critical and just means that there will be no episode metadata for that anime.
Transcoding
Why is there so much buffering?
If you're experiencing buffering issues, you can try lowering the quality settings in the media player. If the issue persists, check your CPU usage and network speed. If your CPU is maxed out, you might need to enable hardware acceleration.
Can I run multiple streams?
Seanime does not support multiple streams at the moment.
Playback started on the wrong device
If you're trying to stream a media file to another desktop/laptop, go to Settings > Media streaming
and check Use media streaming on this device
.
This is because Seanime cannot differentiate between different desktop/laptop devices and always assumes that it is the host device.
Torrent streaming
How to change download/upload speeds?
You cannot change the download/upload speeds when streaming torrents.
Why is the stream not starting?
Seanime sends the stream to your media player when it reaches at least 5% downloaded.
Why is the stream slow?
If you're experiencing slow speeds or buffering, it's most likely due to the torrent's health or the number of seeders. Torrent streaming is only recommended for well-seeded torrents and for users with a good internet connection. Just switch to online streaming if quality is not a concern.
What about the swarm?
Seanime's implementation of torrent streaming is very similar to just downloading a torrent, seeding it and playing it locally with just one difference: the ability to watch it while it's downloading. Seeding is enforced when streaming and even after (when the entire file is downloaded). The only time seeding is stopped is when (1) the stream is stopped before the file fully downloads, (2) another stream starts, or (3) the server shuts down.
Online streaming
Does Seanime support dubbed anime?
Yes, Seanime supports dubbed anime. Built-in extensions only support english dubs, but you can create your own custom extensions to support other languages.
Manga
Why is my manga collection empty?
Seanime uses your AniList manga collection. Make sure you have manga in your AniList collection.
Can I read offline?
Yes, you can read offline. Learn more.
Can I use custom sources?
No, Seanime only supports built-in sources and has no plans to support custom sources. The sources will be limited to the ones that have the most compatibility with AniList's manga/manhwa database.
Troubleshooting
Crash
Crash occurred, what do I do?
When a crash occurs, the terminal will show a stack trace. Create an issue on GitHub and include the stack trace in the issue. If possible, include the log file(s) if the crash occurred during a scan. Make sure to explain the steps you took before the crash occurred.
Scanning issues
Scanning is taking too long
Here are some things you can do:
- Check the terminal for errors
- If the terminal shows that the scan is complete, but the client is still loading, try refreshing the page and scanning again
- If the scan is hanging on a specific part, you might have hit the API rate limit. Wait a few minutes.
Scanning is stuck at 20%
- There might be an issue with an external API request, if the issue persists after multiple retries, please open an issue on GitHub. Include the terminal output if possible. Include the log file(s) for that scan if possible.
Scanning errors
[matcher] no media fed into the matcher
: Your AniList lists are empty and you did not enable enhanced scanning.- If you encounter any other scanning errors, please open an issue on GitHub and include (1) the terminal output, (2) the log file(s) for that scan, and (3) what your local anime collection looks like.
Media mismatch
- Verify that the torrent filenames are parsable and adhere to the guidelines.
- Learn more about file structure and scanning.
Metadata issues
Season mismatch
Do any of the following:
- Unmatch files and use enhanced scanning.
- Unmatch files of incorrect entry and use the "Resolve unmatched" feature.
- Unmatch files, make sure the anime is in your AniList collection, scan again.
- Learn more about scanning.
Incorrect metadata / episode covers
This is most likely caused by a mismatch between the episode count in AniList and AniDB. Learn more about metadata.
Incorrect "missing episodes" detection
This might be caused by an incorrect match or a mismatch between the episode count in AniList and AniDB. Make sure that your file count corresponds to AniList's episode count. Learn more about metadata.
Missing images
Media player
Playback errors
-
could not start media player
: Seanime is unable to start your media player. Make sure that your media player is installed and that the settings are correct. -
could not open and play video, verify your settings
: Seanime is unable to communicate with your media player. Make sure that your media player is running and that the settings are correct. -
MPV:
could not open and play video, [error]
. Make sure that MPV is installed and is in your PATH. Guide. If the issue persists, manually set the MPV binary/executable path in the settings.