Automation Pipeline
The automation pipeline chains together the main functions of CineRename:
Source folder → renaming → subtitles → moving → final libraryIt is useful for processing a downloads folder with less manual work. Risky actions stay conservative: preview first, no overwrite by default, and only confident matches should move automatically.
Who is it for
- Plex / Jellyfin users who want new files to land automatically well-named and with subtitles.
- NAS Admins who script Sonarr / Radarr post-processing.
- Seedbox users who pull downloads to a remote library.
Configuration
In Preferences → Automation:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatic trigger | Run the pipeline after imports when enabled |
| Pipeline strategy | Rename only, rename and move, or rename/move/subtitles |
| Destination root | Final library or staging folder, for example /media/Plex |
| Movie / series / anime folders | Optional subfolders used when organizing by media type |
| Subtitle language | Preferred subtitle language for automated subtitle steps |
| Move options | Move, copy, hardlink, or symlink depending on your workflow |
| Download clients | qBittorrent, Transmission, or JDownloader import settings |
| Dry-run by default | Recommended for download-client imports and large unattended runs |
Run the pipeline
Four ways:
- From the Studio — Run pipeline button on the loaded files.
- From the CLI —
cinerename auto /path --to /Plex/...(see CLI). - In the background — watch folders can import new files, and the automation trigger can process them if enabled.
- Headless/WebUI — the NAS build can run scheduled or token-protected server workflows.
Security
The auto mode respects the same guarantees as the Studio:
- Preview-first flow — run a dry-run before large or unattended operations.
- No overwrite by default —
keep bothmode is selected if nothing is specified. - Reversible — each operation is tracked individually in the History, therefore undoable.
- Quarantine for uncertainty — low-confidence download-client items stay in review instead of being moved silently.
Surveillance and torrent workflows
If you watch a folder where torrents write during download (*.part, .!ut), point CineRename at the downloader's completed/final folder or enable a staging flow. Otherwise it may see incomplete files before the downloader has finished.
Example Scenarios
Scenario 1 — Seedbox pull to NAS
rsyncpullsseedbox:downloads/to/mnt/nas/incoming/- CineRename watches
/mnt/nas/incoming/ - Automation pipeline:
- renames
- downloads EN subtitles
- moves to
/mnt/nas/Plex/Moviesor/mnt/nas/Plex/Series
- Plex scans
/mnt/nas/Plex/→ content recognized instantly
Scenario 2 — Sonarr post-processing
- Sonarr downloads an episode
- At the end, Sonarr calls a script
post-process.sh - This script runs
cinerename auto $sonarr_episodefile_path --to /Plex/Series --subs en - No manual action required
Scenario 3 — Family Mac
- A family member drags a folder into
~/Movies/Inbox - CineRename Mac, running in the background, watches this folder
- Auto pipeline moves it to a clean
~/Movies/Plex/...
Logs And Support
All pipeline and background events are recorded in the standard CineRename application logs:
| OS / Mode | Log Directory |
|---|---|
| Windows (Desktop) | %LOCALAPPDATA%\com.cinerename.desktop\logs\ |
| macOS (Desktop) | ~/Library/Logs/com.cinerename.desktop/ |
| Linux (Desktop) | ~/.local/share/com.cinerename.desktop/logs/ |
| Headless / NAS (Linux) | Standard output / redirect via shell (e.g. >> /var/log/cinerename.log 2>&1) |
In the desktop application, you can access logs directly via Preferences → Support → Copy Logs or Show Logs Folder to inspect recent activity or report an issue. On CLI/headless runs, redirect stdout/stderr to your desired persistent log destination.