Remote Path Mapping Explained: Fix Sonarr and Radarr Import Errors

What Is Remote Path Mapping?

Remote path mapping tells Sonarr/Radarr how to translate file paths between your download client and media manager. When ruTorrent downloads a file to /home/user/downloads/, Sonarr needs to know that path to import the file — but if Sonarr sees a different path, imports fail.

When Do You Need Remote Path Mapping?

• Same seedbox (most common): Usually NOT needed — Sonarr/Radarr and ruTorrent see the same filesystem
• Home Sonarr → Remote seedbox: NEEDED — your home Sonarr sees different paths than your seedbox
• Docker containers: May be needed if mount paths differ between containers

Setting Up Remote Path Mapping

In Sonarr:

1. Settings → Download Clients → scroll to Remote Path Mappings
2. Click + to add a mapping
3. Set:
   • Host: localhost (or your seedbox IP if connecting remotely)
   • Remote Path: The path as your download client sees it (e.g., /home/user/downloads/)
   • Local Path: The path as Sonarr sees it (e.g., /downloads/ in Docker, or same as remote if on same machine)

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Everything on the same seedbox (no mapping needed)

If Sonarr, ruTorrent, and Plex all run on your Evoseedbox, they share the same filesystem. No remote path mapping needed — just ensure Sonarr’s root folder and ruTorrent’s download path are correct.

Scenario 2: Home Sonarr connected to seedbox ruTorrent

You run Sonarr at home but ruTorrent on your seedbox. Files download to /home/user/downloads/ on the seedbox. Your home Sonarr accesses them via SSHFS mounted at /mnt/seedbox/downloads/. Remote path mapping:

Host: seedbox-ip
Remote: /home/user/downloads/
Local: /mnt/seedbox/downloads/

Troubleshooting

“Import failed: file not found”

This almost always means a path mismatch. Check: does the path Sonarr reports in the error actually exist? If not, add a remote path mapping.

“Permissions denied”

The Sonarr process needs read/write access to both the download folder and the media root folder. On Evoseedbox, permissions are pre-configured correctly.