Shared storage

Flows, slskd handoff, Lidarr file reuse, Navidrome playback, and Plex library scanning all depend on the same host folder mounted at the same container path across services. This guide uses /data.

Docker only exposes mounted paths. Aurral uses the literal filesystem paths Lidarr and slskd report over their APIs. If Lidarr stores a file at /data/music/... but Aurral does not have /data/music mounted, library checks and reuse will fail even when the API connection works.

Recommended host layout

/srv/media/
├── music/                              # Lidarr root folder
└── downloads/
    ├── slskd/
    │   └── complete/                   # slskd finished downloads
    └── aurral/                         # Aurral DOWNLOAD_FOLDER
        └── aurral-weekly-flow/           # created by Aurral

Paths each service should use

Service	Mount	Path inside container
Lidarr	/srv/media:/data	Root folder /data/music
slskd	/srv/media:/data	Downloads /data/downloads/slskd/complete
Aurral	/srv/media:/data	DOWNLOAD_FOLDER=/data/downloads/aurral
Navidrome	/srv/media:/data:ro	Scan /data/music and /data/downloads/aurral
Plex	/srv/media:/data	Read /data/downloads/aurral/aurral-weekly-flow (Aurral creates the library via API)

Aurral app state stays in /config and does not need to be shared with the other apps.

Example compose mounts

services:
  aurral:
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    volumes:
      - /srv/media:/data
      - ./config/aurral:/config

  lidarr:
    volumes:
      - /srv/media:/data
      - ./config/lidarr:/config

  slskd:
    volumes:
      - /srv/media:/data
      - ./config/slskd:/app

  navidrome:
    environment:
      - ND_SCANNER_PURGEMISSING=always
      - ND_DATA=/config
    volumes:
      - /srv/media:/data:ro
      - ./data/navidrome:/config

After startup:

1. In Lidarr, set the root folder to /data/music.
2. In slskd, set downloads to /data/downloads/slskd/complete.
3. In Aurral onboarding or Settings, set DOWNLOAD_FOLDER to /data/downloads/aurral.
4. In Navidrome, add /data/music and /data/downloads/aurral as music folders.

Caution

Mounting only /data/music is enough for Lidarr API connectivity, but Aurral cannot see /data/downloads/... unless that tree is mounted too. Mount the parent shared root, for example /srv/media:/data.

Windows and mixed Docker setups

The recommended setup runs Aurral, Lidarr, and slskd in Docker with the same /data mount. If Lidarr or slskd run natively on Windows while Aurral runs in Docker, those apps report host paths such as N:\Music\... that Aurral cannot open directly.

Fix this by mounting the parent music folder into Aurral, then letting Aurral translate paths:

services:
  aurral:
    environment:
      - DOWNLOAD_FOLDER=/music/Aurral
      - PATH_MAPPINGS=N:/ServerFolders/Music|/music
      - M3U_PATH_MODE=remote
    volumes:
      - N:/ServerFolders/Music:/music
      - ./config/aurral:/config

PATH_MAPPINGS is optional if auto-detect or a saved UI mapping works. Use remote|local pairs separated by ; for multiple mappings. See Environment variables.

M3U_PATH_MODE=remote is only needed when Navidrome runs outside Docker. Leave it unset (or local) when Navidrome shares the same container mounts as Aurral.

After changing volumes or environment, recreate the container (docker compose up -d --force-recreate). docker restart does not apply compose changes.

1. Set your download folder to a path inside that mount, for example /music/Aurral (via DOWNLOAD_FOLDER or Settings → Playlists).
2. In Settings → Integrations → Lidarr, run Test library access. Aurral auto-detects a mapping such as N:\ServerFolders\Music → /music when the folders line up.
3. If auto-detect does not work, add PATH_MAPPINGS in compose, or open Settings → Playlists → Path mappings, click Detect from Lidarr, or add a manual Remote path / Local path pair, then save.
4. If Navidrome runs on Windows while Aurral is in Docker, enable Settings → Integrations → Navidrome → Use host paths in playlist files or set M3U_PATH_MODE=remote in compose.

Path mappings vs playlist file paths

These solve two different problems in mixed Windows/Docker setups:

Setting	Direction	Used for
Path mappings (PATH_MAPPINGS or Settings → Playlists)	Host → container (N:\... → /music/...)	Aurral reading Lidarr/slskd files, library reuse, Test library access
Playlist file paths (M3U_PATH_MODE=remote or Navidrome setting)	Container → host (/music/... → N:\...)	M3U playlists Navidrome reads when it is not in Docker
Plex downloads path (Plex integration setting)	Aurral → Plex library root	Plex music library location when Plex sees a different mount than Aurral

Path mappings let Aurral open files inside the container. They do not change what Navidrome sees in generated .m3u files unless you also enable host paths for playlists. Plex uses its own downloads-path override instead of M3U path mode. See Plex.

When reusing tracks from Lidarr, Aurral stores the original Lidarr path and prefers that in remote M3U output. Downloaded tracks fall back to inverting your path mappings.

Note

PATH_MAPPINGS from compose is applied at runtime but does not appear under Settings → Playlists → Path mappings. Use the UI if you want to view or edit mappings in the app.

Path mappings also apply to slskd download paths reported from native Windows installs.

You do not need to move your music library or change Lidarr’s root folder path on Windows. Aurral translates the paths it receives from Lidarr and slskd into the mounted container paths.

Next: First run