Playlist imports

An imported playlist is a static playlist. It differs from a flow:

• It does not use flow sources, filters, or Deeper cuts.
• A Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, Last.fm, ListenBrainz, or Aurral share import can sync on its own schedule. A synced import keeps the same tracks as the provider.
• It can reuse finished Aurral tracks and existing Lidarr files instead of downloading them again.

All imports start in the same place. On Library > Playlists, open the create menu and select Import playlist.

Sync schedule and removed tracks

Each provider import has a sync schedule. Choose None for a fixed tracklist. To change the schedule later, use Auto-sync in the playlist menu. To sync at once, select Sync now.

A sync reads the provider playlist again. Aurral removes the tracks that are gone and queues the new tracks.

By default, a track that the provider removes leaves the Aurral playlist, but its file stays in the Library. To delete the file instead, turn off Keep tracks Spotify removes (named for the playlist’s source) during the import or in the playlist menu. Aurral then deletes the file if no other playlist uses it. It never deletes Lidarr files or other external files. The setting applies to future syncs.

Import from Spotify

1. Select Spotify.
2. Select Connect Spotify.
3. Approve access in the pop-up window.
4. Select a playlist.
5. Set a display name and a sync schedule.
6. Start the import.

If your browser blocks the pop-up window, allow it. The Aurral server must serve oauth.html.

Spotify returns playlist items in pages of up to 50. Aurral reads every page, so a very large playlist takes longer to sync. If Spotify reports more items than Aurral received, the sync fails and Aurral keeps the saved tracklist. Spotify gives item details only for playlists that you own or collaborate on.

Aurral stores one Spotify connection for each user. To revoke access, select Disconnect in the import window.

Spotify asks you to sign in again every six months. When Spotify ends or revokes the connection, Aurral disconnects it and pauses your synced Spotify playlists. It stops checking Spotify for them and keeps their tracks as they are. If Spotify rejects the connection without ending it, Aurral shows Spotify as disconnected but tries again at each scheduled check, and reconnects on its own once Spotify accepts it. Either way, a Spotify disconnected message appears when you next open Aurral. Select Reconnect to open the import window and connect again. The paused playlists sync at the next scheduled check. To sync one now, select Sync now.

Import from YouTube Music

You can import a public YouTube or YouTube Music playlist. You do not need a Google account or an API key.

1. Select YouTube Music.
2. Paste an HTTPS playlist URL from youtube.com or music.youtube.com.
3. Load the preview.
4. Set a name and a sync schedule.
5. Start the import.

Aurral loads every page of the playlist before it shows the preview or changes a synced playlist. If YouTube returns an incomplete or repeated page, times out, or is unavailable, Aurral keeps the playlist tracks and files as they are. Load the preview again, or select Sync now later. If YouTube Music limits Aurral’s requests, Aurral pauses its requests for a short time.

The preview shows how many tracks Aurral can import and how many it skips. Aurral skips unavailable entries, podcasts, rows without an artist or title, and duplicates. For a music video, Aurral uses the first author of the video as the artist, and the track can have no album.

Aurral supports public playlists. An unlisted playlist can work when YouTube allows anonymous access. Aurral cannot import private playlists, Liked Music, your library, or personal account playlists, because they need a Google sign-in.

This import supplies only the tracklist. Your download clients find and download the tracks.

Import from Last.fm

The Last.fm tab offers three stations: Library, Mix, and Recommended.

1. Select Last.fm.
2. If Aurral does not show your username, enter it. Aurral fills it in from your Last.fm history in Settings > Listening > Last.fm.
3. Select a station.
4. Start the import.

Aurral saves the username with the playlist for future syncs. A synced station follows Last.fm as the station changes.

Import from ListenBrainz

Before you import, link ListenBrainz in Settings > Listening > ListenBrainz. Aurral uses the same user token.

1. Select ListenBrainz.
2. Select a playlist.
3. Start the import.

The list shows the playlists that you own, and two generated playlists: Weekly Jams and Weekly Exploration. It leaves out the dated snapshots from Created for you.

Weekly Jams and Weekly Exploration always point to the newest generated playlist. Aurral finds the newest one each time it previews, imports, or syncs. Another playlist that you own always syncs that one playlist.

If you unlink ListenBrainz, Aurral pauses your synced ListenBrainz playlists until you link it again.

Import an Aurral share

A playlist link someone shares with you opens this window with the link loaded. You can also paste a link or just its code on the Aurral share tab.

• Keep synced checks the sender’s playlist daily. New tracks download with your own download clients, like a Spotify import.
• Import once saves today’s tracklist without downloading. When the sender shares files and allows downloads, you can copy their files instead.

When the sender stops sharing, the next sync fails with a message and the playlist stays as it is. See Sharing.

What happens after an import

• If the name is already in use, Aurral renames the imported playlist.
• The playlist queues its own downloads. It does not change any flow.
• Activity > Queue shows the import and its tracks at once, before the worker starts them.
• When Aurral reuses an existing file, it marks the track as complete at once.
• The playlist keeps the imported track order, in Aurral and in Navidrome.

Moving and removing selected tracks

Select tracks in a static playlist, then choose Move or Remove selected. Aurral queues the selection as one action and reports completion separately. If some tracks fail, their source memberships remain available. Review the result before retrying. A move saves the destination membership before removing the source. If the destination already contains a separate membership for a selected track, Aurral keeps the source and reports that track as failed.

Removing a track or its original playlist preserves downloads and files that another static playlist still uses. If a request times out, check the playlists before submitting it again because the action may already be queued.

Download retries and failures

Aurral queues each track as a separate job:

• The download worker can try several candidates and several download sources.
• If all of them fail, the track stays failed, also after a restart.
• To search again, right-click the track and select Re-search.
• To replace a finished track that Aurral downloaded, right-click it and select Re-search. Aurral keeps the current file until the replacement passes its checks.
• Aurral never swaps a failed track for a different track.

Reuse existing files

One file can belong to several playlists. Aurral does not download a track again when a usable file exists.

• Reuse does not change the track order. A track that you already have keeps its place while the missing tracks download.
• If you add a flow track to a static playlist, both playlists use the same file. When the flow refreshes, Aurral keeps the file for the static playlist.
• Aurral prefers files from static playlists and from Lidarr.
• Before Aurral removes a playlist, it moves shared files to a playlist that still uses them. Navidrome does not show duplicate files.

To reuse Lidarr files, Aurral must read them at the paths that Lidarr reports. Mount the same media root at the same container path in both services, for example /data with the Lidarr root folder /data/music. See Filesystem and mounts.

If Lidarr runs on Windows and Aurral runs in Docker, run Settings > Status > Storage > Run checks. The Lidarr library section shows the path that Lidarr reports. Add a mapping for that path in Settings > Downloads > Remote path mappings.

Navidrome must scan the Lidarr library before Aurral can add a reused track to a Navidrome playlist. See Navidrome: Existing Lidarr library.