RSS subscriptions

This page explains how to find a site's RSS link, add a subscription in pt-tools, and what each option does.

What an RSS subscription does

WARNING

Only freeleech torrents are downloaded by default. When a subscription has no filter rules attached and its download mode is the default Smart (智能), it downloads freeleech torrents only and never downloads torrents that are not free. If all you want is to build ratio, add the subscription without any filter rules. Only when you want to follow a series or download particular releases even when they are not free do you need to create a rule under Filter rules (过滤规则) and turn off its Free only (仅免费) option. See Filter rules and TV series.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a feed format for publishing new content. Private trackers use it to publish their latest torrents.

With an RSS subscription, pt-tools can:

1. Check the latest torrents a site publishes, on a schedule
2. Decide whether to download each one from the download mode and the filter rules (title keywords, size, freeleech status and so on)
3. Push the torrents that qualify to a downloader (qBittorrent, Transmission)

This is the core of fully automatic ratio building and of following series.

Getting the RSS link

How you get the RSS link depends on the software the site runs.

NexusPHP sites (such as HDSky and HDDolby)

These sites usually authenticate with a cookie, and the RSS link may contain your passkey. Never share your RSS link.

Steps:

1. Sign in to the site and open the Torrents page or the home page.
2. Look for the RSS icon or a "subscribe" link, usually at the top right of the page, next to the messages icon.
3. Choose the categories you want (such as TV series), the resolution and other conditions, and the number of items per page, then generate the RSS link.
4. Copy the generated link (usually the address meant for BitTorrent clients that support RSS).
5. The link usually looks like this: https://site.com/torrentrss.php?rows=10&linktype=dl&passkey=YOUR_PASSKEY

Parameters:

• rows: the number of torrents returned (10 to 50 is a good range)
• linktype: the link type; it normally has to include dl so the feed carries direct download links
• passkey: your personal key; never share it

mTorrent sites (such as M-Team)

These newer sites usually use an API key or a dedicated RSS generator page.

Steps (M-Team as the example):

1. Sign in to the site and open the user center or personal settings.
2. Find the API / RSS settings.
3. Generate a new API key, if one is needed.
4. In the RSS generator, choose the categories you need (such as Movie and TV).
5. Copy the generated link.
6. An example of the format: https://rss.m-team.cc/api/rss/fetch?dl=1&pageSize=10&sign=XXXX&t=XXX&tkeys=ttitle&uid=XXX

Adding a subscription in pt-tools

1. Open Sites → Site list (站点 → 站点列表) and click the Site settings and RSS (站点配置与 RSS 订阅) button on the site's row to open the site's page.
2. Switch to the RSS subscriptions (RSS 订阅) tab and click Add RSS (添加 RSS).
3. Enter a name and the link, set the options below as needed, then save.

After saving, the subscription runs in the background at its check interval. Pushed torrents appear under Downloads → Task list (下载 → 任务列表); when nothing is pushed, System → Logs (系统 → 运行日志) records why.

Subscription options

Option	Meaning	Default
Name (名称)	A name to recognise the subscription by	Required
Check interval (检查间隔)	How often the feed is fetched, in minutes, from 5 to 1440	10
Link (链接)	The site's RSS address	Required
Category (分类)	The category set when the torrent is pushed to the downloader	Empty
Tag (标签)	The tag added when the torrent is pushed to the downloader	Empty
Downloader (下载器)	Which downloader to push to; a downloader that is not enabled cannot be chosen	Default downloader
Download folder (下载路径)	One of the downloader's preset folders, or a path you type after switching to Custom (自定义); empty means the downloader's default	Empty
Filter rules (过滤规则)	The filter rules attached to the subscription; you can choose several	None
Download mode (下载模式)	Follow global, Smart, Filter rules only or Free only; see below	Follow global
Pause at freeleech end (免费结束暂停)	Pauses the torrent automatically if it has not finished when its freeleech period ends	Off
Notification mode (通知模式)	Whether to send a notification for new torrents; see New-torrent notifications	No notifications

Download modes

Mode	Behaviour
Smart (智能) (recommended)	Without filter rules, downloads freeleech torrents only; once rules are attached, downloads only the torrents that match them and no longer downloads unmatched freeleech torrents
Filter rules only (仅过滤规则)	Downloads only torrents that match a filter rule; a subscription with no rules attached downloads nothing
Free only (仅免费)	Downloads freeleech torrents only and ignores filter rules; suited to pure ratio building
Follow global (跟随全局)	Uses the Default download mode (默认下载模式) under System → Global settings (系统 → 全局设置), which is Smart unless you change it

A freeleech torrent is pushed only if it can also finish within its freeleech period; how that is judged is explained under the speed limit and minimum freeleech time settings in Configuration. The maximum and minimum torrent sizes in the global settings apply in every mode.

Filter rules

Filter rules are created under Rules → Filter rules (规则 → 过滤规则) and then attached to a subscription:

• Matching: a keyword, a wildcard or a regular expression, matched against the title, the tags or both.
• Size range: a minimum and a maximum size in GB, which cannot exceed the global maximum.
• Free only: when on, the rule lets through freeleech torrents only.
• Purpose: the rule controls downloading, new-torrent notifications, or both.

The syntax and examples for following a series are in Filter rules and TV series.

Good practice

1. Choose a sensible interval. Do not set a very short interval (under 5 minutes, for example): it puts load on the site's server and can get your account banned. 10 to 30 minutes is a good range.
2. Test before you automate. Before attaching rules, try them with Test match (测试匹配) on the filter rules page, which fetches live data from a subscription; after turning the subscription on, watch the logs to confirm the results are what you expect.
3. Use the site's own filters. If the site's RSS generator lets you choose categories (films only, for example), filter there when you generate the link, so less has to be processed locally.
4. Keep categories apart. Give the torrents downloaded through RSS their own downloader category, which makes it easier to automate a media library later (Jellyfin, for example).
5. Protect your passkey. When you share a configuration or a screenshot, always hide the passkey or apikey parameter of the RSS link.

Troubleshooting

1. Fetching the feed fails (HTTP 403/401)

• Cause: the credentials have expired or the passkey is wrong.
• Fix: check that the passkey in the link is correct; for a site that needs a cookie, make sure pt-tools has a valid cookie for it.

2. The feed is fetched but nothing is downloaded

• Cause: the link itself returns no items, or every item was turned away by the download mode and the filter rules.
• Fix:
  • Open the RSS link in a browser and check that it returns XML.
  • Check whether the rows parameter is too small.
  • Check the download mode: in Smart mode with rules attached, only torrents that match the rules are downloaded.
  • Look in the logs for the reason each torrent was skipped.

3. The downloader cannot add the torrent

• Cause: the downloader cannot be reached, or the folder does not exist or is not writable.
• Fix: check the downloader's connectivity; make sure the download folder exists on the machine the downloader runs on and is writable.

4. The promotion status is not recognised

• Cause: some sites' feeds do not carry promotion information, or pt-tools does not yet handle the site's particular fields.
• Fix: update pt-tools to the latest version, or rely on reading the torrent's details page, where the site supports it.