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cross-seed

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cross-seed is a tool that searches your indexers for torrents matching the data you already seed, so you can cross-seed the same content on more trackers. This guide walks you through installing, configuring, and running cross-seed on your Ultra service using the source build method. The install script is provided by the developer.

Prerequisites

Python: Version 3.10 or newer
Node.js: Version 22 LTS

Features

Automatic Cross-Seeding: Scans your existing torrents and searches indexers for matches, enabling you to cross-seed with minimal effort.
Flexible Matching: Offers multiple matching modes (strict, flexible, partial) to suit your accuracy and performance preferences.
Client Integration: Injects matched torrents directly into your supported torrent client, streamlining the seeding process.

Installation

Connect to your Ultra service via SSH. For help, refer to 📘Connect to your Ultra slot via SSH.
Install Node.js with the Node.js installer script:

bash <(wget -qO- https://scripts.ultra.cc/util-v2/LanguageInstaller/Node-Installer/main.sh)

The installer sets up nvm and installs the latest Node.js LTS release. The cross-seed install script requires Node.js 22, so install it and set it as your default version:

nvm install 22
nvm alias default 22

Install Python v3.10+ (recommended to run 3.10 unless another version is specifically needed):

bash <(wget -qO- https://scripts.ultra.cc/util-v2/LanguageInstaller/Python-Installer/main.sh)

Log out of your SSH session and log back in, or restart your terminal. This ensures Python and Node are available in your environment.
Install cross-seed using the script provided by the developer specifically for the Ultra environment:

bash <(wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zakkarry/cross-seed-source-build/refs/heads/master/install_shared_env_xs.sh)

Follow the prompts in the script. Each install option includes a brief description to help you choose the best version.

Configuration

Once successfully installed, you need to generate a configuration file.
Run the following command to generate a config.js:

cross-seed gen-config

Generate an API key and copy it into your config.js:

cross-seed api-key

Edit config.js with nano:

nano ~/.cross-seed/config.js

Add all your application URLs (Prowlarr Torznab URLs, Jackett RSS feeds, *Arr apps, and download clients) to your config.js.
Ensure you configure your dataDirs with the download directory of your torrent client.
(Optional) You can change the matching mode with matchMode, but flexible is recommended.
For further configuration and customization, refer to the official documentation or the links displayed at each option in config.js.

Run cross-seed

Once you have configured config.js with your applications (you need at least a download client and one indexing application, e.g. qBittorrent and Prowlarr), run the following command to search your indexers for cross-seeds of your existing torrents:

cross-seed search

For other options for managing your application, refer to the official documentation.

Notes

Restart your terminal session after you install or change Node.js or Python so that your environment recognizes them.
You can rerun the install_shared_env_xs.sh script to upgrade or reconfigure your cross-seed install.
The daemon method is not recommended on Ultra.
Known compatibility issue with The Lounge: If you have The Lounge installed, cross-seed may fail or behave unexpectedly due to conflicting Node.js versions in ~/.bashrc. The Lounge's app-manager installs its own nvm and Node.js version at ~/.nvm-thelounge, while cross-seed uses the default ~/.nvm (Node v22 LTS). Depending on the order of the lines in .bashrc, one overrides the other, causing dependency version conflicts. This also works in reverse: cross-seed can set NODE_OPTIONS="--disable-wasm-trap-handler" which breaks The Lounge.

To resolve this, create a wrapper script that explicitly sources the correct nvm before running cross-seed. Run the following after completing the installation steps above:

cat << 'EOF' > ~/bin/cross-seed-wrapper
#!/bin/bash
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && source "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
nvm use 22 > /dev/null 2>&1
NODE_OPTIONS=--disable-wasm-trap-handler node "$HOME/.xs-git/dist/cmd.js" "$@"
EOF
chmod +x ~/bin/cross-seed-wrapper

Use cross-seed-wrapper in place of cross-seed for all commands going forward. This ensures cross-seed always runs with the correct Node.js version regardless of what .bashrc has set.

cross-seed
Prerequisites
Features
Installation
Configuration
Run cross-seed
Notes