arr-mcp

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Blocklisted releases

get_blocklist

Read-only

Retrieve blocklisted releases from Radarr, Sonarr, Whisparr, and Lidarr with reasons to diagnose why the same item keeps failing to download.

Instructions

Why a release keeps getting skipped. Lists what Radarr, Sonarr, Whisparr and Lidarr have blocklisted — releases they will not grab again — with the reason each was blocklisted, usually relayed from the download client. This is the answer to "it keeps finding the same thing and never downloading it", which get_history shows as a repeating grab-then-fail and nothing explains. Rows carry mediaId for get_media_details (an artist id on a Lidarr row), and id for remove_blocklist_item. Newest first. Radarr, Sonarr, Whisparr and Lidarr only — the download clients have no blocklist of their own.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No	Maximum items to return. Defaults to 50, hard maximum 500.
`detail`	No	How much per-item detail to return. Defaults to standard.	standard
`offset`	No	Items to skip: page two of 50 is `offset: 50`. Pair it with `sort`, or items can move between pages.
`service`	No	Scope to one service. Omit to merge them all.
`instance`	No	Which instance (e.g. "4k") when several of this service exist. Omit it when there is one.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`items`	Yes
`total`	Yes
`counts`	No
`offset`	Yes
`degraded`	Yes
`returned`	Yes
`truncated`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed20 schema fields changedv1.74.0Nov 9, 2026

removedInput schema / $schema

Removed value: -"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

changedInput schema / properties / instance / description

Previous value: -"Which instance, when several of this service are configured — for example \"4k\" or \"hd\". Omit it when there is only one. If several are configured and you omit it, the call is refused and the names are listed."New value: +"Which instance (e.g. \"4k\") when several of this service exist. Omit it when there is one."

changedInput schema / properties / offset / description

Previous value: -"How many items to skip before the window `limit` returns — page two of 50 is `offset: 50`. `total` always counts the whole list, so `offset + returned < total` is how you know there is another page. Pair it with `sort` for a stable walk: without one the order is whatever the services returned, and an item can move between pages."New value: +"Items to skip: page two of 50 is `offset: 50`. Pair it with `sort`, or items can move between pages."

removedInput schema / properties / offset / maximum
```
Removed value: -9007199254740991
```

changedInput schema / properties / service / description

Previous value: -"Scope to one service. Omit to merge Radarr, Sonarr, Whisparr and Lidarr."New value: +"Scope to one service. Omit to merge them all."

changedInput schema / properties / service / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "radarr",
-  "sonarr",
-  "whisparr",
-  "lidarr",
-  "prowlarr",
-  "bazarr",
-  "jellyfin",
-  "seerr",
-  "sabnzbd",
-  "nzbget",
-  "transmission",
-  "qbittorrent",
-  "plex",
-  "profilarr",
-  "cleanuparr",
-  "reclaimerr",
-  "dispatcharr",
-  "shelfmark",
-  "grimmory"
-]New value: +[
+  "radarr",
+  "sonarr",
+  "whisparr",
+  "lidarr"
+]

removedOutput schema / $schema

Removed value: -"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

removedOutput schema / properties / counts / description

Removed value: -"How many results each service contributed."

removedOutput schema / properties / degraded / description

Removed value: -"Services that could not be reached. Their contribution is missing from `items`, so a short list may be an outage rather than an answer."

removedOutput schema / properties / items / description

Removed value: -"The window of results. What an item carries depends on the tool and on `detail`."

removedOutput schema / properties / offset / description

Removed value: -"How many were skipped. `offset + returned < total` means there is another page."

removedOutput schema / properties / offset / maximum
```
Removed value: -9007199254740991
```
removedOutput schema / properties / offset / minimum
```
Removed value: --9007199254740991
```
removedOutput schema / properties / returned / description
```
Removed value: -"How many are in `items`."
```
removedOutput schema / properties / returned / maximum
```
Removed value: -9007199254740991
```
removedOutput schema / properties / returned / minimum
```
Removed value: --9007199254740991
```

removedOutput schema / properties / total / description

Removed value: -"How many matched in total — the whole list, never the window. Compare against `returned` before reporting a count to anyone."

removedOutput schema / properties / total / maximum
```
Removed value: -9007199254740991
```
removedOutput schema / properties / total / minimum
```
Removed value: --9007199254740991
```

removedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description

Removed value: -"True when this is not the whole list — including on the last page of a paged walk, where the rest is behind you rather than ahead."

First observedv0.1.0Nov 9, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

readOnlyHint=true already tells the agent this is a safe read, so the description earns credit for what it adds: newest-first ordering, the provenance of the reason field ("usually relayed from the download client"), and the boundary that download clients have no blocklist of their own. It does not discuss volume or when the list can be empty, but the coverage caveat largely substitutes for that.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The core purpose is front-loaded in the first clause, and each subsequent sentence carries a distinct payload (reason provenance, symptom, id linkage, ordering, service coverage). The embedded quoted user complaint is slightly loose but earns its place by anchoring the diagnostic use case.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The output schema covers return shape, and the schema fully documents all five optional parameters, so the description is free to spend its words on the things structured data cannot express: the coverage boundary, ordering, and the foreign keys (mediaId, id) needed to chain into get_media_details and remove_blocklist_item. Nothing an agent needs to call this correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so limit, offset, detail, service and instance are already documented in the schema, including the enum values. The description only reinforces the service enum boundary (four apps, no download clients) and adds no format or syntax guidance beyond the schema, so the baseline 3 applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ("Lists what Radarr, Sonarr, Whisparr and Lidarr have blocklisted") and immediately frames the scope as releases those apps will not grab again. The sibling set contains get_releases and get_history, and the description distinguishes itself from both by naming blocklist status and the repeating-failure symptom rather than generic release listing.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives a concrete triggering symptom ("it keeps finding the same thing and never downloading it") and points at get_history as the thing that shows the problem without explaining it, plus remove_blocklist_item as the follow-up action. It does not explicitly exclude the sibling get_releases case (looking at releases that were not blocklisted), so the negative space is implied rather than stated.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.