Audiobook Processing Scripts

What I wanted was to standardize my entire library using a single M4B as the audio file format. I also wanted the directory naming and structure to be exactly the same for all books with accurate metadata. So I created a workflow that works for me. I start by manually finding and downloading the books I want, then the sort script copies them into folders to be processed as needed:

Ebooks go to the Calibre import directory Single M4B files go to the import directory for beets Multi-M4B and all other audio files go to auto-m4b to be converted into a single M4B Auto-m4b output goes to the beets import directory Beets gets everything named using the standard method I want to use Audiobooks to ABS does the final touches and moves everything into Audiobookshelf

Audiobook Processing Scripts

Automated audiobook processing pipeline for Unraid systems, integrating qBittorrent, Beets with Audible plugin, autom4b, and AudioBookshelf (ABS).

Workflow Overview

qBittorrent → 01_Download_Sort.sh → Beets (audible plugin) → 02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh → AudioBookshelf
                                    ↓
                                 autom4b (for MP3/M4A conversion)

This pipeline automates the entire audiobook workflow from download to library:

qBittorrent downloads audiobooks and triggers sorting script on completion
01_Download_Sort.sh sorts files by type into appropriate processing directories
Beets with Audible plugin fetches metadata and organizes files
02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh performs final processing and moves to library
AudioBookshelf serves the organized audiobook library

Unraid Docker Setup Guide

This section provides complete setup instructions for Unraid users using Docker containers. If you're running standard Linux, skip to Standard Linux Setup.

Overview

You'll install three Docker containers:

autom4b - Converts audio files (MP3, M4A, FLAC) to M4B format
Beets - Tags audiobooks with Audible metadata
qBittorrent - Downloads audiobooks (if not already installed)

Part 1: Install Required Docker Containers

1.1 Install autom4b

Open Community Applications in Unraid
Search for "autom4b"
Install and configure:
- Input Directory: /mnt/user/Media/Processing/autom4b_input
- Output Directory: /mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_untagged
Start the container

1.2 Install Beets (with Audible Plugin)

CRITICAL VERSION REQUIREMENT: The Audible plugin for Beets from linuxserver.io only supports up to version 2.3.0.

Open Community Applications and search for "beets"
Select the linuxserver/beets template
Before installing, change the Repository field to:
```
lscr.io/linuxserver/beets:2.3.0
```
Configure basic paths:
- Config Directory: /mnt/user/appdata/beets
- Music/Audiobooks Directory: /mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_tagged
- Downloads: /mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_untagged
Click "Apply" to install the container
Start the container (creates initial config directory structure)
Stop the container (we need to modify configs before running properly)

Part 2: Configure Beets for Audiobook Processing

2.1 Replace Default Configuration

Navigate to /mnt/user/appdata/beets on your Unraid server
Backup the default config:
```
mv config.yaml config.yaml.stock
```
Copy custom configuration files from this repository:
- Copy beets-audible.config.yaml → /mnt/user/appdata/beets/
- Copy custom-cont-init.d/ directory → /mnt/user/appdata/beets/

Rename the custom config:

mv beets-audible.config.yaml config.yaml

Edit config.yaml to match your directory paths:
- Update directory: to your final library location
- Verify paths match your Docker container mappings
- Save the file

2.2 Add Docker Mod for Plugin Installation

This enables automatic installation of required Beets plugins on container startup.

Edit the Beets container in Unraid's Docker UI
Click "Add another Path, Port, Variable, Label or Device"
Configure the new path:
- Config Type: Path
- Name: custom-cont-init.d
- Container Path: /custom-cont-init.d
- Host Path: /mnt/user/appdata/beets/custom-cont-init.d/
- Access Mode: Read Only
Click "Apply" to save

2.3 Start Beets and Verify

Start the Beets container
Check container logs to verify:
- install-deps.sh executed successfully
- Plugins installed: beets-audible, beets-copyartifacts3, beets[web]

Part 3: Configure Processing Scripts

3.1 Configure 01_Download_Sort.sh

Open 01_Download_Sort.sh in a text editor

Update configuration variables (lines 17-35):

INPUT_DIR="/mnt/user/Downloads/complete"
LOG_DIR="/mnt/user/Downloads/complete/logs"

FILETYPE_DIRS=(
    ["mp3"]="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/autom4b_input"
    ["m4a"]="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/autom4b_input"
    ["m4b"]="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_untagged"
    ["epub"]="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/calibre_import"
)

ENABLE_MULTI_M4B_REDIRECT=true
MULTI_M4B_DEST_DIR="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/autom4b_input"

Make executable:
```
chmod +x 01_Download_Sort.sh
```

3.2 Configure 02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh

Open 02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh in a text editor

Update configuration variables (lines 5-44):

INPUT_DIR="/mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_tagged"
MOVE_TARGET="/mnt/user/Media/Audiobooks"
OVERWRITE_POLICY="newer"
PUID=99
PGID=100

Make executable:
```
chmod +x "02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh"
```

3.3 Integrate with qBittorrent

Open qBittorrent settings
Navigate to Downloads → Run external program on torrent completion

Enable and add:

/mnt/user/scripts/audiobook-processing/01_Download_Sort.sh "%F"

(Adjust path to where you stored the script)

Part 4: Verification and Testing

4.1 Test Download Sorting

# Dry run test
./01_Download_Sort.sh --dry-run --verbose /path/to/test/audiobook

Review output to ensure files would route correctly.

4.2 Test Complete Pipeline

Download a test audiobook via qBittorrent
Verify file sorting:
- Check logs: $LOG_DIR/download_sort_*.log
- Verify files moved to autom4b input (if MP3/M4A) or beets_untagged (if M4B)
Wait for autom4b to convert (if applicable)

Run Beets import:

docker exec -it beets beet import /downloads

Run post-processing:
```
./02_Audiobooks\ to\ ABS.sh
```
Verify files in final library location

4.3 Directory Structure Example

Your final directory structure should look like:

/mnt/user/Media/
├── Downloads/              # qBittorrent download location
├── Processing/
│   ├── autom4b_input/     # 01_Download_Sort.sh sends MP3/M4A here
│   ├── beets_untagged/    # autom4b outputs + single M4B files
│   └── beets_tagged/      # Beets outputs tagged audiobooks
└── Audiobooks/            # Final library (AudioBookshelf)

Standard Linux Setup

The following sections apply to standard Linux installations (non-Docker) or provide additional configuration details for both Unraid and Linux systems.

1. qBittorrent Setup

Configure Download Completion Action

In qBittorrent settings, go to Downloads → Run external program on torrent completion
Add the following command:
```
/path/to/01_Download_Sort.sh "%F"
```
- %F passes the content path (file or folder) to the script
- The script will automatically sort downloaded files by type

Categories (Optional)

Create a category for audiobooks to organize downloads:

Category name: audiobooks
Save path: /mnt/user/downloads/audiobooks

2. Download Sort Script (01_Download_Sort.sh)

Purpose

Automatically sorts downloaded files by type into appropriate processing directories when triggered by qBittorrent.

File Type Routing

MP3/M4A → autom4b directory for M4B conversion
M4B → Beets untagged directory (single files) or configurable multi-M4B destination (multiple files)
EPUB/MOBI/PDF → Calibre import directory
Other audio formats (FLAC, OGG, WMA, etc.) → autom4b for conversion

Special Multi-M4B Handling

When enabled, directories containing multiple M4B files are redirected to a separate destination (typically autom4b for processing). This prevents conflicts in the Beets tagging process which often expects single audiobook files per directory.

Configuration

Edit lines 17-35 to customize directories:

INPUT_DIR="/path/to/downloads/complete"
LOG_DIR="/path/to/downloads/complete/logs"

# File type destination mapping
FILETYPE_DIRS=(
    ["mp3"]="/path/to/autom4b/input"
    ["m4a"]="/path/to/autom4b/input"
    ["m4b"]="/path/to/beets/untagged"
    ["epub"]="/path/to/calibre/import"
    # ... additional mappings
)

# Multi-M4B handling configuration
ENABLE_MULTI_M4B_REDIRECT=true                    # Enable special handling for multiple M4B files
MULTI_M4B_DEST_DIR="/path/to/autom4b/input"       # Where to send directories with multiple M4B files

Usage

# Manual run
./01_Download_Sort.sh [options] [input_path]

# Options
--force     # Force processing even if files were recently modified
--dry-run   # Test mode - show what would happen without making changes
--verbose   # Enable detailed logging

Logging

Logs stored in: $LOG_DIR/
Format: download_sort_YYYY-MM-DD.log

3. Beets with Audible Plugin

Installation

# Install beets and audible plugin
pip install beets
pip install beets-audible

Configuration (beets-audible.config.yaml)

Key configuration sections:

directory: /path/to/audiobooks/library
library: /path/to/beets/musiclibrary.db

import:
  move: yes
  write: yes

plugins: audible copyartifacts edit fromfilename scrub web permissions

audible:
  fetch_art: yes
  fetch_chapters: yes
  match_chapters: yes

paths:
  audiobook:series: $series/$series {$series_position} - $title/$series {$series_position} - $title
  audiobook:^series: $artist/$title/$title

copyartifacts:
  extensions: .yml .yaml .jpg .jpeg .png .pdf .txt .nfo .cue .m3u

Running Beets

# Import audiobooks from untagged directory
beet -c beets-audible.config.yaml import /path/to/beets/untagged

# Interactive import with manual search
beet -c beets-audible.config.yaml import -s /path/to/beets/untagged

What Beets Does

Fetches metadata from Audible
Organizes files into series/title structure
Embeds metadata into M4B files
Downloads cover art
Creates chapter files
Preserves sidecar files (metadata.yml, cover images, etc.)

4. Post-Processing to ABS (02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh)

Purpose

Final processing after Beets tagging - renames sidecar files, fixes CUE files, and moves to AudioBookshelf library.

Key Features

Renames sidecar files to match audiobook filename
Corrects CUE file references
Synchronizes cover.jpg ↔ folder.jpg
Moves processed files to final library location
Cleans up empty directories

Configuration

Edit lines 5-44 to customize:

INPUT_DIR="/path/to/beets/processed"
MOVE_TARGET="/path/to/audiobookshelf/library"
LOG_FILE="$INPUT_DIR/audiobook_processing.log"
OVERWRITE_POLICY="never"  # Options: never, always, newer, larger

Usage

# Run post-processing
./02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh

# Test mode (edit script to set DRY_RUN=true)
DRY_RUN=true ./02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh

Processing Steps

Scans for audiobook files (M4B, MP3, M4A)
Renames associated sidecar files to match audiobook
Updates CUE file internal references
Ensures both cover.jpg and folder.jpg exist
Moves entire directory to AudioBookshelf library
Sets proper ownership (99:100 for Unraid)

5. AudioBookshelf Integration

Library Setup

In AudioBookshelf, add library pointing to: /path/to/audiobookshelf/library
Enable folder watching for automatic imports
Configure metadata preferences to use embedded tags

Directory Structure

Final organized structure:

/path/to/audiobookshelf/library/
├── Author Name/
│   ├── Series Name/
│   │   ├── Series Name 01 - Book Title/
│   │   │   ├── Book Title - Author Name.m4b
│   │   │   ├── Book Title - Author Name.cue
│   │   │   ├── cover.jpg
│   │   │   ├── folder.jpg
│   │   │   └── metadata.yml
│   │   └── Series Name 02 - Second Book/
│   │       └── ...
│   └── Standalone Book/
│       └── Standalone Book - Author Name.m4b
└── Another Author/
    └── ...

Complete Workflow Example

Download: qBittorrent downloads audiobook torrent
Sort: On completion, triggers 01_Download_Sort.sh
- MP3 files → sent to autom4b for M4B conversion
- M4B files → sent to Beets untagged directory

Tag: Manually run Beets to tag with Audible metadata

beet -c beets-audible.config.yaml import /path/to/beets/untagged

Post-Process: Run 02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh to finalize
Library: AudioBookshelf automatically imports from watched folder

Troubleshooting

Check Logs

Download sort: /path/to/downloads/complete/logs/
Post-processing: /path/to/beets/processed/audiobook_processing.log
Beets: Run with -v flag for verbose output
Docker containers: Check Unraid Docker tab for container logs

Common Issues

Files not moving from downloads

Check qBittorrent is calling script with correct path
Verify script has execute permissions: chmod +x 01_Download_Sort.sh
Run manually with --verbose flag to see detailed output
For Unraid: Ensure qBittorrent has access to script location

Beets not finding matches

Use interactive mode: beet import -s
Try from filename: beet import -f
Check Audible plugin is installed: pip list | grep audible (Linux) or docker exec beets pip list | grep audible (Unraid)

Sidecar files not renamed

Check OVERWRITE_POLICY setting in 02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh
Verify file permissions (should be 99:100 for Unraid)
Run with DRY_RUN=true to test

AudioBookshelf not importing

Verify library path matches MOVE_TARGET
Check folder watching is enabled
Ensure proper permissions on target directory

Unraid Docker-Specific Issues

Beets plugins not installing

Symptoms: Beets doesn't recognize audible plugin commands
Solutions:
1. Check container logs for errors during startup
2. Verify custom-cont-init.d path mapping is correct
3. Ensure install-deps.sh has execute permissions
4. Manually install: docker exec -it beets pip install beets-audible beets-copyartifacts3 beets[web]

Metadata not fetching from Audible

Symptoms: Beets imports audiobooks but without Audible metadata
Solutions:
1. Verify Audible plugin installed: docker exec beets beet version
2. Check config.yaml has audible in plugins list
3. Ensure audiobook files have reasonable filenames for matching
4. Try manual fetch: docker exec beets beet audible -f

Version compatibility issues

Symptoms: Audible plugin errors after Beets update
Solutions:
1. Verify container running version 2.3.0: docker exec beets beet version
2. If updated accidentally, change repository back to lscr.io/linuxserver/beets:2.3.0
3. Recreate the container with correct version

Permission errors in Docker containers

Symptoms: Files created with wrong ownership, access denied errors
Solutions:
1. Verify PUID=99 and PGID=100 in Docker container settings
2. Check host paths are accessible by user nobody (99:100)
3. Manually fix: chown -R 99:100 /mnt/user/Media/Processing/

Path mapping issues

Symptoms: Container can't find files, "No such file or directory" errors
Solutions:
1. Verify all Docker path mappings are correct in container settings
2. Ensure host paths actually exist
3. Check paths in config.yaml match container paths (not host paths)
4. Example: If host path is /mnt/user/Media/Processing/beets_untagged and container path is /downloads, use /downloads in config.yaml

Requirements

Unraid or Linux system
Bash 4.0+ (for associative arrays)
Python 3.6+ (for Beets)
qBittorrent
Beets with audible plugin
autom4b (optional, for audio conversion)
AudioBookshelf server

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 14 Commits
custom-cont-init.d		custom-cont-init.d
01_Download_Sort.sh		01_Download_Sort.sh
02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh		02_Audiobooks_to_ABS.sh
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
The UnRaid Config.txt		The UnRaid Config.txt
UNRAID_SETUP_GUIDE.md		UNRAID_SETUP_GUIDE.md
beets-audible.config.yaml		beets-audible.config.yaml

License

Adarack/Audiobook_Processing_Scripts

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

Audiobook Processing Scripts

Table of Contents

Workflow Overview

Unraid Docker Setup Guide

Overview

Part 1: Install Required Docker Containers

1.1 Install autom4b

1.2 Install Beets (with Audible Plugin)

Part 2: Configure Beets for Audiobook Processing

2.1 Replace Default Configuration

2.2 Add Docker Mod for Plugin Installation

2.3 Start Beets and Verify

Part 3: Configure Processing Scripts

3.1 Configure 01_Download_Sort.sh

3.2 Configure 02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh

3.3 Integrate with qBittorrent

Part 4: Verification and Testing

4.1 Test Download Sorting

4.2 Test Complete Pipeline

4.3 Directory Structure Example

Standard Linux Setup

1. qBittorrent Setup

Configure Download Completion Action

Categories (Optional)

2. Download Sort Script (01_Download_Sort.sh)

Purpose

File Type Routing

Special Multi-M4B Handling

Configuration

Usage

Logging

3. Beets with Audible Plugin

Installation

Configuration (beets-audible.config.yaml)

Running Beets

What Beets Does

4. Post-Processing to ABS (02_Audiobooks to ABS.sh)

Purpose

Key Features

Configuration

Usage

Processing Steps

5. AudioBookshelf Integration

Library Setup

Directory Structure

Complete Workflow Example

Troubleshooting

Check Logs

Common Issues

Unraid Docker-Specific Issues

Requirements

License

About

Resources

License

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages 0

Contributors 2

Uh oh!

Languages

Packages