User-reported issue from Reddit

[Jsakkos]

Hey there, I stumbled across engram yesterday and I'm trying to get it working on Linux mint. I downloaded the linux build and was able to start it up but I could never get it to integrate with makemkv or to see files ripped to the default engram/staging folder.

I tried building from source and got the backend and frontend running but with the same result as the packaged build.

I've got a bunch of TV shows to rip and this would be a great help!

Any suggestions? I'm I overlooking something obvious?

This is from starting it up:

~/Downloads/engram$ ./engram

INFO: Started server process [34555]

INFO: Waiting for application startup.

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | app.core.logging:setup_logging:85 - Logging initialized via Loguru

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | main:lifespan:26 - Starting Engram Backend...

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Database initialized successfully

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | main:lifespan:29 - Database initialized

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Found MakeMKV on PATH: /usr/bin/makemkvcon

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | main:lifespan:56 - MakeMKV validated: MakeMKV (version not detectable)

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Found FFmpeg on PATH: /usr/bin/ffmpeg

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | main:lifespan:77 - FFmpeg validated: ffmpeg version 6.1.1-3ubuntu5 Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Drive monitor started (polling mode, 0 optical drives found)

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Job manager started (max_concurrent_matches=2)

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | main:lifespan:82 - Job manager started

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Application startup complete.

2026-04-04 11:44:50 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8000/ (Press CTRL+C to quit)

2026-04-04 11:44:52 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - 127.0.0.1:47952 - "WebSocket /ws" [accepted]

2026-04-04 11:44:52 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - Client connected. Total connections: 1

2026-04-04 11:44:52 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - connection open

2026-04-04 11:44:52 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - 127.0.0.1:47968 - "GET /api/config HTTP/1.1" 200

2026-04-04 11:44:52 | INFO | logging:callHandlers:1706 - 127.0.0.1:47982 - "GET /api/jobs HTTP/1.1" 200

[Jsakkos]

Hey! Thanks for trying Engram — happy to help get you up and running on Linux Mint.

What's happening

The log line Drive monitor started (polling mode, 0 optical drives found) is expected on Linux right now. Drive detection currently uses Windows-specific APIs, so on Linux the monitor starts but never detects any drives, which means no jobs are created and MakeMKV never gets invoked.

Workaround (available today)

You can use the staging import endpoint to process pre-ripped MKV files. Start with DEBUG=true:

DEBUG=true ./engram

Then rip your discs with MakeMKV directly (outside Engram), and place the output MKV files into a subdirectory. For example:

~/.engram/staging/my_tv_show_s1d1/
  ├── title_00.mkv
  ├── title_01.mkv
  └── title_02.mkv

Then trigger processing via the API:

# For TV shows
curl -X POST "localhost:8000/api/simulate/insert-disc-from-staging?staging_path=/home/you/.engram/staging/my_tv_show_s1d1&volume_label=MY_SHOW_S1D1&content_type=tv&detected_title=My%20Show&detected_season=1"

# For movies
curl -X POST "localhost:8000/api/simulate/insert-disc-from-staging?staging_path=/home/you/.engram/staging/my_movie&volume_label=MY_MOVIE&content_type=movie&detected_title=My%20Movie"

The dashboard will show the job progressing through identification, matching, and organization.

Roadmap for native Linux support

We've created a set of issues to make Linux a first-class platform:

1. Production staging import endpoint (no DEBUG required) #68 — Production staging import endpoint (no DEBUG=true required)
2. Staging folder auto-import watcher #69 — Auto-import watcher for the staging folder (drop files in → auto-processed)
3. Linux optical drive detection #70 — Native Linux optical drive detection (/dev/sr*)
4. Platform-aware UI guidance banner for Linux/macOS #71 — UI banner guiding Linux users to the staging workflow
5. Document Linux/macOS setup and workflows #72 — Full Linux setup documentation

These will land incrementally. #68 and #71 are the quickest wins — once those ship, you won't need DEBUG=true or curl commands.

Let me know if you hit any issues with the workaround!

[Jsakkos]

Thanks for the report! This is a known platform limitation rather than a bug — on Linux, the optical drive detection code in sentinel.py polls correctly but the full manual-import workflow wasn't documented. This is now covered by the Linux/macOS setup guide added in #77 (just merged). The /api/simulate/insert-disc-from-staging endpoint provides a way to import already-ripped files. Full staging-folder auto-watch is tracked in #69.