Custom Format Groups

Custom format groups bundle related custom formats with guide-recommended scores. Instead of listing dozens of individual custom formats, groups give you curated sets that work together.

Auto-Sync with Guide-Backed Profiles

When you use a guide-backed quality profile (one with a trash_id), Recyclarr automatically syncs CF groups that are marked as defaults for that profile. This means most users need no custom_format_groups configuration at all.

For example, if you configure:

radarr:
  movies:
    quality_profiles:
      - trash_id: 64fb5f9858489bdac2af690e27c8f42f # UHD Bluray + WEB

Recyclarr automatically syncs default groups like Audio Formats, HDR Formats, and Golden Rule UHD because the TRaSH Guide marks these as defaults for the UHD Bluray + WEB profile.

Use custom_format_groups only when you need to customize this behavior:

• skip — Opt-out of groups you don't want
• add — Opt-in to non-default groups, or customize which CFs sync from a group

When to Use Groups vs Individual CFs

Groups handle curated sets of related custom formats:

• Audio codec formats (TrueHD, DTS-HD, Atmos, etc.)
• HDR formats (DV, HDR10+, HDR10, etc.)
• Streaming service identification
• Unwanted release types (LQ, scene, etc.)

Use custom_formats instead when you need fine-grained control, want to override scores, or need to assign CFs to user-defined profiles (those with only a name, not a trash_id).

How CF Selection Works

Which custom formats sync from a group depends on flags set in the TRaSH Guide JSON:

Flag in Guide	Behavior
required: true	Always synced. Cannot be deselected.
default: true	Synced automatically. Can be overridden via select.
No flag	NOT synced unless explicitly listed in select.

Most groups work without any select property—you get all required and default CFs automatically.

Usage Patterns

Opting Out of a Default Group

If an auto-synced group doesn't fit your needs, use skip to exclude it:

custom_format_groups:
  skip:
    - 9d5acd8f1da78dfbae788182f7605200 # Audio Formats

The group won't sync even though your quality profile would normally include it.

Adding a Non-Default Group

Some groups aren't marked as defaults but you may want them. Use add to opt-in:

custom_format_groups:
  add:
    - trash_id: f737e18b5824d6ebb2d57b957ae2fd6c # Streaming Services (UK)

All required and default CFs from that group sync automatically.

Customizing Which CFs Sync

By default, groups sync all CFs marked required or default in the guide. Use select to override this—only the CFs you list (plus any required CFs) will sync:

custom_format_groups:
  add:
    - trash_id: ff204bbcecdd487d1cefcefdbf0c278d # Golden Rule UHD
      select:
        - dc98083864ea246d05a42df0d05f81cc # x265 (HD)

Some groups contain CFs that aren't meant to be used together—you choose one or the other. The guide picks one as the default, but you can override that choice. When you select a different CF from these alternatives, it replaces the default that would otherwise sync. You don't need to exclude the default manually.

Selecting Optional CFs

Some groups have no defaults—every CF is optional. Use add with select to pick the ones you want:

custom_format_groups:
  add:
    - trash_id: 9337080378236ce4c0b183e35790d2a7 # Miscellaneous
      select:
        - 7357cf5161efbf8c4d5d0c30b4815ee2 # Obfuscated
        - f537cf427b64c38c8e36298f657e4828 # Scene

Only the selected CFs sync. Required CFs (if any) still sync regardless of your selections.

Finding Group IDs

Use the list custom-format-groups command to discover available groups and their trash IDs:

recyclarr list custom-format-groups radarr

The output shows each group's name, trash ID, and the CFs it contains.