rtorrent-api

Apps & Automation

rTorrent XML-RPC command reference focused on remote control, multicall patterns, load methods, and the torrent commands used by Electorrent.

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Skill: rTorrent API

Purpose

Use this skill when you need to integrate with rTorrent over XML-RPC.

Protocol

Transport: XML-RPC over HTTP(S)
Common path: /RPC2
Command names are the API surface, for example d.multicall2 or load.start
Prefer modern dotted command names from rTorrent 0.9+; deprecated aliases like load_start, d.get_name, or get_download_rate still appear in old examples but should not be used for new integrations

Command model and calling conventions

rTorrent exposes both variables and commands
- read a value with the variable-like command name, for example d.name
- mutate with a .set command, for example d.priority.set
Multicall selector strings usually need a trailing =
- example: d.multicall2("", "main", "d.hash=", "d.name=", "d.custom1=")
- keyed accessors also follow that shape, for example d.custom=addtime
All torrent-scoped d.* calls take the torrent info hash as the first XML-RPC argument

Example shape:

d.name = <hash> -> string

Common scoped patterns:
- t.multicall(<hash>, "", ...) for trackers on one torrent
- f.multicall(<hash>, "", ...) for files on one torrent
- p.multicall(<hash>, "", ...) for peers on one torrent
Batch unrelated calls with system.multicall([{ methodName, params }...])

Important command groups

Group	Purpose	Important examples
`d.*`	Torrent/download fields and actions	`d.multicall2`, `d.name`, `d.state`, `d.start`, `d.stop`, `d.erase`
`t.*`	Tracker fields and tracker multicalls	`t.multicall`, `t.url`, `t.scrape_complete`, `t.is_enabled`
`f.*`	File fields and file priority	`f.multicall`, `f.path`, `f.size_bytes`, `f.priority.set`
`p.*`	Peer inspection	`p.multicall`, `p.address`, `p.client_version`, `p.down_rate`
`load.*`	Add torrents and magnet links	`load.normal`, `load.start`, `load.raw_start`, verbose variants
`view.*`	Named views for listing/filtering/sorting torrents	`view.list`, `view.add`, `view.filter`, `view.sort`
`session.*`	Session path/name/save behavior	`session.path`, `session.name`, `session.save`
`method.`, `schedule2`, `event.`	Scripting, dynamic methods, scheduling	`method.insert`, `method.set_key`, `schedule2`
`execute.`, `system.`	Host/system interaction	`execute.throw`, `execute.capture`, `system.client_version`, `system.shutdown.normal`
`network.`, `protocol.`, `throttle.`, `dht.`, `pieces.*`	Connectivity, encryption, limits, DHT, piece behavior	`network.port_range`, `protocol.encryption.set`, `throttle.global_down.max_rate.set`, `dht.mode.set`
`directory.`, `group.seeding.ratio.*`	Default save path and seeding ratio policy	`directory.default.set`, `group.seeding.ratio.enable`, `group2.seeding.ratio.max.set`

Commands commonly used for remote clients

Connection and capability

system.client_version
system.api_version if present on the target
view.list
- enumerate named views such as main

Torrent listing

d.multicall2("", "main", ...)
- query many torrent fields at once from the main view
system.multicall([...])
- batch heterogeneous XML-RPC calls

Common listing fields for remote UIs:

identity/path: d.hash, d.name, d.base_path, d.directory, d.tied_to_file, d.loaded_file
size/progress: d.size_bytes, d.completed_bytes, d.left_bytes, d.completed_chunks, d.chunk_size
state/rates: d.is_active, d.is_open, d.complete, d.state, d.down.rate, d.up.rate, d.down.total, d.up.total
swarm/tracker summary: d.peers_accounted, d.peers_complete, d.tracker_size, d.tracker_numwant
metadata/custom fields: d.message, d.custom1, d.custom=addtime

Tracker listing

t.multicall(<hash>, "", ...)
- query trackers for one torrent

Important tracker fields:

t.url
t.group
t.type
t.is_enabled
t.is_open
t.min_interval
t.normal_interval
t.scrape_complete
t.scrape_downloaded
t.scrape_incomplete
t.scrape_time_last

File and peer listing

f.multicall(<hash>, "", ...)
- query per-file path, size, progress, and priority
p.multicall(<hash>, "", ...)
- query live peer state when needed

Important file fields:

f.path
f.size_bytes
f.completed_chunks
f.size_chunks
f.priority
f.priority.set

Important peer fields:

p.address
p.port
p.client_version
p.completed_percent
p.down_rate
p.up_rate

Adding torrents

load.normal("", <uri>)
- add without starting
load.start("", <uri>)
- add from URL or magnet and start
load.raw("", <torrent-bytes>)
- add raw torrent data without starting
load.raw_start("", <torrent-bytes>)
- add from raw torrent bytes and start
load.verbose, load.start_verbose, load.raw_verbose
- verbose load variants also exist on some targets

If a save location must be set at add time, pass it in the initial load.* call:

d.directory.set=<json-encoded-path>

Changing the directory after load is not equivalent for Electorrent's rTorrent flow.

Start/stop lifecycle

d.open(<hash>)
d.start(<hash>)
d.stop(<hash>)
d.close(<hash>)

Typical start sequence:

d.open
d.start

Typical stop sequence:

d.stop
d.close

Removal and recheck

d.erase(<hash>)
d.delete_tied(<hash>)
d.check_hash(<hash>)

Common related fields:

d.hashing
d.hashing_failed
d.state_changed
d.timestamp.started
d.timestamp.finished

Labels and priority

d.custom1.set(<hash>, <label>)
d.custom.set(<hash>, <key>, <value>)
d.custom1 ... d.custom5
d.priority.set(<hash>, <0-3>)

Priority values commonly used by clients:

Value	Meaning
`0`	off / do not download
`1`	low
`2`	normal
`3`	high

Host-side filesystem helper

execute.throw("", "mkdir", "-p", <path>)
- create download directories before loading a torrent

Useful related execution/system commands:

execute2, execute.nothrow, execute.capture
execute.*.bg background variants
system.file.allocate
system.shutdown.normal
system.shutdown.quick

Session, view, and settings commands

Useful server/session inspection:

session.path
session.name
session.save
directory.default
directory.default.set

Useful network/rate settings often surfaced by remote clients:

throttle.global_down.max_rate
throttle.global_down.max_rate.set
throttle.global_up.max_rate
throttle.global_up.max_rate.set
throttle.max_downloads.global
throttle.max_downloads.global.set
throttle.max_uploads.global
throttle.max_uploads.global.set
network.port_range
network.port_range.set
network.port_open
network.bind_address
network.proxy_address
network.http.proxy_address
network.scgi.open_local
network.scgi.open_port
network.xmlrpc.dialect.set
network.xmlrpc.size_limit
protocol.encryption.set
protocol.pex
dht.mode.set
dht.port

Scripting and automation

Useful for advanced integrations and config management:

method.insert
method.get
method.set
method.list_keys
method.has_key
method.set_key
schedule2
schedule_remove2

Useful multicall pattern

For efficient snapshots, use d.multicall2 for torrent rows and t.multicall or f.multicall for nested resources, then normalize result arrays by column order on the client side.

Example:

d.multicall2("", "main", "d.hash=", "d.name=", "d.size_bytes=", "d.custom=addtime")

Remember that selector order defines result column order.

Electorrent usage

Electorrent uses:

system.client_version
d.multicall2
t.multicall
system.multicall
f.multicall
load.start
load.raw_start
execute.throw
d.open, d.start
d.stop, d.close
d.custom1.set
d.custom=addtime
d.custom5.set
d.erase
d.delete_tied
d.check_hash
d.priority.set