Skip to main content
This guide covers common issues you may encounter when running Plank and their solutions.

​
Prowlarr Issues

Symptoms: Unable to search for content, Prowlarr connection errorsSolutions:
  • Check if containers are running: 
    docker ps
  • Ensure you have the Prowlarr API key configured. Check the /settings page in Plank
  • Verify port 9696 isn’t blocked by firewall (if running outside the Docker network)
  • Restart containers: 
    docker compose restart
Symptoms: Unable to add or configure torrent indexers in ProwlarrSolutions:
  • Check your internet connection
  • Try a different indexer URL (some indexers may be temporarily down)
  • Ensure FlareSolverr is running (required for some indexers that use captchas)
  • Verify FlareSolverr is accessible at http://localhost:8191
Symptoms: Search returns empty results or errorsSolutions:
  • Ensure you have a TMDB API key configured in /settings. Search results depend on TMDB metadata
  • Verify at least one indexer is configured and tested in Prowlarr
  • Check if FlareSolverr is running: http://localhost:8191
  • Try different search terms or alternative spellings

​
Docker Issues

Symptoms: Docker containers won’t start or exit immediatelySolutions:
  • Check environment variables in your .env file for syntax errors
  • Verify Docker is running: 
    docker version
  • Check for port conflicts. Ensure ports 3300, 9696, and 8191 are available: 
    netstat -tuln | grep -E '3300|9696|8191'
  • Sometimes distribution package mirrors are out of sync. Wait a few minutes and try again
  • View container logs for specific errors: 
    docker compose logs -f
Symptoms: Error when trying to log in or submit formsSolution:
  • Ensure the ORIGIN environment variable in your .env file matches the URL you’re using in your browser
  • Examples:
    • If accessing via http://localhost:3300, set ORIGIN=http://localhost:3300
    • If accessing via http://192.168.1.100:3300, set ORIGIN=http://192.168.1.100:3300
  • Restart the container after changing the .env file
Symptoms: Cannot write to database or data directoriesSolutions:
  • Check volume permissions for media directories: 
    ls -la ./data
ls -la plank.db
  • Ensure proper PUID/PGID if using custom user IDs in Docker
  • Make sure the directories exist and are writable by the Docker user

​
Performance Issues

Symptoms: Downloads are slower than expectedSolutions:
  • Use an ethernet connection instead of WiFi for better stability
  • Configure port forwarding for port 6881 (the exposed torrent client port) in your router settings
  • Check if your VPN is throttling speeds or blocking torrent traffic entirely
  • Verify tracker health in Prowlarr. Dead or slow trackers will impact performance
  • Check the number of seeders for the torrent. More seeders = faster downloads
Symptoms: System running slow, high RAM consumptionSolutions:
  • Monitor Docker container resource usage: 
    docker stats
  • Limit container resources in docker-compose.yml if needed: 
    deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      memory: 2G
  • Restart the containers to clear potential memory leaks: 
    docker compose restart
  • Consider upgrading your system RAM if consistently hitting limits

​
Getting Help

If you’ve tried the solutions above and still experience issues:
  1. Check container logs: 
    docker compose logs -f
  2. Verify each service is accessible individually:
    • Plank: http://localhost:3300
    • Prowlarr: http://localhost:9696
    • FlareSolverr: http://localhost:8191
  3. Test with minimal configuration first:
    • Start with just one indexer
    • Test basic functionality before adding complexity
  4. Check GitHub issues for known problems and community solutions
  5. Email the developer at [email protected] if you genuinely can’t figure it out
    • Note: No AI-generated support requests. These will be ignored.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us