transmission

View documentation for running Transmission's daemon

$ tldr transmission-daemon

$ tldr transmission-remote

$ tldr transmission-create

$ tldr transmission-edit

$ tldr transmission-show

$ tldr transmission-cli

transmission-remote [host:port] [options] [torrent-ID... | file | magnet-URI]

--add file|url
    Add a new torrent to the daemon from a local .torrent file path or a magnet URI/URL.

--list
    List all torrents currently managed by the daemon, showing their status, size, progress, and speed.

--torrent ID|hash
    Specify one or more torrents by their ID number (from --list) or info hash for subsequent operations (e.g., stop, remove).

--remove
    Remove the specified torrents from the daemon. Use with --torrent.

--start
    Start the specified torrents, or all paused torrents if no specific torrents are given.

--stop
    Stop the specified torrents, or all active torrents if no specific torrents are given.

--verify
    Initiate a local data verification check for the specified torrents.

--info
    Show detailed information about the specified torrents, including trackers, files, and peer details.

--move directory
    Move the data files of the specified torrents to a new download directory.

--port port
    Specify the RPC port of the Transmission daemon to connect to (default is 9091).

--auth user:pass
    Provide username and password for authentication with the Transmission daemon's RPC interface.

--global-info
    Display the current global configuration settings of the Transmission daemon.

--global-set key=value
    Set a global configuration option for the daemon (e.g., download-dir, upload-limit).

transmission-remote is a versatile command-line tool designed to manage the Transmission BitTorrent client's daemon (transmission-daemon). It allows users to interact with the daemon's RPC interface to perform a wide range of operations, including adding new torrents, listing active downloads, starting, stopping, and removing torrents, verifying data, and modifying both individual torrent settings and global daemon configurations.

This utility is particularly valuable for users running Transmission on headless servers, NAS devices, or in automated scripting environments where a graphical user interface is unavailable or undesirable. It provides full programmatic control over torrent activity, making it a cornerstone for efficient and flexible torrent management.

The transmission-daemon service must be running for transmission-remote to function.
If the daemon requires authentication, the --auth option must be used, or credentials can be stored in environment variables (TR_AUTH, TR_USERNAME, TR_PASSWORD) or the configuration file.
Using transmission-remote from untrusted networks without proper security measures (like VPN or SSH tunneling) is discouraged due to potential security risks to your daemon.

transmission-remote is ideal for controlling torrents on a remote server. It's frequently used in shell scripts for automating torrent downloading workflows, such as adding torrents from RSS feeds, managing download directories, or pausing/resuming torrents based on network conditions or time of day.

Beyond basic torrent operations, transmission-remote allows full control over the daemon's global settings. This includes setting download and upload limits, configuring port forwarding, managing blocklists, and defining alternative download directories, offering comprehensive administrative capabilities from the command line.

The Transmission BitTorrent client project began in 2005, aiming for a lightweight and user-friendly experience. As part of its design philosophy to be modular, the project developed transmission-daemon for server environments and transmission-remote as its primary command-line interface for interaction. This separation allowed Transmission to be widely adopted on various platforms, from desktop Linux to embedded systems like NAS devices, solidifying transmission-remote's role as a powerful tool for headless torrent management.

transmission-daemon(1), transmission-cli(1), transmission-create(1), transmission-show(1), aria2c(1), rtorrent(1)