What is DroppedNeedle used for?

DroppedNeedle is a self-hosted music request and discovery app with a built-in library manager that drives a download client you supply and plays through Jellyfin, Navidrome or Plex. It is a good fit for managing a personal music collection at home, letting family members request albums and replacing a Lidarr-based setup with one container.

Is DroppedNeedle open source?

Yes. DroppedNeedle is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at DroppedNeedle/DroppedNeedle and is written mainly in Python.

Is DroppedNeedle free?

Yes. DroppedNeedle is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host DroppedNeedle?

Yes. DroppedNeedle can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What are some alternatives to DroppedNeedle?

Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include HomeTube, Beets and MeTube. SaaS products in the same category include Emby, Roon and Asteroid.

Is DroppedNeedle actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to DroppedNeedle was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.15.0, published on 20 September 2026. The project has 1.5k stars on GitHub.

DroppedNeedle: open-source media & streaming

About DroppedNeedle

DroppedNeedle is a self-hosted application for requesting and organizing music. You search the MusicBrainz catalogue for the album or single track you want, and the app handles the rest by driving a download client that you provide and run yourself, scoring candidates, verifying files and placing the result in your library.

The library can be played back through Jellyfin, Navidrome, Plex or local files, and other Subsonic or Jellyfin apps can stream from DroppedNeedle itself. It runs as one container and does not depend on Lidarr. The README notes that it does not join any peer-to-peer network, ships no indexers and hosts no audio, and that what you download is your own responsibility. Topics also mention ListenBrainz.

Setup uses Docker, a music library path and a compatible download client such as slskd, or SABnzbd with Newznab indexers or Prowlarr. After first run you create an admin account, add the library and client in settings, and scan. DroppedNeedle is written in Python and licensed under AGPL-3.0, and suits homelab users who manage their own music collection.

Key features

Search the MusicBrainz catalogue
Request albums or single tracks
Automated candidate scoring and verification
Built-in music library
Playback via Jellyfin, Navidrome, or Plex
Single Docker container

Good fit for

→Managing a personal music collection at home
→Letting family members request albums
→Replacing a Lidarr-based setup with one container

Built with: Python
Tags: music; self-hosted; homelab; musicbrainz; jellyfin; navidrome; docker; library-management; python

DroppedNeedle: questions and answers

What is DroppedNeedle used for?: DroppedNeedle is a self-hosted music request and discovery app with a built-in library manager that drives a download client you supply and plays through Jellyfin, Navidrome or Plex. It is a good fit for managing a personal music collection at home, letting family members request albums and replacing a Lidarr-based setup with one container.
Is DroppedNeedle open source?: Yes. DroppedNeedle is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at DroppedNeedle/DroppedNeedle and is written mainly in Python.
Is DroppedNeedle free?: Yes. DroppedNeedle is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host DroppedNeedle?: Yes. DroppedNeedle can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What are some alternatives to DroppedNeedle?: Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include HomeTube, Beets and MeTube. SaaS products in the same category include Emby, Roon and Asteroid.
Is DroppedNeedle actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to DroppedNeedle was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.15.0, published on 20 September 2026. The project has 1.5k stars on GitHub.