Enhanced Channel Manager

A professional-grade web interface for managing IPTV configurations with Dispatcharr. Features a tab-based interface for channel management, EPG data, logos, and more. Built with React + TypeScript frontend and Python FastAPI backend.

Application Tabs

• M3U Manager - Full M3U account management with linked accounts and group synchronization
• M3U Changes - Track and review all changes detected in M3U playlists (groups added/removed, streams added/removed)
• EPG Manager - Manage EPG sources with drag-and-drop priority ordering
• Channel Manager - Full-featured channel and stream management with split-pane layout
• Guide - TV Guide with EPG grid view showing program schedules
• Logo Manager - Logo management with search, upload, and URL import
• Auto-Creation - Rules-based automation pipeline for automatic channel creation, stream merging, and orphan management
• FFMPEG Builder - Visual FFmpeg command builder with Simple (IPTV wizard) and Advanced modes, IPTV presets, saved profiles, and Dispatcharr integration
• Journal - Activity log tracking all changes to channels, EPG, and M3U accounts
• Stats - Live streaming statistics, M3U connection counts, bandwidth tracking, and charts
• Settings - Configure Dispatcharr connection, channel defaults, stream probing, scheduled tasks, alert methods, authentication, and appearance

Features

Authentication (v0.11.5)

ECM includes a comprehensive authentication system to secure access to your channel management:

• First-Run Setup - On first launch, create an administrator account through a setup wizard
• Local Authentication - Username/password authentication with secure bcrypt password hashing
• Dispatcharr SSO - Single sign-on using your existing Dispatcharr credentials
• Account Linking - Link multiple authentication methods to a single user account (e.g., local + Dispatcharr)
• Password Reset - Email-based password reset with secure time-limited tokens (requires SMTP configuration)
• CLI Password Reset - Reset passwords from the command line when locked out (see Utility Scripts)
• User Management - Admin panel for managing user accounts, roles, and access
• Session Management - JWT-based sessions with automatic token refresh

Authentication Providers

• Local - Create and manage local user accounts with password authentication
• Dispatcharr - Authenticate using your Dispatcharr server credentials (SSO)

User Management (Admin)

Administrators can manage users through Settings → Users:

• View all user accounts with their roles and status
• Edit user email, display name, admin status, and active status
• Activate/deactivate user accounts
• Delete user accounts (soft delete - deactivates the account)

Password Reset

When SMTP is configured in Settings → Email Settings:

• Users see "Forgot password?" link on the login page
• Password reset emails contain a secure link valid for 1 hour
• Professional HTML email template with fallback plain text
• Security: Always returns success to prevent email enumeration

CLI Password Reset

When locked out or SMTP is not configured, reset passwords from the command line:

# Interactive mode (lists users, prompts for password)
docker exec -it enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py

# Non-interactive (for scripting)
docker exec enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py -u admin -p 'NewPass123'

# Skip password strength validation
docker exec enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py -u admin -p 'simple' --force

Auto-Creation Pipeline (v0.12.0)

A rules-based automation engine for automatic channel creation, stream merging, and lifecycle management:

Rule Builder

• Create Rules - Define automation rules with conditions, actions, and priority ordering
• Rule Priority - Drag-and-drop reordering to control execution order
• Enable/Disable - Toggle individual rules without deleting
• Duplicate Rules - Clone rules as a starting point for new rules
• Run on M3U Refresh - Optionally auto-execute rules when M3U accounts refresh
• Stop on First Match - Stop evaluating further rules when a stream matches
• Normalize Names - Apply name normalization during processing
• YAML Import/Export - Share and version control rule definitions

Conditions

Build complex matching logic with AND/OR connectors:

• Stream Name - Contains, matches (regex), starts/ends with
• Stream Group - Contains, matches (regex)
• TVG ID - Exists/not exists, matches pattern
• Logo - Exists/not exists
• M3U Account - Filter by specific M3U account
• Quality - Minimum/maximum resolution (2160p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p)
• Codec - Filter by video codec (H.264, HEVC, etc.)
• Channel Exists - Check if channel already exists (by name, regex, or group)
• Normalized Match in Group - Check if a stream's normalized name matches any channel in a specified channel group (strips country prefixes and applies normalization engine)
• Normalized Name (Global) - Check if a stream's normalized name matches any channel across all groups
• Normalized Name (Not In) - Check if a stream's normalized name does NOT match any channel in a specified group
• Date Expansion in Regex - Regex conditions can include date patterns that auto-expand to match current dates (contributed by @lpukatch)

Actions

Define what happens when conditions match:

• Create Channel - Template-based naming with variables ({stream_name}, {stream_group}, {quality}, {provider}, etc.)
• Create Group - Automatically create channel groups with template naming
• Merge Streams - Combine multiple streams into a single channel with quality preference ordering, optional per-provider stream limit, and multi-stage auto-lookup (exact name → core-name fallback → call sign fallback → deparen/word-prefix matching)
• Remove From Channel - Remove a stream from its current channel during auto-creation
• Set Stream Priority - Set stream priority/weight within a channel
• Assign Logo/EPG/Profile - Automatically assign channel metadata
• Set Channel Number - Auto-assign or specify channel numbering (including ranges)
• Set Variable - Define reusable variables with regex extraction for use in templates
• Name Transform - Apply regex find/replace to channel names
• If Exists Behavior - Skip, merge (create if new), merge only (existing only), update, or use existing when channels already exist

Execution

• Dry Run Mode - Preview all changes before applying
• Execute Mode - Apply changes with full audit trail
• Run Single Rule - Execute or dry-run a specific rule in isolation
• Rollback - Undo a completed execution to restore previous state
• Execution History - View past runs with duration, match counts, and created/updated/merged/skipped counts
• Running Indicator - Live "Running" status in execution history while a pipeline is executing
• Execution Log - Per-stream granular log showing condition evaluation, matched rules, action results, normalization context, and merge guidance with filter chips for quick navigation

Smart Stream Handling

• Quality-Based Sorting - Sort streams within channels by resolution (highest first)
• Probe on Sort - Optionally probe unprobed streams for resolution data before sorting
• Multi-Criteria Sort - Sort by stream name, natural name, group, quality, or stream name (regex)
• Stream Name (Regex) Sort - Sort matched streams by a regex capture group extracted from the stream name (e.g., sort by date pattern (\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}))
• Auto-Find Channels - Merge streams action with target: auto automatically finds existing channels using a multi-stage lookup: normalized name → core-name fallback (stripping tags) → call sign fallback → deparen and word-prefix matching. For example, "US: Discovery" finds channel "113 | Discovery", and "ESPN (East)" finds "ESPN"
• User Settings Integration - Honors channel numbering, default profile, timezone preference, and auto-rename settings

Orphan Reconciliation

Automatically manage channels that no longer match any rule:

• Delete - Remove orphaned channels entirely
• Move to Uncategorized - Preserve channels by moving them out of managed groups
• Delete and Cleanup Groups - Delete channels and remove now-empty groups
• None - Skip reconciliation (preserve all channels)

FFMPEG Builder (v0.12.5)

A visual, form-based interface for constructing FFmpeg transcoding and streaming commands without manual command-line syntax. Designed for IPTV streaming workflows with support for any FFmpeg use case.

Two Operating Modes

• Simple Mode (Default) - Three-step IPTV wizard: Source → Processing → Output with pre-configured options
• Advanced Mode - Full section-by-section control over all FFmpeg parameters

Input Source Configuration

• Input Types - URL (network streams) or Pipe (process input)
• URL Placeholder - {streamUrl} for Dispatcharr runtime substitution
• Format Override - Auto-detect or force format (MPEGTS, HLS, MP4, Matroska, FLV)
• Hardware Acceleration - CUDA (NVIDIA), QSV (Intel), VAAPI (AMD/Intel Linux), or CPU-only
• Device Selection - GPU device path selection for VAAPI

Video Codec Settings

• Software Codecs - libx264, libx265, libvpx-vp9, libaom-av1, libsvtav1, copy (passthrough)
• Hardware Codecs - h264_nvenc, hevc_nvenc (NVIDIA), h264_qsv, hevc_qsv (Intel), h264_vaapi, hevc_vaapi
• Rate Control - CRF, CBR, VBR, CQ (NVIDIA), QP, Global Quality (QSV)
• Encoding Parameters - Preset, bitrate, CRF value, profile, level, pixel format, tune
• Keyframe Control - GOP size, minimum interval, scene change threshold, B-frames

Audio Codec Settings

• Codecs - Copy (passthrough), AAC, AC3 (Dolby Digital), EAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus)
• Parameters - Bitrate, sample rate, channels (mono/stereo/5.1/7.1), channel layout, AAC profile

Video & Audio Filters

• Video Filters - Scale, FPS, deinterlace, format conversion, hardware upload, custom expressions
• Audio Filters - Volume, loudness normalization (LUFS), resample, custom expressions
• Filter Chain - Ordered list with per-filter enable/disable toggles

Stream Mapping

• Select specific video, audio, or subtitle tracks from multi-stream inputs
• Map by type (video:0, audio:0, subtitle:0) or include all streams

Output Configuration

• Output Paths - File, pipe:1 (stdout for Dispatcharr piping), or device
• Container Formats - MPEG-TS (IPTV standard), HLS (segmented), DASH (adaptive)
• Container Options - Format-specific settings (mpegts_flags, hls_time, etc.)

Command Preview

• Plain View - Full command text with copy-to-clipboard
• Annotated View - Human-readable explanation of every flag with interactive tooltips
• Warning Indicators - Alerts for codec/filter incompatibilities
• Push to Dispatcharr - Create a Dispatcharr stream profile directly from the builder

IPTV Presets

8 built-in optimized templates:

• Pass-through, IPTV Standard (H.264), IPTV HD (NVIDIA), IPTV HD (Intel QSV)
• Low-Latency AC3, HLS Output, 1080p/AAC, 4K/AC3

Saved Profiles

• Save builder configurations for reuse
• Load profiles with one click
• Convert profiles to Dispatcharr stream profiles

ECM Integration

• Save configurations as channel profiles applied to channels
• Scope profiles to all channels, specific groups, or individual channels
• Enable/disable profiles without deletion

Stream Probing

• Probe input sources to detect codec, resolution, framerate, bitrate per stream
• View container format, duration, and file size
• Use probe results to inform codec and filter decisions

M3U Manager

• Full CRUD Operations - Create, edit, and delete M3U accounts
• Account Types - Support for Standard M3U, XtreamCodes, and HD Homerun
• XC Non-Credential Editing - Edit XtreamCodes account settings (name, max streams, etc.) without re-entering the password
• HD Homerun Simplified Setup - Just enter the IP address; the lineup URL is auto-constructed
• Linked M3U Accounts - Link multiple accounts (e.g., same provider with different regions) so group enable/disable changes cascade automatically
• Sync Groups - One-click sync of enabled groups across all linked accounts using Union (OR) logic
• Manage Groups Modal - Enable/disable groups per account, configure auto-sync settings
• M3U Priority - Set priority order for each M3U account (used by smart sort to order streams)
• Natural Sorting - Accounts sorted with Standard M3U first, XtreamCodes second, then natural sort by name
• Hide Disabled Filter - Optionally hide disabled groups in the manage groups modal
• Auto-Refresh - New accounts automatically refresh after creation (no "Pending Setup" state)
• Server Group Filtering - Filter M3U accounts by server group

M3U Change Tracking

• Automatic Change Detection - Detects changes every time an M3U account is refreshed
• Group Changes - Track when groups are added or removed from M3U playlists
• Stream Changes - Monitor streams added or removed within existing groups
• Change History - Full searchable history of all detected changes
• Filtering - Filter changes by M3U account, change type (group/stream add/remove), and enabled status
• Sorting - Sort by time, account, type, group name, count, or enabled status
• Summary Statistics - Dashboard cards showing total groups/streams added and removed
• Time Range Filter - View changes from last 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, 30 days, or 90 days
• Expandable Details - Click any change row to see full details including stream names
• Enabled/Disabled Tracking - See whether affected groups were enabled or disabled in the M3U
• M3U Change Monitor Task - Background task polls for external changes made in Dispatcharr
• M3U Digest Emails - Configure email notifications for M3U changes (immediate, hourly, daily, weekly)

Channel Profiles

• Profile Management - View and manage stream transcoding profiles
• Default Profile - Set a default channel profile in Settings
• Profile Selection - Choose profiles when creating channels (single or bulk)
• Profile Assignment - Assign profiles to existing channels

Channel Management

• Create, Edit, Delete Channels - Full CRUD operations for channel management
• Channel Numbering - Assign channel numbers (including decimal numbers like 4.1)
• Auto-Rename - Optionally update channel names when numbers change (e.g., "101 | Sports Channel" becomes "102 | Sports Channel")
• Channel Groups - Organize channels into groups for better organization
• Group Channel Range - Each group header displays the channel number range (e.g., #100–150)
• Delete Groups - Delete channel groups with option to also delete contained channels
• Delete Orphaned Groups - Automatically detect and remove channel groups that have no streams, no channels, and no M3U association (groups left behind after M3U account deletions)
• Bulk Delete - Select multiple channels and delete them at once
• Search & Filter - Search channels by name, filter by one or more groups
• Inline Stream Display - View assigned streams directly in the channel list
• Copy Channel URL - Click copy button on any channel to copy its Dispatcharr proxy stream URL

Stream Management

• View Available Streams - Browse all streams from your M3U providers
• Assign Streams to Channels - Drag-and-drop or click to add streams
• Stream Priority - Reorder streams within a channel (order determines playback priority)
• Multi-Select - Select multiple streams and bulk-add to channels
• Filter by M3U Account - Filter streams by M3U account
• Filter by Group - Filter streams by their source group
• Copy Stream URL - Click copy button on any stream to copy its direct URL
• Stream Preview - Preview streams directly in the browser before assigning to channels
  • MPEG-TS playback using mpegts.js library
  • Three preview modes: Passthrough (direct), Transcode (AAC audio), Video Only (no audio)
  • Mode indicator shows current preview mode in the modal
  • Alternative options: Open in VLC, Download M3U, Copy URL

Channel Preview

• Channel Output Preview - Preview channels as they would appear to clients through Dispatcharr
  • Tests the actual Dispatcharr proxy stream output
  • Verifies channel configuration is working correctly
  • Same preview modes as stream preview (Passthrough, Transcode, Video Only)
  • JWT authentication handled automatically

EPG Management

• Add EPG Sources - Configure XMLTV URLs or Schedules Direct accounts
• Dummy EPG Sources - Create custom EPG entries for channels without guide data
  • Configure title patterns, descriptions, and colors
  • Set custom time slots and durations
  • Preview how dummy EPG will appear before saving
• Drag-and-Drop Priority - Reorder EPG sources to set matching priority (higher priority sources take precedence)
• Source Status - View status of each source (success, error, fetching, parsing)
• Refresh Sources - Manually refresh individual sources or all at once
• Enable/Disable - Toggle sources active/inactive without deleting
• Channel Count - See how many EPG channels each source provides
• Last Updated - Track when each source was last refreshed

TV Guide

• EPG Grid View - Full program guide showing all channels with their schedules
• Now-Playing Highlight - Currently airing programs are highlighted with accent color
• Current Time Indicator - Red vertical line shows the current time position
• Channel Profile Filter - Filter the guide by channel profile to see only specific channels
• Date Navigation - Browse programs from past days through upcoming week
• Time Navigation - Jump to any hour of the day
• Click-to-Edit - Click any channel in the guide to edit its metadata (logo, EPG, name, etc.)
• Auto-Scroll - Guide automatically centers on current time when viewing today
• Program Details - Hover over programs to see full title, subtitle, and time range

Bulk Channel Creation

• Channel Profile Selection - Choose which stream profile to apply to all created channels
• Create from Stream Group - Create multiple channels from an entire M3U stream group at once
• Multi-Group Creation - Select and drag multiple stream groups at once to create channels from all of them
  • Separate Groups Mode - Create a separate channel group for each stream group with independent naming and numbering
  • Combined Mode - Merge all streams from selected groups into a single channel group
  • Per-Group Settings - Customize channel group name and starting channel number for each group
  • Group Preview - See channel previews organized by group with calculated channel numbers
  • Drag Multiple Groups - Select multiple groups in the streams pane and drag them together onto the channels pane
• Auto-Assign Streams - Each created channel automatically gets its source stream assigned
• Auto-Assign Logos - Channels inherit logos from their source streams automatically
• Merge Duplicate Names - Streams with identical names from different M3U providers are merged into a single channel with all streams assigned (provides multi-provider redundancy)
• Quality Variant Normalization - Streams with quality suffixes (FHD, UHD, HD, SD, 4K, 1080P, etc.) are automatically merged into one channel
• Smart Stream Ordering - Streams are automatically ordered by quality (UHD/4K → FHD/1080p → HD/720p → SD) and interleaved by provider for failover redundancy (e.g., Provider1-FHD, Provider2-FHD, Provider1-HD, Provider2-HD)
• Tag-Based Normalization - Integrated Quick Tag Manager lets you customize which tags to strip:
  • Toggle built-in tags across 5 groups (Country, League, Network, Quality, Timezone)
  • Add custom tags with prefix/suffix/both mode on the fly
  • Settings default to your configured preferences, adjustable per-operation
• Network Prefix Stripping - Strip network prefixes (e.g., "CHAMP | Queens Park Rangers" → "Queens Park Rangers") to merge streams from different networks
• Network Suffix Stripping - Strip network suffixes (e.g., "ESPN (ENGLISH)" → "ESPN", "HBO BACKUP" → "HBO") to clean up channel names
• East/West Timezone Preference - When streams have regional variants (e.g., "Movies Channel" and "Movies Channel West"), choose to create East feeds only, West feeds only, or keep both as separate channels
• Country Prefix Options - Choose to remove country prefixes (e.g., "US: Sports Channel" → "Sports Channel") or keep them with normalized formatting (e.g., "US: Sports Channel" → "US | Sports Channel") with configurable separator
• Channel Number Prefix - Option to prepend channel numbers to names with configurable separator (-, :, or |), e.g., "100 | Sports Channel"
• Prefix Order Choice - When both country and channel number are enabled, choose the order: "Number first" (100 | US | Sports Channel) or "Country first" (US | 100 | Sports Channel)
• Custom Starting Number - Choose the starting channel number for sequential assignment
• Flexible Group Options - Create in same-named group, select existing group, or create new group
• Staged Group Creation - New channel groups are staged with channels and only created on commit (prevents orphaned groups)
• Preview Before Creating - See a preview of channels that will be created with merged stream counts
• Edit Mode Integration - Requires edit mode, button visible on stream group headers on hover

Edit Mode (Staged Editing)

A unique workflow that lets you stage changes locally before committing to the server:

• Enter Edit Mode - Start a new editing session
• Stage Changes - All edits are queued locally (including deletes)
• Preview Changes - See pending operations count
• Local Undo/Redo - Undo/redo within your edit session (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z)
• Undoable Deletes - Channel and group deletions can be undone before committing
• Bulk Delete with Groups - When deleting all channels in a group, option to delete the empty group too
• Batch Operations - Group related changes together
• Commit or Discard - Apply all changes at once or discard everything
• Exit Dialog - Review a detailed summary of all changes before committing (channel number changes, name changes, streams added/removed, new channels, deleted channels, new groups, deleted groups)
• Modified Indicators - Visual highlighting of channels with pending changes

Drag and Drop

• Add Streams - Drag streams onto channels to add them
• Bulk Add - Drag multiple selected streams at once
• Create from Stream - Drag a stream onto a group header (not a channel) to create a new channel with the stream name pre-populated
• Reorder Channels - Drag channels to reorder within a group (edit mode)
• Move Between Groups - Drag channels to different groups with confirmation modal
• Ungroup Channels - Drag channels to the "Uncategorized" group at the top to remove them from their group
• Reorder Streams - Drag to reorder streams within a channel
• Visual Feedback - Drop indicators and highlighting

Context Menu (Right-Click)

• Move channels to... - Right-click selected channels to show a submenu of groups to move them to
• Create new group and move - Right-click selected channels to create a new group and move them there
• Works in edit mode when one or more channels are selected

Multi-Select Channels

• Ctrl/Cmd + Click - Toggle individual channel selection
• Shift + Click - Select range of channels
• Visual Indicators - Selection checkboxes and highlighting
• Bulk Operations - Move or modify multiple channels at once
• Normalize Names - Standardize selected channel names with title case and league prefix formatting (e.g., "NFL ARIZONA CARDINALS" → "NFL: Arizona Cardinals")

Sort & Renumber

• Alphabetical Sorting - Sort channels within a group A-Z
• Sequential Renumbering - Assign sequential numbers starting from any value
• Renumber All Groups - Bulk renumber channels across all groups at once from the group management dropdown
• Smart Name Sorting - Option to ignore channel numbers in names when sorting (e.g., "101 | Sports Channel" sorts as "Sports Channel")
• Preview - See the result before applying
• Batch Undo - Entire sort/renumber operation undoes as one action

Logo Management

• View Logos - Browse available logos with previews
• Assign Logos - Assign logos to channels
• Search Logos - Search logos by name with client-side filtering
• Add from URL - Create logos from external URLs
• Upload Files - Upload logo files directly to Dispatcharr
• Usage Tracking - See how many channels use each logo
• Pagination - Configurable page sizes (25, 50, 100, 250) with page navigation
• Full Logo Loading - Automatically paginates through Dispatcharr's API to load all logos

EPG Integration

• Multiple EPG Sources - Support for multiple EPG data sources
• Search EPG Data - Search for programs by name
• Assign EPG - Map EPG data to channels
• Bulk EPG Assignment - Assign EPG to multiple selected channels at once with intelligent matching:
  • Country-Aware Matching - Detects country from stream names (e.g., "US: Sports Channel") and matches to appropriate EPG entries (e.g., SportsChannel.us not SportsChannel.mx)
  • Smart Call Sign Matching - Prefers EPG entries where the call sign matches the channel name (e.g., NOSEY over VIZNOSE for "Nosey" channel)
  • Call Sign Scoring - Rates call sign matches: exact match > starts with channel name > common prefix > no match
  • Balanced HD Preference - Prefers HD EPG entries but not when a non-HD variant has a significantly better call sign match
  • Regional Variant Handling - Intelligent matching for regional variants including East, West, Pacific, Central, Mountain, and compound variants like WestCoastFeed
  • Special Character Support - Properly handles channels with special characters like "E!" or "MGM+"
  • Auto-Match - Channels with a single matching EPG entry are automatically assigned
  • Conflict Resolution - When multiple EPG entries match, review and select the correct one with card-based navigation
  • Search Filter - Filter EPG options within conflict resolution
  • Unmatched List - See which channels couldn't be matched for manual assignment later
  • Batch Undo - All assignments from a bulk operation undo as a single action
• TVG ID Support - Set TVG IDs for Kodi/XMLTV compatibility
• TVC Guide Station ID - Support for TVC guide integration

Stream Profiles

• View Profiles - See available stream transcoding profiles
• Assign to Channels - Select which profile each channel uses
• Profile Metadata - View profile name, command, and parameters

Stats (Live Dashboard)

Real-time monitoring of your streaming infrastructure:

• Active Channels - See all currently streaming channels with live data
• M3U Connection Counts - Monitor connections per M3U account (current/max)
• Connected Clients - Track total connected client count
• Per-Channel Metrics - FFmpeg speed, FPS, bitrate, duration, and total bytes
• Speed Indicators - Color-coded speed display (green ≥0.98x, yellow ≥0.90x, red <0.90x)
• Historical Charts - Expandable per-channel charts showing speed and bandwidth over time
• Bandwidth Summary - Daily bandwidth tracking with 7-day history chart
• Top Watched Channels - Leaderboard of most-watched channels by watch time or view count
• System Events - Live event feed (channel starts/stops, client connections)
• Auto-Refresh - Configurable refresh interval (10s, 30s, 1m, 5m) or manual refresh
• Visibility-Aware - Polling pauses when tab is hidden to save resources

Enhanced Stats (v0.11.0)

Advanced analytics and channel popularity tracking:

• Unique Viewer Tracking - Count unique connecting IPs per channel over configurable time periods
• Per-Channel Bandwidth - Track bandwidth consumption by channel with breakdown by connections and watch time
• Popularity Scoring - Weighted algorithm calculates channel popularity based on:
  • Watch count (default 30% weight)
  • Watch time (default 30% weight)
  • Unique viewers (default 25% weight)
  • Bandwidth usage (default 15% weight)
• Popularity Rankings - View channels ranked by popularity score with pagination
• Trend Analysis - Track popularity changes over time:
  • Trending Up - Channels gaining popularity (>10% increase)
  • Trending Down - Channels losing popularity (>10% decrease)
  • Stable - Channels with consistent viewership
• Trend Indicators - Visual arrows and percentage changes on channel rankings
• Period Selector - View stats for 7, 14, or 30 day periods
• On-Demand Calculation - Trigger popularity score recalculation manually
• Watch History Log - Detailed log of all channel viewing sessions with IP addresses and durations

Journal (Activity Log)

Track all system activity with filtering and search:

• Activity Categories - Filter by Channel, EPG, M3U, or Watch events
• Action Types - Create, Update, Delete, Refresh, Start, Stop actions
• Time Range Filter - Filter entries by time period (1h, 6h, 24h, 7d, 30d, all)
• Search - Full-text search across all journal entries
• Entry Details - View detailed metadata for each entry
• Statistics - Summary counts by category and action type
• Pagination - Efficient loading of large activity logs
• Color-Coded Actions - Visual distinction between creates, updates, and deletes

Global History (Undo/Redo)

Separate from edit mode, provides session-wide history:

• Undo/Redo - Revert or reapply changes (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z)
• Save Points - Create named checkpoints to revert to later
• Change Tracking - See descriptions of recent changes

Settings

The Settings tab features sidebar navigation with multiple sections:

General Settings

• Dispatcharr Connection - Configure server URL, username, and password
• Test Connection - Verify connectivity before saving

Stream Name Normalization (Tag-Based)

Powerful tag-based system for cleaning and normalizing stream names during bulk channel creation:

• 5 Built-in Tag Groups - Country (US, UK, CA, etc.), League (NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.), Network (CHAMP, PPV, etc.), Quality (FHD, UHD, HD, SD, etc.), Timezone (EST, PST, EAST, WEST, etc.)
• Toggle Individual Tags - Enable or disable specific built-in tags within each group
• Custom Tags - Add your own tags with mode selection:
  • Prefix only - Strip when tag appears at start of name
  • Suffix only - Strip when tag appears at end of name
  • Any position - Strip tag wherever it appears
• Expandable Groups - Click to expand each tag group and see/manage individual tags
• Summary Stats - See counts of active, disabled, and custom tags at a glance
• Reset to Defaults - One-click restore of default tag configuration
• Quick Tag Manager - Compact tag editor also available in bulk create modal for per-operation customization

Normalization Engine (Rule-Based)

Advanced rule-based normalization system for granular control over stream name transformations:

• Custom Rules - Create rules with flexible conditions and actions
• Compound Conditions - Build complex logic with AND/OR/NOT operators
• Condition Types - Contains, starts with, ends with, equals, regex match
• Action Types - Remove prefix/suffix, replace text, regex replace, set value
• Rule Ordering - Drag-and-drop to set execution priority
• Enable/Disable Rules - Toggle individual rules without deleting
• Testing Panel - Test rules against sample names with real-time preview
• Normalize on Create - Automatically apply normalization when creating channels

Stream Probing

Automated stream health checking:

• Enable/Disable - Toggle automatic stream probing
• Schedule Time - Set the daily probe start time (e.g., 03:00 for off-peak)
• Interval - Hours between probe cycles (default 24h)
• Batch Size - Number of concurrent probes (default 10)
• Timeout - Seconds to wait for each stream response (default 30s)
• Channel Group Filter - Select which channel groups to include in probing
• Manual Probe - Trigger an immediate probe of all streams
• Probe Progress - Real-time progress bar with success/failed/skipped counts
• Probe History - View past probe results with timestamps and statistics
• Auto-Reorder After Probe - Automatically reorder streams by quality and status after scheduled probes complete
• Parallel Probing - Streams from different M3U accounts probe concurrently
• Max Concurrent Probes - Configure simultaneous probe limit (1-16) with guidance based on provider limits
• Profile-Aware Probing - Distributes probe connections across M3U profiles within an account, respecting per-profile connection limits and rewriting stream URLs for each profile
• Profile Distribution Strategy - Choose how probes are spread across profiles (only shown when an account has multiple profiles):
  • Fill First - Use default profile to capacity before spilling over to others
  • Round Robin - Rotate evenly across profiles for balanced usage
  • Least Loaded - Pick the profile with the most remaining headroom for maximum throughput
• Per-Account Ramp-Up - Gradually increases probe load per M3U account, starting conservatively and ramping up to avoid triggering provider rate limits
• Configurable Retry Settings - Configure retry count and behavior for probe failures
• Expanded Retry Coverage - Automatically retries on transient HTTP 200 failures, I/O errors, and "Invalid data found" errors
• Rate Limit Detection - Automatic backoff when providers return 429 errors, with UI notification
• M3U Connection Awareness - Respects M3U max connection limits during probing
• Stale Group Alerts - Notifications when channel groups have outdated probe data
• Probe Logging - Detailed probe execution logs for troubleshooting
• Persistent History - Probe results saved to /config/probe_history.json and persist across container restarts
• Failed Stream Indicators - Visual error icons on channels and groups that contain failed/timeout streams

Stream Strikeout System

Track and manage streams with repeated probe failures:

• Consecutive Failure Tracking - Tracks consecutive probe failures per stream with a configurable strike threshold
• Strike Badges - Visual strike count badges on streams in the Channel Manager
• Maintenance UI - Review all struck-out streams in Settings → Maintenance with stream details and failure counts
• Bulk Remove - One-click removal of struck-out streams from all channels they're assigned to

Stream Sort Priority

Configure how streams are automatically sorted within channels:

• Drag-and-Drop Reordering - Arrange sort criteria in priority order
• Enable/Disable Criteria - Toggle individual sort criteria on/off
• Available Criteria:
  • Resolution - Supports any resolution (2160p → 1440p → 1080p → 720p → 576p → 540p → 480p → etc.)
  • Bitrate (higher bitrate first)
  • Framerate (higher FPS first)
  • M3U Priority - Sort by M3U account priority (configurable per-account in M3U Manager)
  • Audio Channels - Sort by audio channel count (7.1 → 5.1 → stereo → mono)
• Arbitrary Resolution Support - Any resolution ending in 'p' or 'i' is automatically parsed and sorted (e.g., 476p, 544p, 1440p)
• Deprioritize Failed Streams - Option to automatically sort failed/dead streams to the bottom
• Visual Rank Badges - See sort priority numbers at a glance

Stream Preview

Configure how streams and channels are previewed in the browser:

• Preview Mode - Choose how streams are processed for browser playback:
  • Passthrough - Direct proxy, fastest but may fail on AC-3/E-AC-3/DTS audio codecs
  • Transcode - FFmpeg transcodes audio to AAC for browser compatibility (recommended)
  • Video Only - Strip audio entirely for silent quick preview
• Mode Switching - Change mode anytime; takes effect on next preview
• Requires FFmpeg - Transcode and Video Only modes require FFmpeg installed in the container (included in official Docker image)

Channel Defaults

Default options applied when using bulk channel creation:

• Default Channel Profile - Set the default stream profile for new channels
• Auto-Rename on Number Change - Update channel names when numbers change
• Include Channel Number in Name - Add number prefix to channel names (e.g., "101 - Sports Channel")
• Number Separator - Choose hyphen (-), colon (:), or pipe (|) for number prefix
• Remove Country Prefix - Strip country codes (US, UK, CA, etc.) from names (the bulk create modal also offers a "Keep" option with normalized formatting)
• Timezone Preference - Default handling for East/West regional variants

These defaults are pre-loaded when opening the bulk create modal, with a "(from settings)" indicator shown.

Authentication

Configure how users authenticate to ECM:

• Require Authentication - Enable or disable authentication requirement
• Primary Auth Mode - Choose between Local or Dispatcharr as the primary authentication method
• Local Authentication - Enable/disable local username/password authentication
• Dispatcharr Authentication - Enable/disable Dispatcharr SSO authentication

User Management

Admin panel for managing user accounts (requires admin privileges):

• User List - View all users with username, email, provider, status, and role
• Edit Users - Modify user email, display name, admin status, and active status
• Toggle Active Status - Quickly activate or deactivate user accounts
• Delete Users - Remove user accounts (soft delete)

Appearance

• Theme - Choose from three themes:
  • Dark (default) - Dark theme for low-light environments
  • Light - Bright theme for well-lit environments
  • High Contrast - Maximum contrast for accessibility
• Show Stream URLs - Toggle visibility of stream URLs in the UI (useful for screenshots or hiding sensitive information)
• Hide Auto-Sync Groups - Automatically hide channel groups managed by M3U auto-sync on app load (channels persist in ECM even when auto-sync is later disabled in Dispatcharr)
• Hide EPG URLs - Hide EPG source URLs in the EPG Manager tab to prevent accidental exposure in screenshots or screen shares
• Hide M3U URLs - Hide M3U server URLs in the M3U Manager tab to prevent accidental exposure in screenshots or screen shares
• Gracenote ID Conflict Handling - Control behavior when assigning Gracenote IDs to channels that already have different IDs:
  • Ask (default) - Show conflict dialog to review and choose which channels to overwrite
  • Skip - Automatically skip channels with existing IDs
  • Overwrite - Automatically replace all existing IDs with new ones
• Frontend Log Level - Set console logging verbosity (Error, Warn, Info, Debug) for troubleshooting

VLC Integration

Open streams directly in VLC media player from your browser:

• Open in VLC Behavior - Choose how "Open in VLC" buttons work:
  • Try VLC Protocol - Attempt vlc:// protocol, show helper if it fails
  • Fallback to M3U - Try vlc:// first, then download M3U file if it fails
  • Always M3U - Always download M3U file (most compatible)
• Protocol Handler Scripts - Downloadable scripts to register the vlc:// protocol handler:
  • Windows - PowerShell script with auto-elevation and registry setup
  • Linux - Shell script creating .desktop file for xdg-open
  • macOS - Shell script creating AppleScript handler app
• Helper Modal - When vlc:// fails, shows OS-specific setup instructions with download buttons
• M3U Fallback - Download M3U playlist files that open directly in VLC

Scheduled Tasks

Automated background tasks with flexible scheduling:

• Task Types - EPG Refresh, M3U Refresh, Stream Probe, Database Cleanup
• Multiple Schedules - Each task can have multiple independent schedules
• Schedule Types - Interval, Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, or Monthly (no cron expressions needed)
• Per-Schedule Parameters - Each schedule can have its own configuration (batch size, timeout, channel groups, etc.)
• Smart Defaults - Stream Probe schedules default to values from Settings > Maintenance
• Timezone-Aware - All schedules respect your configured timezone
• Real-Time Progress - Live progress bars with success/failed/skipped counts during execution
• Task History - View execution history with detailed results
• Manual Run - Trigger any task immediately with one click
• Enable/Disable - Toggle individual schedules or entire tasks

Alert Methods

Send notifications via external services when tasks complete or errors occur:

• Discord Webhooks - Send alerts to Discord channels via webhook URL
• Telegram Bots - Send alerts via Telegram bot API
• Email (SMTP) - Send email alerts with configurable SMTP settings
• Multiple Methods - Configure multiple alert methods simultaneously
• Source Filtering - Control which notification types trigger each alert method
• Digest/Batching - Batch multiple notifications to reduce alert noise
• Test Alerts - Send test notifications to verify configuration
• Failed Stream Details - Task completion alerts include names of failed streams

Notification Center

In-app notification system accessible from the header:

• Notification Bell - Shows unread count badge
• Notification History - View past notifications with timestamps
• Active Task Pinning - Running tasks and stream probes stay pinned to the top of the notification list until they complete
• Mark as Read - Mark individual or all notifications as read
• Delete Notifications - Clear individual or all notifications
• Notification Types - Info, Success, Warning, Error with color coding

Channel List Filters

Fine-tune which groups and channels appear in the channel list:

• Show/Hide Empty Groups - Toggle visibility of groups with no channels
• Show/Hide Newly Created Groups - Toggle visibility of groups created this session
• Show/Hide Provider Groups - Toggle visibility of auto-populated provider groups
• Show/Hide Manual Groups - Toggle visibility of manually created groups
• Show/Hide Auto-Sync Groups - Toggle visibility of auto-channel sync groups
• Missing Data Filters - Filter channels by missing metadata:
  • Missing Logo - Show channels without a logo assigned
  • Missing TVG-ID - Show channels without a TVG ID
  • Missing EPG Data - Show channels without EPG data
  • Missing Gracenote - Show channels without a Gracenote ID
  • Active filter indicator on the filter button
• Persistent Settings - Filter preferences saved to localStorage

M3U Account Management

• View Accounts - See all configured M3U accounts with status and stream counts
• Account Groups - View and manage stream groups from each M3U account
• Linked Accounts - Link accounts together to sync group settings across providers
• Auto-Channel Sync - Configure automatic channel synchronization per group (channels persist in ECM even when auto-sync is later disabled in Dispatcharr)
• Group Settings - Per-group account configuration with start channel numbers
• GitHub & User Guide Links - Quick-access links in the application header

Roadmap

Here's what's coming to Enhanced Channel Manager:

v0.8.0 - Scheduled Tasks ✅ Implemented

Automated background tasks with flexible multi-schedule support:

• Multiple Schedules Per Task - Each task can have multiple independent schedules
• User-Friendly Schedule Types - No cron expressions; choose from Interval, Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, or Monthly
• Timezone-Aware - All schedules respect your configured timezone
• Task Types - EPG refresh, M3U refresh, Stream probing, Database cleanup
• Task History - View execution history with success/failure details
• Manual Run - Trigger any task immediately with one click
• Enable/Disable - Toggle individual schedules or entire tasks on/off

v0.8.2 - Notifications ✅ Implemented

In-app notifications and external alerts:

• Toast Notifications - Real-time feedback for actions and errors
• Notification Center - In-app notification history with mark read/delete
• Email Alerts (SMTP) - Configurable SMTP email notifications
• Discord Webhooks - Send alerts to Discord channels
• Telegram Bots - Send alerts via Telegram
• Source Filtering - Control which events trigger each alert method
• Digest/Batching - Reduce notification noise with batching
• Failed Stream Details - Task alerts include names of failed streams
• Failed Stream Indicators - Visual markers on channels/groups with probe failures

v0.8.4 - Tag-Based Normalization Engine ✅ Implemented

Powerful tag-based system for stream name normalization:

• 5 Built-in Tag Groups - Country, League, Network, Quality, Timezone with 100+ tags
• Toggle Individual Tags - Enable/disable specific tags within each group
• Custom Tags - Add your own with prefix/suffix/both mode selection
• Expandable UI - Collapsible tag groups with counts and bulk enable/disable
• Quick Tag Manager - Compact tag editor in bulk create modal for per-operation customization
• Settings Integration - Configure default normalization in Settings tab
• Backward Compatible - Migrates old custom prefix/suffix settings automatically

v0.8.6 - Stream Sorting & Probe Schedules ✅ Implemented

Enhanced stream sorting options and granular probe scheduling:

• M3U Account Priority Sort - Sort streams by M3U account priority (configurable in M3U Manager)
• Audio Channels Sort - Sort streams by audio channel count (stereo, 5.1, 7.1, etc.)
• Per-Schedule Parameters - Each probe schedule can have its own batch_size, timeout, max_concurrent, and channel group settings
• Multiple Probe Schedules - Create multiple independent probe schedules with different configurations
• Smart Defaults - Schedule editor for Stream Probe defaults to values from Settings > Maintenance
• Auto-Reorder After Probe - Automatically reorder streams by quality and status after scheduled probes complete

v0.8.7 - Granular Normalization Engine ✅ Implemented

Advanced rule-based stream name normalization:

• Rule Creation UI - Create custom normalization rules with conditions and actions
• Rule Prioritization - Drag-and-drop rule ordering to control execution priority
• Compound Conditions - Build complex conditions with AND/OR/NOT logic
• Regex Support - Full regex pattern matching and replacement capabilities
• Condition Types - Contains, starts with, ends with, regex match, equals
• Action Types - Remove prefix/suffix, replace, regex replace, set value
• Rule Testing Panel - Test rules against sample stream names with real-time preview
• Normalization on Channel Create - Option to automatically normalize names when creating channels
• EPG/M3U Manual Refresh - Set refresh interval to 0 for manual-only refresh (no auto-refresh)

v0.9.0 - M3U Change Tracking ✅ Implemented

Track and report changes to M3U sources:

• Automatic Change Detection - Detects changes every time an M3U account is refreshed
• Snapshot System - Store M3U state snapshots for comparison
• Group Change Detection - Track when groups are added or deleted
• Stream Change Detection - Track when streams are added, deleted, or modified
• M3U Changes Tab - New tab to view all detected changes with filtering
• Email Digest Reports - Configurable email digests when changes occur (immediate, hourly, daily, weekly)
• Exclude Filters - Regex-based patterns to exclude noisy groups/streams from digest notifications
• Change History - Full searchable history of all M3U changes over time
• Summary Statistics - Dashboard cards showing total groups/streams added and removed

v0.10.0 - Stream Preview ✅ Implemented

Embedded video player for stream and channel preview:

• MPEG-TS Playback - Native .ts stream playback using mpegts.js library for browser compatibility
• Preview Modal - Click any stream or channel to open a preview player
• Three Preview Modes - Configurable in Settings:
  • Passthrough - Direct stream proxy (fastest, may fail on AC-3/E-AC-3 audio)
  • Transcode - FFmpeg transcodes audio to AAC for browser compatibility
  • Video Only - Strip audio for quick silent preview
• Mode Indicator - Shows current preview mode in the modal with icon and tooltip
• Channel Preview - Preview channel output through Dispatcharr's TS proxy with JWT authentication
• Alternative Options - Open in VLC, Download M3U, Copy URL (for streams with direct URLs)
• Stream Metadata Display - Shows stream name, TVG-ID, channel group, and M3U provider
• VLC Protocol Handler Scripts - One-click "Open in VLC" with scripts for Windows, Linux, and macOS
• VLC Protocol Helper Modal - Download scripts and view setup instructions in Settings → Advanced

v0.11.0 - Enhanced Stats ✅ Implemented

Advanced analytics and channel popularity tracking:

• Channel Watch Tracking - Track watch time and view counts per channel
• Unique Viewer Tracking - Count unique connecting IPs per channel
• Per-Channel Bandwidth - Monitor bandwidth consumption per channel
• Popularity Scoring - Weighted algorithm based on watch count, watch time, unique viewers, and bandwidth
• Popularity Rankings - View channels ranked by popularity with pagination
• Trend Analysis - Track popularity changes (trending up, down, or stable)
• Period Selection - View stats for 7, 14, or 30 day periods
• On-Demand Calculation - Manually trigger popularity score recalculation
• Watch History Log - Detailed log of viewing sessions with IP addresses

v0.11.5 - Authentication System ✅ Implemented

Comprehensive authentication and user management:

• First-Run Setup Wizard - Create initial admin account on first launch
• Local Authentication - Username/password auth with bcrypt password hashing
• Dispatcharr SSO - Single sign-on using Dispatcharr credentials
• Password Reset - Email-based password reset with secure time-limited tokens
• User Management - Admin panel for managing users, roles, and access
• Session Management - JWT-based sessions with automatic token refresh
• SMTP Integration - Password reset requires SMTP configuration; link hidden when not configured

v0.12.0 - Auto-Creation Pipeline ✅ Implemented

Rules engine for automatic channel management:

• Rule-Based Automation - Create rules with conditions and actions to automatically create channels, merge streams, and assign metadata
• Condition Builder - Match streams by name, group, provider, quality, codec, TVG ID, logo, normalized match in group, and more with AND/OR logic
• Action Executor - Create channels/groups, merge streams, assign logos/EPG/profiles, set channel numbers, define variables
• Template Variables - Dynamic naming with {stream_name}, {stream_group}, {quality}, {provider}, and custom variables
• YAML Import/Export - Share and version control your automation rules
• Dry Run Mode - Preview what changes a pipeline would make before executing
• Execution Rollback - Undo completed executions to restore previous state
• Orphan Reconciliation - Automatically manage channels that no longer match (delete, move, or preserve)
• Quality-Based Sorting - Sort streams within channels by resolution with optional probe-on-sort
• User Settings Integration - Honors channel numbering, default profile, timezone, and auto-rename preferences
• Execution Log - Per-stream granular log showing condition evaluation, rule matching, and action results
• CLI Password Reset - reset_password.py utility for command-line password recovery
• Missing Data Filters - Filter channels by missing logo, TVG-ID, EPG, or Gracenote ID
• Account Linking - Link multiple authentication methods to a single user account
• Design Tokens & Theme Compliance - CSS variable system for consistent theming across all components
• Logo Manager Improvements - File upload to Dispatcharr, pagination, full logo loading

v0.12.5 - FFMPEG Builder & Performance ✅ Implemented

Visual FFmpeg command builder and frontend performance improvements:

• FFMPEG Builder Tab - Full visual interface for constructing FFmpeg commands with Simple (IPTV wizard) and Advanced modes
• IPTV Presets - 8 built-in optimized templates (pass-through, H.264, NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV, low-latency AC3, HLS, 1080p/AAC, 4K/AC3)
• Saved Profiles - Save and load builder configurations for reuse
• Command Preview - Real-time annotated command generation with interactive tooltips
• Hardware Acceleration - CUDA, QSV, VAAPI support with auto-detection
• Stream Probing - Probe input sources for codec, resolution, framerate detection
• Push to Dispatcharr - Create stream profiles directly from the builder
• ECM Integration - Apply builder profiles to channels, groups, or all channels
• Lazy Stream Loading - Eliminated eager fetching of all streams on page load (fixes 100% CPU with 27k+ streams)
• Channel Badges - Visual indicators on channel cards for stream count, status, and metadata
• Stream Status Filters - Filter streams by online/offline/unknown probe status
• Auto Token Refresh - Automatic JWT token refresh for uninterrupted sessions
• CSS Design Token Refinements - Consistent theming across all tab CSS files

v0.12.6 - Auto-Creation, Probing & Stream Health ✅ Implemented

Major auto-creation enhancements, stream health management, and probing reliability:

• Global Exclusion Filters - Auto-creation settings with M3U group dropdown for filtering streams before rule evaluation
• New Condition Types - Global normalized name, not-in normalized name, and date expansion in regex conditions
• Merge Streams Fallbacks - Multi-stage auto-lookup: exact → core-name → call sign → deparen/word-prefix matching
• Max Streams Per Provider - Limit how many streams from a single M3U account merge into a channel
• Execution Log Enrichment - Filter chips, normalization context, and merge guidance in execution logs
• Stream Strikeout System - Track consecutive probe failures with configurable thresholds, strike badges, maintenance UI, and bulk remove
• Per-Account Ramp-Up Probing - Gradually increases probe load to avoid triggering provider rate limits
• Configurable Probe Retries - Retry settings with expanded coverage for HTTP 200, I/O, and Invalid data errors
• Stale Group Alerts - Notifications for channel groups with outdated probe data
• Regex Exclude Filters - Suppress noisy groups/streams from M3U digest notifications
• XC Non-Credential Editing - Edit XtreamCodes account settings without re-entering the password
• GitHub & User Guide Links - Quick-access links in the application header
• Auto-Sync Channel Persistence - Channels remain visible in ECM when auto-channel-sync is disabled in Dispatcharr
• "Provider" Renamed to "M3U Account" - Consistent terminology throughout the UI

v0.13.0 - Backend Refactor & Auto-Creation Enhancements ✅ Implemented

Backend modular architecture, new auto-creation actions, and reliability fixes:

• Modular Router Architecture - Split monolithic main.py into 20 domain-focused API routers under backend/routers/
• Security Hardening - Global log injection sanitizer (CWE-117), CodeQL fixes for stack-trace-exposure, polynomial-redos, dead code
• Remove From Channel Action - Remove a stream from its current channel during auto-creation
• Set Stream Priority Action - Set stream priority/weight within a channel
• Stream Name (Regex) Sort - Sort matched streams by a regex capture group (e.g., date patterns)
• Renumber All Groups - Bulk renumber channels across all groups at once
• Active Notification Pinning - Running tasks and probes stay pinned to top of notification list
• Probe Alert Filtering - Stream probe alerts now respect notification type filter settings
• Channel Number Deduplication - Fixed merged streams consuming extra channel number slots during renumber

v0.13.1 - Security, Stability & UX ✅ Implemented

Security hardening, bug fixes, and navigation improvements:

• URL Hash Routing - Active tab and settings sub-page persist in the URL for bookmarks, refresh, and browser back/forward
• Renumber All Groups Enhancement - Per-group starting number overrides in the modal
• CodeQL Security Fixes - ~65 code scanning alerts resolved across frontend and backend
• Info Exposure Fixes - Internal error details no longer leaked in HTTP responses (channels CSV import, TLS routes)
• SSRF Prevention - Cloudflare API endpoint validation
• Certificate Permission Tightening - TLS cert files restricted to 0o640
• Logo URL Sanitization - Preview URLs restricted to safe schemes only
• Auto-Creation Bug Fixes - Fixed set_channel_number action validation, rule save errors now show toast instead of crashing
• Sort Field Reset Fix - sort_field and sort_regex can now be cleared back to defaults

v0.14.0 - Enhanced Dummy EPG

Enhanced template engine for dummy EPG generation:

• Text Transforms - Apply transforms to template variables (uppercase, title case, etc.)
• Conditionals - Conditional blocks in templates based on channel metadata
• Lookup Tables - Database-backed lookup tables for mapping channel names to custom EPG data
• Per-Source Inline Lookups - Configure lookups directly in the dummy EPG source modal
• Enhanced Preview - Live preview of template output with sample data

v0.15.0 - Move Logic Server-Side

Move heavy client-side computation to the backend:

• EPG Matching Algorithm - Move 1,052-line matching engine to backend API
• Stream Name Normalization - Move 524-line normalization to backend
• Print Guide Generation - Move 383-line guide rendering to backend
• Edit Mode Consolidation - Simplify 218-line edit mode logic

v0.16.0 - M3U/EPG Export & Cloud Distribution

Generate M3U playlists and XMLTV EPG from managed channels with cloud distribution:

• Playlist Profiles - Curated channel selections for export
• XMLTV Generation - Generate EPG files from managed channel data
• Cloud Adapters - S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox support
• Publish Pipeline - Scheduled generation and distribution
• Full Frontend UI - Export management interface

---

Technical Stack

Frontend

• React 18 with TypeScript
• Vite for bundling
• @dnd-kit for drag-and-drop
• CSS with custom styling (dark theme)

Backend

• Python with FastAPI
• 20 modular API routers under backend/routers/
• Proxy to Dispatcharr API
• Health check endpoint
• CORS support

Deployment

• Docker containerized
• Single container with frontend served as static files
• Configurable via environment variables

Getting Started

Docker Compose

services:
  ecm:
    image: ghcr.io/motwakorb/enhancedchannelmanager:latest
    ports:
      - "6100:6100"   # HTTP (always available)
      - "6143:6143"   # HTTPS (when TLS is enabled)
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config

The Dispatcharr URL can be configured through the Settings modal in the UI, which persists to the config volume.

Port Configuration:

• Port 6100 - HTTP interface (always available as fallback)
• Port 6143 - HTTPS interface (when TLS is configured in Settings → TLS Certificates)

Development

# Frontend
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

# Backend
cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt
uvicorn main:app --reload

API Endpoints

Interactive API documentation is available at /api/docs (Swagger UI) and /api/redoc (ReDoc).

Channels

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/channels	List channels (paginated, searchable, filterable)
POST /api/channels	Create channel
GET /api/channels/{id}	Get channel details
GET /api/channels/{id}/streams	Get streams for a channel
PATCH /api/channels/{id}	Update channel
DELETE /api/channels/{id}	Delete channel
POST /api/channels/{id}/add-stream	Add stream to channel
POST /api/channels/{id}/remove-stream	Remove stream from channel
POST /api/channels/{id}/reorder-streams	Reorder channel streams
POST /api/channels/assign-numbers	Bulk assign channel numbers
POST /api/channels/bulk-commit	Batch multiple channel operations in one request
POST /api/channels/clear-auto-created	Clear auto-created flag from channels
GET /api/channels/csv-template	Download CSV template for channel import
GET /api/channels/export-csv	Export all channels to CSV
POST /api/channels/import-csv	Import channels from CSV file
POST /api/channels/preview-csv	Preview and validate CSV before import

Channel Groups

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/channel-groups	List all groups
POST /api/channel-groups	Create group
PATCH /api/channel-groups/{id}	Update group
DELETE /api/channel-groups/{id}	Delete group
GET /api/channel-groups/orphaned	List orphaned groups (no streams, channels, or M3U association)
DELETE /api/channel-groups/orphaned	Delete orphaned groups (optionally specify group IDs)
GET /api/channel-groups/hidden	List hidden channel groups
POST /api/channel-groups/{id}/restore	Restore a hidden channel group
GET /api/channel-groups/auto-created	List groups with auto-created channels
GET /api/channel-groups/with-streams	List groups that have channels with streams

Logos

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/channels/logos	List logos (paginated, searchable)
GET /api/channels/logos/{id}	Get a single logo
POST /api/channels/logos	Create logo from URL
POST /api/channels/logos/upload	Upload logo image file
PATCH /api/channels/logos/{id}	Update logo
DELETE /api/channels/logos/{id}	Delete logo

Streams

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/streams	List streams (paginated, searchable, filterable)
GET /api/stream-groups	List stream groups with stream counts

M3U

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}	Get M3U account details
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/stream-metadata	Get stream metadata (tvg-id mappings)
POST /api/m3u/accounts	Create M3U account
PUT /api/m3u/accounts/{id}	Update M3U account (full)
PATCH /api/m3u/accounts/{id}	Partially update M3U account
DELETE /api/m3u/accounts/{id}	Delete M3U account
POST /api/m3u/upload	Upload M3U file
POST /api/m3u/refresh	Refresh all active M3U accounts
POST /api/m3u/refresh/{id}	Refresh a single M3U account
POST /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/refresh-vod	Refresh VOD content (XtreamCodes)
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/filters	List filters for an account
POST /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/filters	Create filter for an account
PUT /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/filters/{fid}	Update a filter
DELETE /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/filters/{fid}	Delete a filter
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/profiles/	List profiles for an account
POST /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/profiles/	Create profile for an account
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/profiles/{pid}/	Get a specific profile
PATCH /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/profiles/{pid}/	Update a profile
DELETE /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/profiles/{pid}/	Delete a profile
PATCH /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/group-settings	Update group settings for an account
GET /api/m3u/accounts/{id}/changes	Get change history for an account
GET /api/m3u/snapshots	List M3U snapshots
GET /api/m3u/server-groups	List server groups
POST /api/m3u/server-groups	Create server group
PATCH /api/m3u/server-groups/{id}	Update server group
DELETE /api/m3u/server-groups/{id}	Delete server group

M3U Digest

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/m3u/changes	Get M3U change history (paginated, filterable)
GET /api/m3u/changes/summary	Get change summary for a time period
GET /api/m3u/digest/settings	Get digest email settings
PUT /api/m3u/digest/settings	Update digest email settings
POST /api/m3u/digest/test	Send a test digest email

EPG

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/epg/sources	List EPG sources
GET /api/epg/sources/{id}	Get EPG source details
POST /api/epg/sources	Create EPG source (including dummy sources)
PATCH /api/epg/sources/{id}	Update EPG source
DELETE /api/epg/sources/{id}	Delete EPG source
POST /api/epg/sources/{id}/refresh	Refresh EPG source
POST /api/epg/import	Trigger EPG import
GET /api/epg/data	Search EPG data (paginated)
GET /api/epg/data/{id}	Get individual EPG data entry
GET /api/epg/grid	Get EPG program grid for guide view
GET /api/epg/lcn	Get LCN (Logical Channel Number) for a TVG-ID
POST /api/epg/lcn/batch	Batch LCN lookup for multiple TVG-IDs

Channel Profiles

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/channel-profiles	List all channel profiles
POST /api/channel-profiles	Create channel profile
GET /api/channel-profiles/{id}	Get channel profile
PATCH /api/channel-profiles/{id}	Update channel profile
DELETE /api/channel-profiles/{id}	Delete channel profile
PATCH /api/channel-profiles/{id}/channels/bulk-update	Bulk enable/disable channels for a profile
PATCH /api/channel-profiles/{id}/channels/{cid}	Enable/disable a single channel for a profile

Stream Profiles

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/stream-profiles	List available stream profiles

Providers

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/providers	List M3U accounts (legacy)
GET /api/providers/group-settings	Get provider group settings

Settings

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/settings	Get current settings
POST /api/settings	Update settings
POST /api/settings/test	Test Dispatcharr connection
POST /api/settings/test-smtp	Test SMTP connection
POST /api/settings/test-discord	Test Discord webhook
POST /api/settings/test-telegram	Test Telegram bot
POST /api/settings/restart-services	Restart background services
POST /api/settings/reset-stats	Reset all statistics

Stream Stats

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/stream-stats	Get all stream probe statistics
GET /api/stream-stats/summary	Get probe statistics summary
GET /api/stream-stats/{id}	Get probe stats for a specific stream
POST /api/stream-stats/by-ids	Get probe stats for multiple streams
POST /api/stream-stats/probe/{id}	Probe a single stream
POST /api/stream-stats/probe/bulk	Probe multiple streams
POST /api/stream-stats/probe/all	Probe all streams (background task)
GET /api/stream-stats/probe/progress	Get probe progress
GET /api/stream-stats/probe/results	Get results of last probe-all operation
GET /api/stream-stats/probe/history	Get probe run history
POST /api/stream-stats/probe/cancel	Cancel running probe
POST /api/stream-stats/probe/reset	Force reset stuck probe state
POST /api/stream-stats/dismiss	Dismiss probe failures for streams
GET /api/stream-stats/dismissed	Get list of dismissed stream IDs
POST /api/stream-stats/clear	Clear probe stats for specific streams
POST /api/stream-stats/clear-all	Clear all probe stats
GET /api/stream-stats/struck-out	List struck-out streams (exceeding failure threshold)
POST /api/stream-stats/struck-out/remove	Bulk remove struck-out streams from all channels

Enhanced Stats

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/stats/bandwidth	Get bandwidth summary with in/out breakdown
GET /api/stats/channels	Get status of all active channels
GET /api/stats/channels/{id}	Get detailed stats for a channel
GET /api/stats/activity	Get system activity events
POST /api/stats/channels/{id}/stop	Stop a channel
POST /api/stats/channels/{id}/stop-client	Stop a specific client connection
GET /api/stats/top-watched	Get top watched channels
GET /api/stats/unique-viewers	Get unique viewer summary for period
GET /api/stats/channel-bandwidth	Get per-channel bandwidth stats
GET /api/stats/unique-viewers-by-channel	Get unique viewers per channel
GET /api/stats/watch-history	Get watch history log (paginated)

Popularity

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/stats/popularity/rankings	Get channel popularity rankings (paginated)
GET /api/stats/popularity/channel/{id}	Get popularity score for specific channel
GET /api/stats/popularity/trending	Get trending channels (up or down)
POST /api/stats/popularity/calculate	Trigger popularity score calculation

Normalization

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/normalization/rules	Get all rules organized by group
GET /api/normalization/rules/{id}	Get a specific rule
POST /api/normalization/rules	Create rule
PATCH /api/normalization/rules/{id}	Update rule
DELETE /api/normalization/rules/{id}	Delete rule
GET /api/normalization/groups	List rule groups
POST /api/normalization/groups	Create rule group
GET /api/normalization/groups/{id}	Get rule group
PATCH /api/normalization/groups/{id}	Update rule group
DELETE /api/normalization/groups/{id}	Delete rule group and all its rules
POST /api/normalization/groups/reorder	Reorder rule groups
POST /api/normalization/groups/{id}/rules/reorder	Reorder rules within a group
POST /api/normalization/test	Test a rule against sample text
POST /api/normalization/test-batch	Test all enabled rules against multiple texts
POST /api/normalization/normalize	Normalize text using all enabled rules
GET /api/normalization/rule-stats	Get stream match statistics per rule
GET /api/normalization/migration/status	Get migration status
POST /api/normalization/migration/run	Run demo rules migration

Tags

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/tags/groups	List all tag groups with counts
POST /api/tags/groups	Create tag group
GET /api/tags/groups/{id}	Get tag group with all tags
PATCH /api/tags/groups/{id}	Update tag group
DELETE /api/tags/groups/{id}	Delete tag group and all tags
POST /api/tags/groups/{id}/tags	Add tags to a group
PATCH /api/tags/groups/{gid}/tags/{tid}	Update a tag
DELETE /api/tags/groups/{gid}/tags/{tid}	Delete a tag
POST /api/tags/test	Test text against a tag group

Stream Preview

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/stream-preview/{id}	Preview a stream (proxy with optional transcoding)
GET /api/channel-preview/{id}	Preview a channel (proxy with optional transcoding)

Journal

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/journal	Get journal entries (paginated, filterable)
GET /api/journal/stats	Get journal statistics
DELETE /api/journal/purge	Purge old journal entries

Notifications

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/notifications	Get notifications (paginated, filterable by read status)
POST /api/notifications	Create a notification
PATCH /api/notifications/{id}	Update notification (mark as read)
DELETE /api/notifications/{id}	Delete notification
PATCH /api/notifications/mark-all-read	Mark all notifications as read
DELETE /api/notifications	Clear notifications (read only or all)
DELETE /api/notifications/by-source	Delete notifications by source

Alert Methods

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/alert-methods	List all alert methods
GET /api/alert-methods/types	Get available alert method types
POST /api/alert-methods	Create alert method
GET /api/alert-methods/{id}	Get alert method details
PATCH /api/alert-methods/{id}	Update alert method
DELETE /api/alert-methods/{id}	Delete alert method
POST /api/alert-methods/{id}/test	Send test notification

Scheduled Tasks

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/tasks	List all tasks with status
GET /api/tasks/{id}	Get task details with schedules
PATCH /api/tasks/{id}	Update task configuration
POST /api/tasks/{id}/run	Run task immediately
POST /api/tasks/{id}/cancel	Cancel running task
GET /api/tasks/{id}/history	Get task execution history
GET /api/tasks/engine/status	Get task engine status
GET /api/tasks/history/all	Get execution history for all tasks
GET /api/tasks/{id}/parameter-schema	Get parameter schema for a task type
GET /api/tasks/parameter-schemas	Get all task parameter schemas
GET /api/tasks/{id}/schedules	Get task schedules
POST /api/tasks/{id}/schedules	Add schedule to task
PATCH /api/tasks/{id}/schedules/{sid}	Update schedule
DELETE /api/tasks/{id}/schedules/{sid}	Delete schedule

Auto-Creation

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/auto-creation/rules	List all rules sorted by priority
GET /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}	Get rule details
POST /api/auto-creation/rules	Create rule
PUT /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}	Update rule
DELETE /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}	Delete rule
POST /api/auto-creation/rules/reorder	Reorder rules by priority
POST /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}/toggle	Toggle rule enabled state
POST /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}/duplicate	Duplicate a rule
POST /api/auto-creation/rules/{id}/run	Run a single rule (supports dry_run)
POST /api/auto-creation/run	Run the full pipeline (execute or dry_run)
GET /api/auto-creation/executions	Get execution history (paginated)
GET /api/auto-creation/executions/{id}	Get execution details (optional log/entities)
POST /api/auto-creation/executions/{id}/rollback	Rollback an execution
POST /api/auto-creation/validate	Validate a rule definition
GET /api/auto-creation/export/yaml	Export all rules as YAML
POST /api/auto-creation/import/yaml	Import rules from YAML
GET /api/auto-creation/schema/conditions	Get available condition types
GET /api/auto-creation/schema/actions	Get available action types
GET /api/auto-creation/schema/template-variables	Get available template variables

FFMPEG Builder

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/ffmpeg/capabilities	Detect system FFmpeg capabilities (codecs, formats, filters, hardware)
POST /api/ffmpeg/probe	Probe a media source for stream info (codec, resolution, bitrate)
GET /api/ffmpeg/configs	List all saved configurations
POST /api/ffmpeg/configs	Create new configuration
GET /api/ffmpeg/configs/{id}	Get specific configuration
PUT /api/ffmpeg/configs/{id}	Update configuration
DELETE /api/ffmpeg/configs/{id}	Delete configuration
POST /api/ffmpeg/validate	Validate builder state, return errors/warnings
POST /api/ffmpeg/generate-command	Generate annotated FFmpeg command from builder state
GET /api/ffmpeg/jobs	List all transcoding jobs
POST /api/ffmpeg/jobs	Create and queue new transcoding job
GET /api/ffmpeg/jobs/{id}	Get job status and progress
POST /api/ffmpeg/jobs/{id}/cancel	Cancel running job
DELETE /api/ffmpeg/jobs/{id}	Delete job record
GET /api/ffmpeg/queue-config	Get job queue configuration
PUT /api/ffmpeg/queue-config	Update queue settings (max concurrent, retries)
GET /api/ffmpeg/profiles	List saved user profiles
POST /api/ffmpeg/profiles	Save builder state as a profile
DELETE /api/ffmpeg/profiles/{id}	Delete saved profile

Cache

Endpoint	Description
POST /api/cache/invalidate	Invalidate cached data (optional prefix filter)
GET /api/cache/stats	Get cache statistics

TLS

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/tls/status	Get TLS configuration status
GET /api/tls/settings	Get TLS settings
POST /api/tls/configure	Configure TLS settings
POST /api/tls/request-cert	Request Let's Encrypt certificate (DNS-01 challenge)
POST /api/tls/complete-challenge	Complete pending DNS challenge
POST /api/tls/upload-cert	Upload custom certificate and key
POST /api/tls/renew	Manually trigger certificate renewal
DELETE /api/tls/certificate	Delete certificate and disable TLS
POST /api/tls/test-dns-provider	Test DNS provider credentials
POST /api/tls/https/start	Start HTTPS server
POST /api/tls/https/stop	Stop HTTPS server
POST /api/tls/https/restart	Restart HTTPS server
GET /api/tls/https/status	Get HTTPS server status

Authentication

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/auth/status	Get authentication status and configuration
GET /api/auth/setup-required	Check if first-run setup is needed
POST /api/auth/setup	Complete first-run setup (create admin account)
POST /api/auth/login	Login with username/password
POST /api/auth/logout	Logout and clear session
POST /api/auth/refresh	Refresh access token
GET /api/auth/me	Get current user info
PUT /api/auth/me	Update current user profile
POST /api/auth/change-password	Change current user's password
POST /api/auth/forgot-password	Request password reset email
POST /api/auth/reset-password	Reset password with token
GET /api/auth/providers	List available auth providers
POST /api/auth/dispatcharr/login	Login via Dispatcharr credentials

User Management (Admin)

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/admin/users	List all users (paginated, searchable)
POST /api/admin/users	Create new user
GET /api/admin/users/{id}	Get user details
PATCH /api/admin/users/{id}	Update user
DELETE /api/admin/users/{id}	Delete (deactivate) user

Health

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/health	Health check
GET /api/debug/request-rates	Request rate statistics (diagnostics)

Utility Scripts

Password Reset Script

The reset_password.py utility allows you to reset user passwords from the command line when locked out or when SMTP is not configured:

# Interactive mode — lists users, prompts for everything
docker exec -it enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py

# Non-interactive — specify username and password
docker exec enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py -u admin -p 'NewPass123'

# Semi-interactive — specify username, prompt for password securely
docker exec -it enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py -u admin

# Skip password strength validation
docker exec enhancedchannelmanager python /app/reset_password.py -u admin -p 'simple' --force

Features:

• Interactive mode shows a table of all users with username, email, admin status, active status, and auth provider
• Password strength validation (8+ chars, upper/lower/digit) with --force to bypass
• Secure password prompts (not echoed to terminal)
• Warns when resetting password for non-local auth users
• Uses bcrypt with 12 rounds, matching the web UI authentication system

Search Stream Script

The scripts/search-stream.sh utility allows you to search for streams in Dispatcharr via the command line:

# Make executable
chmod +x scripts/search-stream.sh

# Search for a stream
./scripts/search-stream.sh http://dispatcharr:9191 admin password "HBO Max HD"

# Search with special characters
./scripts/search-stream.sh http://dispatcharr:9191 admin password "[PPV EVENT 38]"

# Search partial name
./scripts/search-stream.sh http://dispatcharr:9191 admin password "ESPN"

Features:

• Handles authentication automatically
• URL-encodes special characters and spaces
• Returns pretty-printed JSON results
• Supports searching across all M3U accounts

Extract specific fields:

# Get just name and ID
./scripts/search-stream.sh http://dispatcharr:9191 admin pass "HBO" | jq '.results[] | {id, name}'

# Get count of results
./scripts/search-stream.sh http://dispatcharr:9191 admin pass "ESPN" | jq '.count'

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo (edit mode or global)
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z	Redo (edit mode or global)
Enter	Save when editing inline
Escape	Cancel when editing inline
Ctrl/Cmd + Click	Toggle channel selection
Shift + Click	Select range of channels

License

MIT