Skip to content

eMuleBB User Guide

eMule broadband edition

Classic eMule control, modern broadband operation.

eMuleBB is for power users who want a native Windows eMule client that can run for long sessions, keep large libraries predictable, expose a trusted local REST surface, and still respect stock eD2K/Kad behavior.

Start here if you are setting up a profile, moving an existing eMule install, testing a release package, or wiring eMuleBB into aMuTorrent, Prowlarr, Radarr, or Sonarr.

eMuleBB broadband edition logo

The eMuleBB Suite

This guide covers the eMuleBB Windows client (the 0.7.3 eD2K/Kad desktop app; the 0.7.x feature line closes at 0.7.3, with MFC modernization continuing in the 0.8.x line). It is one product in the broader eMuleBB Suite: the forward multiplatform core emulebb-rust, the BitTorrent companion qBittorrentBB, and the forward cross-network controller + installer TrackMuleBB (which replaces aMuTorrent in the 0.8.* program — aMuTorrent stays maintained until 0.7.3 final — and drives any /api/v1 core by advertised capability). For the suite as a whole — roadmap, the three-network bundle (eD2K / BitTorrent / Usenet), and install/Docker delivery — see the Suite Roadmap, Suite Bundle & Installer, and Suite Docker Delivery.

Start Here

Install Fast Path

  • Full suite one-liner: run the current stable 0.7.3 PowerShell bootstrapper directly from GitHub Releases when you want eMuleBB plus aMuTorrent, Prowlarr, Radarr, and Sonarr integration.
  • Manual standalone ZIP: download the current stable 0.7.3 eMuleBB ZIP, extract it into a new app folder, and start emulebb.exe.
  • Hyper-V isolated suite runs: prepare clean local Windows guests and run package or suite checks without touching the host's daily eMuleBB profile.
  • Running on macOS and Linux: options for using eMuleBB off Windows through a virtual machine, Wine, a Windows-hosted core with a cross-platform controller, or aMule.

Use these guides in order for a first real profile:

  1. Setup Guide covers install layout, first launch, existing profiles, isolated -c profiles, and release-aware testing.
  2. Product Guide explains what eMuleBB is, what it changes, and how to operate it as a power user.
  3. Power User Manual teaches eMule from zero through full operation: eD2K, Kad, High ID, queues, credits, parts, sharing, automation, safety, diagnostics, and tuning.
  4. Network Guide covers eD2K, Kad, ports, bind settings, UPnP, firewall behavior, and WebServer listener basics.
  5. Downloads And Search covers search quality, categories, transfer actions, disk-space protection, and broadband upload policy.
  6. Sharing Guide covers shared directories, monitored shares, large libraries, and share-ignore rules.
  7. Stack Integration Guide covers the eMuleBB plus aMuTorrent plus Arr workflow with field-level setup details.

For public release testing, use the 0.7.3 release notes before downloading or reporting package behavior.

Developer And Release Operator Paths

If you are contributing, validating, or preparing a release, start with the workspace and release controls instead of the product manual:

Role Start Here
Contributor or AI agent Workspace Policy and Agent Checklist
Routine developer Development Guide
Backlog owner Active Backlog and Backlog Process
Release operator 0.7.3 Release Train Dashboard
REST/controller reviewer REST Contract and Controller Surface Matrix

Release operators should also use the Execution Plan and Runbook.

Power User Paths

01

Bring Your Existing Profile

Launch with an explicit profile directory, keep temp and incoming paths stable, and verify the profile before enabling controllers.

Existing profile recipe
02

Run Clean Test Builds

Unpack each package into its own app directory, start with -c <profile>, and keep rollback evidence.

Release-aware setup
03

Control It Locally

Use the trusted REST surface for local automation, with explicit bind, API key, firewall, and lifecycle rules.

Controllers and REST
04

Automate Media Workflows

Present eMuleBB to Prowlarr, Radarr, and Sonarr through Torznab and qBittorrent-compatible adapter paths.

Stack integration guide

Automation Fast Path

eMuleBB's main automation story is local and operator-controlled: the native desktop app owns eD2K/Kad state, while REST, aMuTorrent, qBittorrent-compatible routes, and Torznab routes make that state easier to operate.

Goal Start Here
Make the first authenticated REST call REST Quickstart
Understand the exact REST contract REST API Contract
Wire aMuTorrent, Prowlarr, Radarr, or Sonarr Stack Integration Guide
Review adapter compatibility REST Adapter Notes

First Hour Checklist

For a serious profile, do not start with every feature enabled. Prove the desktop app first, then layer automation on top.

Step What To Prove Guide
Install App directory and profile directory are intentionally separate. ZIP install
Profile preferences.ini, temp, incoming, categories, and identity files are where expected. Persistence Files
Network TCP, UDP, firewall, UPnP, High ID, and Kad state are understood. Network
Search A small search returns believable results before heavy automation starts. Downloads And Search
Sharing Shared roots and monitored shares are deliberate, not accidental broad folders. Sharing
Controllers REST status reads pass before any mutation or Arr workflow is enabled. Stack Integration

Product Guides

Need Primary Doc
Product overview and operating model reference/GUIDE-EMULEBB
Landed behavior matrix and evidence model reference/RELEASED-BEHAVIOR-SUMMARY
Public-readable roadmap themes reference/ROADMAP-SUMMARY
Complete eMule manual from zero to power-user operation reference/GUIDE-POWER-USERS
Setup, -c profiles, release package testing reference/GUIDE-SETUP
Running on macOS or Linux via VM, Wine, or remote control reference/GUIDE-CROSS-PLATFORM
Search, downloads, categories, limits, upload policy reference/GUIDE-DOWNLOADS-SEARCH
Shared directories, monitored shares, large libraries reference/GUIDE-SHARING
eD2K, Kad, bind, ports, UPnP, firewall reference/GUIDE-NETWORK
eMuleBB, aMuTorrent, Prowlarr, Radarr, Sonarr setup recipes reference/GUIDE-STACK-INTEGRATIONS
REST semantics, qBit-compatible/Torznab adapter behavior reference/GUIDE-CONTROLLERS-REST
p2p-overlord eMule agent boundary and source docs reference/GUIDE-P2P-OVERLORD-EMULE-AGENT
Preferences and preferences.ini reference reference/GUIDE-PREFERENCES
Runtime .met and .dat file roles reference/GUIDE-PERSISTENCE-FILES
IP filter setup and troubleshooting reference/GUIDE-IP-FILTERS
Long-path behavior on Windows reference/GUIDE-LONGPATHS
Keyboard and menu workflow reference/KEYBOARD-SHORTCUTS
Tools menu operations reference/GUIDE-TOOLS-MENU
Diagnostic snapshots, dumps, and metadata diagnostics reference/GUIDE-DIAGNOSTICS
Symptom-led diagnostics and support evidence reference/GUIDE-TROUBLESHOOTING
Translation policy and glossary reference/GUIDE-TRANSLATIONS

API And Automation

REST is the preferred automation surface. The native desktop app remains the authority for live state.

Need Primary Doc
First authenticated REST calls rest/REST-API-QUICKSTART
Human-readable REST contract rest/REST-API-CONTRACT
Machine-readable OpenAPI contract rest/REST-API-OPENAPI
qBit, Torznab, Arr, and aMuTorrent adapter notes rest/REST-API-ADAPTERS
REST parity inventory rest/REST-API-PARITY-INVENTORY
Controller surface matrix active/CONTROLLER-SURFACE-MATRIX
p2p-overlord claimed-subset contract boundary reference/GUIDE-P2P-OVERLORD-EMULE-AGENT

Translations

The long-form product docs are English-canonical for now. Do not fork large translated Markdown copies unless there is a review and maintenance owner. Use Translations And Localization for glossary, terminology, screenshot, command, API field, and localized-homepage rules.

The public homepage in repos\emulebb-pages has localized entry pages. Those pages should link back to this maintained guide set rather than carrying stale, partial copies of the manuals.

Workspace And Release Docs

These docs are for contributors, release operators, and AI agents. They are kept here because this repository is the canonical documentation home, but they are not the best first read for users.

Need Primary Doc
Workspace policy WORKSPACE-POLICY
Documentation ownership rules DOCS-POLICY
AI contributor checklist reference/AGENT-CHECKLIST
Workspace repository map reference/WORKSPACE-REPO-MAP
Development and validation guide reference/DEVELOPMENT-GUIDE
Active backlog and release dashboard active/INDEX
p2p-overlord product-family integration plan active/plans/P2P-OVERLORD-PRODUCT-FAMILY-INTEGRATION
Ecosystem suite bootstrap planning active/plans/ECOSYSTEM-SUITE-BOOTSTRAP-PLAN
0.7.3 release-train control document active/RELEASE-0.7.3
Public 0.7.3 release notes active/RELEASE-0.7.3-NOTES
0.7.3 stable changelog active/RELEASE-0.7.3-STABLE-CHANGELOG
0.7.3 release checklist active/RELEASE-0.7.3-CHECKLIST
0.7.3 release runbook active/RELEASE-0.7.3-RUNBOOK
Backlog process reference/BACKLOG-PROCESS
Backlog item template reference/BACKLOG-ITEM-TEMPLATE
Evidence retention policy reference/EVIDENCE-RETENTION
CI baseline workflow reference/CI-BASELINE
Test tiers runbook reference/TEST-TIERS
Test suite inventory reference/TEST-INVENTORY
Test curation decisions reference/TEST-CURATION
Release branching and packaging reference/RELEASE-BRANCHING-AND-PACKAGING
eD2K ecosystem inventory reference/ED2K-PROJECT-INVENTORY
eD2K forums and sites inventory reference/ED2K-FORUMS-AND-SITES
Dependency status dependencies/DEP-STATUS
Historical-reference rules HISTORICAL-REFERENCES

If a status claim outside docs/active/ conflicts with docs/active/, treat docs/active/ as authoritative for current local backlog and release state. For GitHub-primary backlog items marked workflow: github, the linked emulebb/emulebb issue and the public eMuleBB Roadmap org Project #2 are authoritative for workflow state.

Browser Site

This Markdown tree can be rendered with MkDocs Material:

python -m pip install -r requirements-docs.txt
python -m mkdocs serve

Use python -m mkdocs build --strict for CI-equivalent local validation. The Material theme emits a current MkDocs 2.0 compatibility notice as a warning, so set $env:NO_MKDOCS_2_WARNING='1' before strict local builds. The generated HTML is written to .local/mkdocs-site and deployed to GitHub Pages by .github/workflows/docs-site.yml on main at https://emulebb.github.io/emulebb-tooling/.

Notes

  • Historical branch names such as stale-v0.72a-experimental-clean and old branch labels may appear in reference docs as provenance only.
  • Preserve commit ids and historical branch names where they add provenance, but do not treat them as current-branch guidance unless docs/active/ explicitly says the work is landed on main.