How to log each film with a rating and note for self-hosted diary fans in 2026

Steps for self-hosted diary fans to log each film with a rating and note, plus what Watcharr's approved features cover and what to check before choosing a tool.

By VLClean · 2026-11-04

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Pick one place to keep each film's date, rating and note, and use the same steps every time. Watcharr's approved features cover turning public IMDb lists into links for Radarr and Sonarr, so check whether a diary tool has rating and note fields before you choose. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Cost or setup
Watcharr	Turns a public IMDb list into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]
Other rated diary tools	not published	not published
A notes file or spreadsheet	not published	not published

What you need before you start

A self-hosted diary works best when every entry has the same parts: the film, the date you watched it, a rating, and a short note. Decide on a rating scale now, such as stars or a number out of ten, and use it for every film.

Decide what counts as logged, such as films you watched at home or in a cinema. Gather the films you have already watched, in whatever form you keep them, so you can add them without guessing dates.

Choose where the diary will live on your own machine or server, and make sure backups of it are planned. If you want to start from an IMDb list, check that the list is public first. Watcharr can read any public IMDb list, so you can see whether that route suits your diary. ^[1]

Step by step

Write down the fields each entry will have: title, date watched, rating and note.

Pick one rating scale and write it at the top of your diary so every entry uses it.

Set up the place where the diary lives, and check that you can open and edit it from the device you use most.

Add the films you have already watched, starting with the most recent ones so the list stays easy to scan.

For each new film, add the date, the rating and a note of one or two sentences about what stood out.

Once a week, read back through the new entries and fix any missing dates or ratings.

Make a backup copy on a schedule you will keep, and test that you can restore it.

After a month, review how the entries read and change the note format if you find you are not writing what you want to remember.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. It reads a public IMDb list you paste and gives you one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, which means a new entry on your list reaches Radarr or Sonarr within those windows. ^[1] TMDB is The Movie Database, a public site that holds film and show details. The page shows the list's covers in a row, and each cover opens TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. ^[1]

The approved features for Watcharr cover feeding lists into Radarr and Sonarr, so it fits a diary only if that is the job you need done. Other tools are not described here because no source facts about them were provided. Before choosing one, check whether it records a rating and a note for each film, how entries can be edited, and whether the diary can be exported.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid starting without a rating scale. Entries made on different scales are hard to compare later, and changing the scale after many entries means rewriting them.

Avoid leaving the note field empty. A rating alone rarely tells you why a film stayed with you, so write a sentence or two each time while the film is fresh.

Avoid choosing a tool before you know what the diary must hold. Check the fields and export options first, then pick the tool that matches.

Avoid skipping backups. A diary that lives on one machine is lost if that machine fails, so test the restore step before you need it.

Avoid assuming a list import is the same as a diary. Importing titles can fill a list, but the rating and note still need to be added by hand.

Frequently asked questions

How can someone log each film with a rating and note in a self-hosted diary?

Choose one place to keep the diary, set a rating scale, and decide which fields each entry needs: the title, the date watched, the rating and a short note. Add the films you have already watched first, then add each new film as you finish it. Review the entries each week, and keep a backup copy that you have tested for restoring. Using the same steps every time keeps the diary easy to read and compare later.

Can Watcharr record a rating and a note for each film?

Watcharr's approved features cover turning public IMDb lists into links for Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1] Check any tool, Watcharr included, for rating and note fields before you commit to it. Confirm the features on the tool's own pages, and try a small test diary with a few films before you move your full list over.

Does Watcharr need to be installed before it can be used?

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] The self-hosted setup runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Read the setup details before deciding whether the self-hosted route fits your skills and the time you can give it.

Can Watcharr be used commercially?

Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Read the licence text before using the code in any way beyond personal use.

Does Watcharr work on a phone?

You can paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app. ^[1] On bigger screens, the one-click sticker shows. ^[1] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Check the web app on the device you plan to use before you rely on it for your diary.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)