Simple. Smart. Fast.
A powerful CLI tool to create, inspect, and modify torrent files. Private by default. Tracker aware.
mkbrr (pronounced "make-burr") is a simple yet powerful tool for:
- Creating torrent files
- Inspecting torrent files
- Modifying torrent metadata
- Supporting tracker-specific requirements automatically
Key Features:
- Fast: Blazingly fast hashing beating the competition
- Simple: Easy to use CLI and GUI
- Portable: Single binary with no dependencies
- Smart: Detects possible missing files when creating torrents for season packs
For detailed documentation and guides, visit mkbrr.com.
For detailed installation instructions, please refer to the Installation section.
# torrents are private by default
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce
# public torrent
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --private=false
# Create with randomized info hash
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce -e- Installation
- GUI
- Usage
- Advanced Usage
- Tracker-Specific Features
- Incomplete Season Pack Detection
- Performance
- License
Choose the method that works best for you:
Download a ready-to-use binary for your platform from the releases page.
brew install mkbrrRequirements: See go.mod for Go version.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/autobrr/mkbrr.git
cd mkbrr
# Install the binary to $GOPATH/bin
make install
# Or install system-wide (requires sudo)
sudo make install # installs to /usr/local/binIf you have Go installed:
go install github.com/autobrr/mkbrr@latest
# make sure its in your PATH
export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin# Pull the image
docker pull ghcr.io/autobrr/mkbrr
# Tag it for easier use
docker tag ghcr.io/autobrr/mkbrr mkbrr
# Run with volume mounts for input/output
docker run -v ~/Downloads:/downloads mkbrr mkbrr create /downloads/your-file --output-dir /downloadsFor convenience, you can add an alias to your shell configuration:
# Add to your .zshrc or .bashrc
alias mkbrr='docker run -v ~/Downloads:/downloads mkbrr mkbrr'mkbrr includes a graphical user interface for those who prefer not to use the command line.
Download the GUI binary for your platform from the releases page.
# Install Wails CLI (one-time requirement)
make install-wails
# Build GUI for your current platform
make gui-build
# Or build for all platforms
make gui-build-allThe built application will be in gui/build/bin/.
The GUI app is not notarized, so macOS will block it by default. Use one of these methods to run it:
Option 1: Remove quarantine attribute (recommended)
xattr -cr /path/to/mkbrr-gui.appOption 2: Right-click to open
- Right-click (or Control-click) on the app
- Select "Open" from the context menu
- Click "Open" in the dialog
Option 3: System Settings
- Try to open the app (it will be blocked)
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
- Click "Open Anyway" next to the mkbrr-gui message
The GUI provides the same core functionality as the CLI with additional usability features:
- Create - Create torrent files with tracker support, presets, and real-time progress tracking with hash rate display
- Inspect - View torrent metadata with searchable, collapsible file tree
- Check - Verify torrent data integrity with detailed results (good/bad/missing pieces)
- Modify - Edit torrent metadata without source files
- Settings - Configure default workers and manage presets (create, edit, delete)
Additional features:
- Theme Support - Light, dark, and system theme modes
- Tracker Detection - Automatic piece size recommendations based on tracker rules
- Form Persistence - Form state is saved across sessions
- Preset Management - Full preset CRUD operations with validation
The basic command structure for creating torrents is:
mkbrr create [path] [flags]For help:
mkbrr create --help# Create a private torrent (default)
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce
# Create a public torrent
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --private=false
# Create with a comment
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce -c "My awesome content"
# Create with a custom output path
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce -o custom-name.torrent
# Create with randomized info hash
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce -e
# Create a torrent excluding specific file patterns (comma-separated)
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --exclude "*.nfo,*.jpg"
# Create a torrent including only specific file patterns (comma-separated)
mkbrr create path/to/video-folder -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --include "*.mkv,*.mp4"
# Create using a specific number of worker threads for hashing (e.g., 8)
# Experimenting with different values might yield better performance than the default automatic setting.
mkbrr create path/to/large-file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --workers 8
# Fail if a potentially incomplete season pack is detected
mkbrr create path/to/season-pack -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --fail-on-season-warning
# Create using a name property for the torrent
mkbrr create path/to/file -t https://example-tracker.com/announce --name "Your torrent name"Note
The exclude and include patterns feature supports standard glob pattern matching (like * for any number of characters, ? for a single character) and is case-insensitive.
Precedence: Inclusion patterns (--include) take precedence.
- If
--includeis used:- A file matching an
--includepattern is always kept, even if it also matches an--excludepattern. - A file not matching any
--includepattern is always ignored.
- A file matching an
- If
--includeis not used, then only--excludepatterns are considered, and matching files are ignored.
The --workers flag controls the number of concurrent threads used for hashing.
--workers 0(or omitting the flag) uses automatic logic to determine the optimal number based on your system.--workers N(where N > 0) uses exactly N threads. While the automatic setting is generally good, you might achieve slightly better performance by manually testing different values for N on your specific hardware and workload.
The --fail-on-season-warning flag makes mkbrr exit with an error if it detects a potentially incomplete season pack instead of just showing a warning.
View detailed information about a torrent:
mkbrr inspect my-torrent.torrentVerify the integrity of local data against a torrent file:
mkbrr check my-torrent.torrent /path/to/downloaded/content
# Verify using a specific number of worker threads (e.g., 4)
mkbrr check my-torrent.torrent /path/to/downloaded/content --workers 4This shows:
- Name and size
- Piece information and hash
- Tracker URLs
- Creation date
- Magnet link
- File list (for multi-file torrents)
Structurally sync a v1 torrent after files are added, removed, resized, or renamed without rehashing files assumed to be unchanged:
# Write release.updated.torrent and leave release.torrent untouched
mkbrr update-torrent release.torrent /path/to/release
# Explicitly replace the input torrent
mkbrr update-torrent release.torrent /path/to/release --in-place
# Choose a different output file
mkbrr update-torrent release.torrent /path/to/release --output updated.torrent
# Reuse the same folder and filters from the original create command
mkbrr update-torrent /home/ubuntu/manga-no-images.torrent /home/ubuntu/manga \
--exclude "*.jpg,*.jpeg,*.png,*.pdf,*.gif,*.webp,*.bmp"
# Reuse hashes for a known file rename
mkbrr update-torrent release.torrent /path/to/release \
--rename old-name.mkv=new-name.mkvImportant: This is a structural sync, not content-change detection. Files with matching paths and sizes are assumed to have identical bytes and are not rehashed. If an existing file may have been edited or replaced without changing its size, run create again to perform a full rehash. You can run check after updating to validate the torrent against the files on disk.
Removed files disappear from the torrent, while new files and resized files are hashed. An unmapped rename is treated safely as a deletion plus an addition and is rehashed; use repeatable --rename old=new mappings only when you know a renamed file is unchanged and want to reuse its hashes. Pieces containing new data or changed boundaries are rehashed, while structurally matching old piece ranges reuse their existing hashes.
The default output adds .updated before the input extension and leaves the original torrent untouched; it refuses to overwrite an existing default output. Use --output to choose a different destination or --in-place to replace the input atomically. Output may not replace a content file or be written inside the content directory; therefore, the input torrent used with --in-place must also live outside that directory. As a wrong content path can otherwise look like a complete replacement, a multi-piece update that reuses no hashes is rejected; after verifying the content path, pass --force to allow that full rehash.
The update command uses the same --exclude and --include syntax as create. Repeat those filters because glob patterns are not stored in a torrent file. Tracker URLs, creation date, creator, private/source fields, per-file custom fields, unknown root keys, and piece length are preserved from the existing torrent, so they do not need to be supplied again. Running create again would perform a full rehash.
Update metadata in existing torrent files without access to the original content:
# Basic usage
mkbrr modify original.torrent --tracker https://new-tracker.com
# Modify multiple torrents
mkbrr modify *.torrent --private=false
# See what would be changed without making actual changes
mkbrr modify original.torrent --tracker https://new-tracker.com --dry-run
# Modifying the torrent to contain multiple trackers
mkbrr modify original.torrent -t https://first.com -t https://second.com -t https://third.com
# Randomize info hash
mkbrr modify original.torrent -e
# Change the torrent's name property
mkbrr modify original.torrent --name "My new torrent name"Presets save you time by storing commonly used settings. Great for users who create torrents for the same trackers regularly.
See presets example here.
# Uses the ptp-preset (defined in your presets.yaml file)
mkbrr create -P ptp path/to/file
# Override some preset values
mkbrr create -P ptp --source "MySource" path/to/file
# Override workers count
mkbrr create -P ptp --workers 4 path/to/fileTip
The preset file can be placed in the current directory, ~/.config/mkbrr/, or ~/.mkbrr/. You can also specify a custom location with --preset-file. Presets support both exclude_patterns and include_patterns fields, allowing you to define default or preset-specific file filtering.
Create multiple torrents at once using a YAML configuration file:
mkbrr create -b batch.yamlSee batch example here.
Tip
Batch mode processes jobs in parallel (up to 4 at once) and shows a summary when complete. Batch mode also supports both exclude_patterns and include_patterns fields.
mkbrr automatically enforces some requirements for various private trackers so you don't have to:
Different trackers have different requirements:
- HDB, BHD, SuperBits: Max 16 MiB pieces
- Emp, MTV: Max 8 MiB pieces
- GazelleGames: Max 64 MiB pieces
Some trackers limit the size of the .torrent file itself:
- Anthelion: 250 KiB
- GazelleGames: 1 MB
[!INFO] When creating torrents for these trackers, mkbrr automatically adjusts piece sizes to meet requirements, so you don't have to.
A full overview over tracker-specific limits can be seen in the documentation.
If the input is a folder with a name that indicates that its a pack, it will find the highest number and do a count to look for missing files.
mkbrr create ~/Kyles.Original.Sins.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264 -t https://tracker.com/announce/1234567
Files being hashed:
├─ Kyles.Original.Sins.S01E01.Business.and.Pleasure.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264.mkv (3.3 GiB)
├─ Kyles.Original.Sins.S01E02.Putting.It.Back.In.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264.mkv (3.4 GiB)
└─ Kyles.Original.Sins.S01E04.Cursor.For.Life.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264.mkv (3.3 GiB)
Warning: Possible incomplete season pack detected
Season number: 1
Highest episode number found: 4
Video files: 3
This may be an incomplete season pack. Check files before uploading.
Hashing pieces... [3220.23 MB/s] 100% [========================================]
Wrote title.torrent (elapsed 3.22s)
By default, mkbrr will show a warning but continue creating the torrent when it detects a potentially incomplete season pack. If you want to fail the operation instead, use the --fail-on-season-warning flag:
# This will exit with an error if missing episodes are detected
mkbrr create ~/Suspicious.Show.S01.1080p.WEB-DL -t https://tracker.com/announce --fail-on-season-warningTip
The --fail-on-season-warning flag can also be configured in presets and batch files using the fail_on_season_warning field.
mkbrr is optimized for speed and consistently outperforms other popular torrent creation tools in our benchmarks.
All tests were performed using hyperfine with 5 runs per tool after a warm-up run. Cache was cleared between runs on the servers, but not on the Macbook.
| Hardware | Test Size | mkbrr | mktorrent | torrenttools | torf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaseweb Server (SSD) | 21 GiB | 7.24s | 45.41s | 9.07s | 8.85s |
| Hetzner Server (HDD) | 14 GiB | 41.02s | 68.17s | 47.97s | 58.19s |
| Macbook Pro M4 (NVME) | 30 GiB | 9.71s | 10.90s | - | 9.78s |
| Hardware | vs mktorrent | vs torrenttools | vs torf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaseweb Server (SSD) | 6.3× faster | 1.3× faster | 1.2× faster |
| Hetzner Server (HDD) | 1.7× faster | 1.2× faster | 1.4× faster |
| Macbook Pro M4 (NVME) | 1.1× faster | - | Similar |
Besides raw speed, mkbrr shows more consistent performance between runs, with standard deviation percentages between 0.25-3.7% across platforms compared to much higher variances for other tools (up to 39%). This predictable performance is particularly noticeable on mechanical storage where other tools showed wider fluctuations.
- CPU: Intel Xeon E-2274G @ 4.00GHz
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 1 × SAMSUNG MZQL21T9HCJR-00A07 1.92TB SSD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (12) @ 4.71GHz
- RAM: 64GB
- Storage: 4 × TOSHIBA MG08ACA16TEY in RAID0
- CPU: Apple M4
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB NVME
View Full Benchmark Commands & Results
hyperfine --warmup 1 --runs 5 \
--setup 'sudo sync && sudo sh -c "echo 3 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches"' \
--prepare 'sudo sync && sudo sh -c "echo 3 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches" && rm -f /home/user/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP.torrent' \
'mkbrr create /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP' \
'mktorrent /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP' \
'torrenttools create --threads 8 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP' \
'torf --threads 8 /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP'
Benchmark 1: mkbrr create /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP
Time (mean ± σ): 7.244 s ± 0.018 s [User: 31.245 s, System: 7.554 s]
Range (min … max): 7.225 s … 7.270 s 5 runs
Benchmark 2: mktorrent /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP
Time (mean ± σ): 45.407 s ± 0.163 s [User: 36.495 s, System: 4.983 s]
Range (min … max): 45.135 s … 45.539 s 5 runs
Benchmark 3: torrenttools create --threads 8 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP
Time (mean ± σ): 9.074 s ± 0.093 s [User: 29.248 s, System: 5.228 s]
Range (min … max): 8.908 s … 9.122 s 5 runs
Benchmark 4: torf --threads 8 /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP
Time (mean ± σ): 8.854 s ± 0.077 s [User: 25.829 s, System: 5.136 s]
Range (min … max): 8.771 s … 8.937 s 5 runs
Summary
'mkbrr create /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP' ran
1.22 ± 0.01 times faster than 'torf --threads 8 /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP'
1.25 ± 0.01 times faster than 'torrenttools create --threads 8 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP'
6.27 ± 0.03 times faster than 'mktorrent /home/user/torrents/qbittorrent/Show.S01.DL.1080p.WEB.H264-GROUP'hyperfine --warmup 1 --runs 5 \
--setup 'sudo sync && sudo sh -c "echo 3 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches"' \
--prepare 'sudo sync && sudo sh -c "echo 3 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches" && rm -f /home/user/mkbrr/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP.torrent' \
'mkbrr create ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP' \
'mktorrent ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP' \
'torrenttools create --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP' \
'torf --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP'
Benchmark 1: mkbrr create ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 41.022 s ± 0.979 s [User: 13.691 s, System: 6.747 s]
Range (min … max): 39.938 s … 42.467 s 5 runs
Benchmark 2: mktorrent ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 68.168 s ± 26.654 s [User: 17.934 s, System: 6.543 s]
Range (min … max): 39.268 s … 97.574 s 5 runs
Benchmark 3: torrenttools create --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 47.968 s ± 10.552 s [User: 7.052 s, System: 6.551 s]
Range (min … max): 39.460 s … 66.296 s 5 runs
Benchmark 4: torf --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 58.187 s ± 5.787 s [User: 7.185 s, System: 6.511 s]
Range (min … max): 50.125 s … 65.807 s 5 runs
Summary
mkbrr create ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP ran
1.17 ± 0.26 times faster than torrenttools create --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
1.42 ± 0.15 times faster than torf --threads 12 ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
1.66 ± 0.65 times faster than mktorrent ~/torrents/qbittorrent/tv/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRPhyperfine --warmup 1 --runs 5 \
--prepare 'rm -f Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP.torrent' \
'mkbrr create ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP' \
'mktorrent ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP' \
'torf --threads 10 ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP'
Benchmark 1: mkbrr create ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 9.708 s ± 0.355 s [User: 10.823 s, System: 4.297 s]
Range (min … max): 9.479 s … 10.323 s 5 runs
Benchmark 2: mktorrent ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 10.897 s ± 0.701 s [User: 11.021 s, System: 3.038 s]
Range (min … max): 9.950 s … 11.620 s 5 runs
Benchmark 3: torf --threads 10 ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
Time (mean ± σ): 9.779 s ± 0.749 s [User: 10.776 s, System: 5.253 s]
Range (min … max): 9.383 s … 11.112 s 5 runs
Summary
mkbrr create ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP ran
1.01 ± 0.09 times faster than torf --threads 10 ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRP
1.12 ± 0.08 times faster than mktorrent ~/Desktop/Show.S01.1080p.SRC.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-GRPThis program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
See LICENSE for the full license text.