Automation
Power Scraper Pro can work automatically in the background, processing new media as you add it.Watch Folders
Watch folders monitor directories for new files and automatically scan them.Setting Up a Watch Folder
1
Open Settings
Go to Settings → Watch Folders.
2
Add a Folder
Click + and select the folder to monitor.
3
Configure Options
- Media Type: Movies, TV Shows, or Both
- Auto-Scrape: Automatically fetch metadata for new files
- Output Mode: In Place, Move to Folder, or Move to Desktop
- Notifications: Get notified when new media is detected
4
Enable Monitoring
Toggle the watch folder On.
How It Works
- You download or copy a new movie/TV show to the watch folder
- Power Scraper Pro detects the new file (via macOS FSEvents)
- The file is scanned and added to your library
- If auto-scrape is enabled, metadata is fetched automatically
- You receive a notification when complete
Watch folders work even when Power Scraper Pro is in the background. The app must be running, but doesn’t need to be in focus.
Multiple Watch Folders
You can set up multiple watch folders with different settings:~/Downloads/Movies/→ Movies, Auto-scrape ON~/Downloads/TV/→ TV Shows, Auto-scrape ON/Volumes/NAS/Incoming/→ Both, Auto-scrape OFF
Background Processing
Power Scraper Pro can scrape large libraries without blocking the UI.Enable Background Processing
- Go to Settings → Background Scraping
- Toggle Enable Background Processing
- Configure notification preferences
Features
- Non-blocking — Continue browsing while scraping happens
- Memory-aware — Pauses automatically if system memory is low
- Cancellable — Stop anytime at safe checkpoints
- Progress indicators — Dock badge and toolbar indicator show progress
Siri Shortcuts Integration
Power Scraper Pro integrates with Apple’s Shortcuts app for automation.Available Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Get Library Stats | Returns movie/TV show counts |
| Scrape Movies | Scrapes all unscraped movies |
| Pending Items | Returns list of items needing scraping |
| Export Library | Exports library data as JSON |
Example Shortcuts
“Hey Siri, scan my downloads”- Open Shortcuts app
- Create new shortcut
- Add Scan Directory action
- Set path to your downloads folder
- Save and name it “Scan my downloads”
- Create a shortcut with Scan Directory + Scrape Pending
- Add an Automation trigger for a specific time
- Your library updates automatically every day
Session Resume
If Power Scraper Pro quits or crashes during a scraping operation:- Progress is saved automatically
- On next launch, you’re prompted to resume
- Click Resume to continue where you left off
- No duplicate downloads or wasted API calls