Add proper download waiting and peer connectivity documentation

- Added _wait_for_download method that polls for files to appear
- Waits up to 5 minutes (300s) checking every 5 seconds
- Checks both filesystem and daemon file_list API
- Added comprehensive troubleshooting section about incomplete downloads
- Documents why downloads fail (peer availability)
- Provides solutions: using Odysee web player, LBRY Desktop app, timing
- Explains P2P nature of LBRY network

Downloads now properly wait for content instead of giving up immediately.
This commit is contained in:
thePR0M3TH3AN committed 2026-03-15 21:52:17 -04:00
1 parent e6489949db
commit dfea928f7e
2 files changed
+116 -24

No files matched your search

+40
View File
@@ -649,6 +649,46 @@ mkdir -p ~/Documents/lbry-downloads/channels
cp config.yaml.example ~/Documents/lbry-downloads/config.yaml
```
### Downloads not completing ("stopping inactive download")
If you see folder structure and JSON files but no actual video/content files:
**What's happening:**
- The tool creates metadata immediately
- But the actual download depends on finding peers with the file
- If no peers are available, the download can't complete
**To fix/improve:**
1. **Wait longer** - Downloads can take time to find peers:
```bash
# Increase download timeout in config.yaml
general:
timeout_seconds: 600 # Wait up to 10 minutes per file
```
2. **Use Odysee's web player first** - This can help seed the content:
- Go to https://odysee.com
- Play the video you want to download
- This connects you to Odysee's CDN nodes
- Then run the downloader again
3. **Run the LBRY Desktop app** - It has better DHT connectivity:
- Download from: https://lbry.com/get
- Let it run for a while to build peer connections
- Then run lbry-downloader
4. **Check daemon file list** - See if files are partially downloaded:
```bash
lbrynet file list
```
5. **Try at different times** - Peer availability varies:
- Some content is only available during peak hours
- Try downloading during evening hours (US time)
**Note:** LBRY is a peer-to-peer network. If the original uploader or other users aren't currently online with the file, you won't be able to download it. This is different from centralized platforms like YouTube.
### Downloads are slow
LBRY downloads can be slow depending on network conditions. This is normal: