Source Priority
Source Priority governs how CLU prioritizes and queries its three supported download sources: Direct Downloads (GetComics), Usenet, and DC++.
Source Priority is configured from the Download Clients tab in Settings.
Each source features an On / Off toggle and a draggable handle to set priority order. You can enable any combination of sources according to your preferences (at least one source must remain active). Disabling a source temporarily removes it from auto-download sweeps without deleting its underlying client credentials.
Automated Sweeps vs. Manual Search
Source Priority behaves differently depending on whether an operation is automated or manual:
| Behavior | Automated Sweeps | Manual Search Modal |
|---|---|---|
| Execution Order | Sources are queried sequentially in ranked order. | Results sections are displayed in ranked order. |
| Source Membership | Only enabled, ranked sources are queried. Unranked or disabled sources are skipped. | All configured sources are queried, regardless of ranking or toggle state. |
Ranking Governs Automated Sweeps
If a source is toggled off or omitted from your Source Priority ranking, nightly automated download sweeps will never query it — even if its credentials are fully configured.
In contrast, the manual search modal queries every configured service, ensuring you can always perform manual grabs from any provider by hand.
Automated Download Cascading
During nightly automated sweeps, CLU processes wanted issues using a cascading priority check:
- Queries the highest-ranked enabled source for the wanted issue.
- If an acceptable match is found, CLU queues the download and stops searching — lower-ranked sources are skipped for that issue.
- If no acceptable match is found, CLU falls through to the next ranked source.
- If no enabled source produces a match, the issue remains wanted and is retried on the next run.
Only high-confidence releases matching the specific series, volume, and issue number are grabbed. Ambiguous releases without issue numbers are never auto-grabbed.
Cascading Example
With a priority ranking of Usenet $\rightarrow$ GetComics $\rightarrow$ DC++:
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| Usenet returns a match | Download queued from Usenet. GetComics and DC++ are skipped. |
| Usenet has no match; GetComics returns a match | Download queued from GetComics. DC++ is skipped. |
| Usenet and GetComics have no match; DC++ returns a match | Download queued from DC++. |
| No source returns an acceptable match | The issue remains wanted and is retried on the next sweep. |
| DC++ configured but toggled off | DC++ is skipped during automated sweeps, but remains searchable in manual modals. |
Search Modal Display
In single-issue search modals across the Series page, Wanted Issues, and Reading Lists, each source renders under its own labeled section header. Source Priority controls which section appears first at the top of the modal.
DC++ Search Timing
DC++ searches typically require 20–30 seconds because AirDC++ paces its hub queries to respect peer limits. Its section populates progressively after direct download and Usenet results appear. See DC++ Searching & Grabbing.
Source Priority vs. Download Provider Priority
These two settings control different layers of the download architecture:
- Source Priority (this page): Determines which source system (GetComics, Usenet, or DC++) to query first for an issue.
- Download Provider Priority (in Download Settings): Orders the individual file hosting mirrors within GetComics results (e.g. Pixeldrain vs. Mediafire vs. Zippyshare). It has no effect on Usenet or DC++.