What This Page Does
This page is the central control panel for your content grabber system. It controls how videos are imported from external sources, how thumbnails are handled, what kind of fake statistics are applied to imported content, and how automated grabbing works. Changes you make here affect all grabber operations across every feed, model feed, RSS feed, and CSV import.
[Screenshot: grabber-settings-overview]
How to Get Here
Navigate to Admin Panel > Grabber > Grabber Settings
You can also reach this page from the navigation bar that appears at the top of any grabber page.
Understanding the Page
The settings are organized into collapsible sections. Each section has a header bar you can click to expand or collapse it. All sections start expanded by default, and the page remembers which sections you have open or closed.
At the top, a navigation bar provides quick links to all six grabber pages:
| Link |
What It Opens |
| Settings |
This page (global grabber configuration) |
| Feeds |
Keyword and direct URL feeds |
| Model Feeds |
Feeds linked to specific performers |
| RSS |
RSS and Atom feed imports |
| CSV |
Bulk CSV file imports |
| History |
Activity log and import analytics |
At the bottom of the page, you will find Cancel and Save Settings buttons.
Settings and Options
Import Settings
These settings control the default behavior when videos are imported.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Default Post Status |
Sets whether imported videos go live immediately or wait for review. Options: Active, Pending, or Draft |
Pending -- so you can review imported content before it appears on your site |
| Max Description Length |
The maximum number of characters allowed in imported video descriptions (50 to 5000) |
500 is a good balance between detail and readability |
Note: The grabber automatically checks for duplicate videos before importing. It looks at embed codes, source web addresses, and title-plus-site combinations to avoid importing the same video twice.
Thumbnail Settings
These settings control how video thumbnail images are handled during import.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Copy Thumbnails Locally |
When enabled, downloads thumbnail images to your server instead of linking to the original source |
Enabled -- protects you if the source site removes images |
| Thumbnail Storage Path |
The folder where downloaded thumbnails are saved |
Leave at the default unless your administrator advises otherwise |
Tip: Copying thumbnails locally uses more disk space but makes your site load faster and more reliably. If thumbnails are hosted on external sites, they can disappear without warning.
Fake Stats
When you import videos from external sources, they start with zero views and no ratings. These settings let you assign random starting numbers so imported content looks more natural alongside your existing videos.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Fake Stats |
Turns the fake statistics feature on or off |
Enable if you want imported videos to blend in naturally |
| Fake Views Min |
The lowest random view count assigned to imported videos |
100 is a reasonable starting point |
| Fake Views Max |
The highest random view count assigned to imported videos |
5000 works for most sites |
| Fake Rating Min |
The lowest random star rating (1 to 5) |
3.0 avoids videos looking poorly rated |
| Fake Rating Max |
The highest random star rating (1 to 5) |
5.0 allows for top-rated imports |
Note: Each imported video gets a random value between your minimum and maximum settings. This creates natural-looking variation in your content library.
Auto-Matching
These settings help the grabber automatically organize imported content by matching it to your existing categories, performers, and tags.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Model Matching |
Automatically links imported videos to performers already in your database by matching names |
Enabled -- saves manual tagging work |
| Enable Category Matching |
Automatically assigns categories based on the imported video's tags and keywords |
Enabled -- keeps content organized automatically |
| Enable Tag Extraction |
Pulls tags from the source video and adds them to your imported video |
Enabled -- improves search on your site |
Tip: Model matching uses fuzzy name matching, so it can match "Jane Smith" even if the source lists "jane_smith" or "Jane S." It is not perfect, but it saves a lot of manual work.
Detail Page Enrichment
When enabled, the grabber visits each video's original page after finding it to gather additional information like descriptions, tags, and performer names that may not be available in the initial search results.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Detail Enrichment |
Fetches extra information from each video's source page |
Enabled -- gives you richer video data |
| Fetch Timeout |
How long (in seconds) to wait for a source page to respond before giving up (1 to 60) |
10 seconds works for most sites |
| Auto-Create Tags |
Creates new tags on your site when the source page contains tags you do not have yet |
Enabled -- grows your tag library automatically |
| Auto-Create Models |
Creates new performer profiles when the source page lists performers not in your database |
Disabled -- can create junk entries from inconsistent source data |
Warning: Be cautious with Auto-Create Models. Source sites often have inconsistent or inaccurate performer names, which can create many duplicate or incorrect performer profiles in your database. It is usually better to add performers manually.
Embed Settings
These control the default dimensions for embedded video players on your site.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Default Width |
The width of embedded video players in pixels (200 to 3840) |
640 or 854 for standard layouts |
| Default Height |
The height of embedded video players in pixels (100 to 2160) |
360 or 480 for standard layouts |
Cron Settings (Automated Grabbing)
These settings control the automated grabbing system that runs on a schedule without your intervention.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Auto-Grab |
Turns automated scheduled grabbing on or off |
Enabled once you have set up and tested your feeds |
| Max Feeds per Run |
How many feeds are processed each time the automated grab runs (1 to 100) |
10 to 20 balances speed and server load |
| Cron Interval Minutes |
How often the automated grab runs, in minutes (5 to 1440) |
60 minutes is a good starting point |
| cURL Timeout |
How long (in seconds) to wait for a source site to respond (5 to 300) |
30 seconds works for most sites |
| User Agent String |
The browser identity your server presents when visiting source sites |
Leave at the default unless you are having connection issues |
| curl-impersonate Binary Path |
Path to a special tool that helps access sites with advanced protection |
Leave empty unless your administrator has installed this tool |
Tip: Start with Enable Auto-Grab turned off while you set up and test your feeds manually. Once you are satisfied with the results, turn it on and let the system work automatically.
Note: The curl-impersonate tool helps the grabber access sites that use advanced bot protection. If you find that certain sites are not returning results, ask your administrator about installing this tool.
Duration Filter
These settings let you skip videos that are too short or too long for your site.
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Duration Filter |
Turns duration-based filtering on or off |
Enable if you want consistent video lengths |
| Min Duration Seconds |
Skip videos shorter than this many seconds |
60 avoids very short clips |
| Max Duration Seconds |
Skip videos longer than this many seconds |
3600 (one hour) avoids extremely long videos |
Model Relevance Filter
This setting applies specifically to model feeds (feeds linked to specific performers).
| Setting |
What It Does |
Recommended |
| Enable Model Relevance Filter |
When enabled, only imports videos where the performer's name actually appears in the title, description, or tags |
Enabled -- prevents irrelevant videos from being imported under a performer's name |
Tip: Without this filter, model feeds may import videos that appear on a search results page but have nothing to do with the performer you are searching for. Enabling this filter greatly improves the accuracy of model feeds.
Common Tasks
How to Set Up the Grabber for the First Time
- Open the Import Settings section and set Default Post Status to Pending. This lets you review imported videos before they go live.
- Open the Thumbnail Settings section and enable Copy Thumbnails Locally.
- Open the Auto-Matching section and enable Model Matching, Category Matching, and Tag Extraction.
- Open the Detail Page Enrichment section and enable Enable Detail Enrichment. Leave the timeout at 10 seconds.
- Leave Auto-Create Models disabled for now.
- Open the Cron Settings section and leave Enable Auto-Grab turned off for now.
- Click Save Settings.
- Go to the Feeds page and create a few test feeds to try importing manually before enabling automated grabbing.
Success: Once your test feeds produce good results, come back to this page, enable Auto-Grab, and set your preferred schedule.
How to Enable Automated Grabbing
- Open the Cron Settings section.
- Check Enable Auto-Grab.
- Set Max Feeds per Run to a reasonable number (10 to 20).
- Set Cron Interval Minutes to how often you want new content grabbed (60 minutes is a good start).
- Click Save Settings.
How to Filter Out Short or Long Videos
- Open the Duration Filter section.
- Check Enable Duration Filter.
- Enter a minimum duration in seconds (for example,
60 for one minute).
- Enter a maximum duration in seconds (for example,
3600 for one hour).
- Click Save Settings.
Tips for New Users
Tip:
- Start with Pending status. Set imported videos to Pending so you can review them before they appear on your site. Switch to Active once you trust your feed configuration.
- Enable local thumbnails. Copying thumbnails to your server prevents broken images if the source site changes or goes offline.
- Test before automating. Set up a few feeds and run them manually before turning on the automated cron. This lets you fine-tune settings without flooding your site with unwanted content.
- Use the Model Relevance Filter. This one setting dramatically improves the quality of model feed imports.
- Keep fake stats realistic. If your site typically has videos with 500 to 5000 views, set your fake stats range to match. Wildly high numbers look suspicious.
Troubleshooting
Changes are not saving
What you see: You adjust settings and click Save, but the values revert when you reload the page.
How to fix it:
- Check if your site is running in demo mode (look for an orange banner at the top of the page).
- If in demo mode, contact your administrator to disable it.
- Try clearing your browser cache and reloading the page.
Automated grabbing is not running
What you see: You enabled Auto-Grab but no new videos are being imported.
How to fix it:
- Verify that Enable Auto-Grab is checked and saved.
- Make sure you have at least one active feed set up on the Feeds page.
- Contact your administrator to verify that the scheduled background task is running on the server.
Source sites are not returning results
What you see: Feeds that used to work are now returning zero results.
How to fix it:
- Try increasing the cURL Timeout in the Cron Settings section to 60 seconds.
- Some sites block automated access. Ask your administrator about installing the curl-impersonate tool and entering its path in the settings.
- The source site may have changed its layout. Check the Feed Sources guide to see which sites are currently supported.
What you see: Videos are imported but are missing descriptions, tags, or performer names.
How to fix it:
- Make sure Enable Detail Enrichment is turned on in the Detail Page Enrichment section.
- Increase the Fetch Timeout if the source site is slow to respond.
- Enable Auto-Create Tags and Enable Tag Extraction for richer metadata.
Related Pages
| Page |
When to Use It |
| Grabber Feeds |
To create and manage keyword search and direct URL feeds |
| Model Feeds |
To create feeds linked to specific performers in your database |
| RSS Feeds |
To import videos from RSS and Atom feeds |
| CSV Import |
To bulk import videos from CSV files provided by traffic partners |
| Grabber History |
To review import activity, see success and failure counts, and track performance |
| Feed Sources |
To see which external sites are supported and what features work with each one |
| Categories |
To manage the categories that imported videos can be assigned to |
| Models |
To manage the performer database that model feeds and auto-matching use |
Last Updated: 2026-02-22
Guide Version: 1.0