Ever since NzbDav caused a few curious ripples in the Stremio addon pond in November, we’ve seen growing interest in exploring how Usenet-based tooling can fit into Stremio or Plex/Emby/Jellyfin-friendly workflows.
While this is still fairly cutting-edge territory, NNTP support already works well, allowing users to bring their own providers and indexers, rather than being locked into a single (debrid-like) service. Even the Stremio devs seem to agree, with recent client updates adding native NNTP support on desktop.
Here in the ElfLab, we’ve been poking, prodding, and generally waving our wands 🪄 at cutting-edge, alpha-software teething problems. As part of that work, we’ve been chatting with a well-established Usenet infrastructure provider about whether it might make sense to bundle NNTP connectivity alongside NzbDav for our users.
Because this kind of usage is still pretty new, neither side wants to guess wildly when it comes to billing and capacity planning. So, in a display of admirable wizardly foresight 🧙, the provider has offered us a two-month proof-of-concept period. This lets us observe real-world usage patterns and figure out what a sustainable long-term arrangement might look like.
⚠️ ElfHosted provides hosted open-source software and infrastructure. We do not host or provide content. Users remain responsible for how applications are configured and used, including compliance with applicable laws. NNTP access is bundled for technical validation and PoC purposes.
What this means for NzbDav users 🥳
During the proof-of-concept period, NzbDav users may optionally configure an additional NNTP provider endpoint that’s been made internally available specifically for evaluation and integration testing. This endpoint is available at no extra cost until February 2026, as follows:
- Hostname: news.elfhosted.com
- Port: 563 (SSL)
- Username: elfie
- Password: elfie
- Connections: 100
(New users will have this pre-configured in NzbDav)
You’re free to use this endpoint on its own or alongside other providers already supported by NzbDav. As always, you’re in control of your configuration — mix, match, experiment! 🧪
We’re also making available an internal Newznab-compatible cache for testing purposes. This surfaces metadata based on health checks and availability signals, helping with technical validation rather than content discovery. Think of it as a crystal ball 🔮 for infrastructure health, not necessarily a treasure map.
You can search the cache using the NewzNab API at http://elfhosted-internal.zyclops in tools like UsenetStreamer, AIOStreams, or Prowlarr. The API will respond to any API key, but if you set it to a comma-separated list of provider hostnames (i.e. "news.elfhosted.com"), the cache will respond with only known-healthy and validated results for those providers/backbones.
And after February 2026? 🗓️
Once the PoC wraps up, we’ll sit down with the provider and review what we’ve learned. From there, we’ll decide whether a longer-term arrangement makes sense, and if so, how it might be packaged and priced.
At this stage, nothing is set in stone (or rune). We’d love to hear your feedback though ❤️ your insights help guide where the next portal opens! 🌀