How to Use ResolveURL, the URLResolver Fork Dependency for Kodi

ResolveURL was a critical dependency for many Kodi add-ons, but now it’s gone. Rising from the ashes, however, is URLResolver–and today we’re going to show you how to get it installed in a matter of mere minutes. Restore your Kodi media center and get back to your binge streaming with the tips below.

DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedowns have become the worst part about being a Kodi fan. They come out of nowhere, launched by companies or legal organizations, and they shut down any third party Kodi repository, add-on, or service they claim is violating copyright laws. In some cases the DMCA takedowns are warranted, but other times, they simply aren’t.

Even if a DMCA issue doesn’t remove a service entirely, its effects ripple throughout the community. A number of popular and useful add-ons have disappeared due to this contagious fear. One such victim is URLResolver, a Kodi dependency used by countless unofficial add-ons to turn URLs into workable links. When URLResolver disappeared, most of the community’s favorite add-ons went with it. It didn’t seem like there was much hope for good quality Kodi streams, but then ResolveURL came around.

In the sections below, we’ll take a look at the URLResolver fork known as ResolveURL, test if it works, and give you complete instructions on how to find and install it.

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About ResolveURL

Dependencies like ResolveURL represent the less user-friendly side of Kodi. Most streamers don’t want to bother with things they don’t actually interact with. ResolveURL is an extremely important part of the Kodi ecosystem, however. Without it or its predecessor, most add-ons won’t even work!

What Did URLResolver Do?

Most people never knew URLResolver existed until it disappeared. The Kodi dependency is designed to work in the background, quietly interfacing with add-ons and the sites they request files from. When an add-on asks for a movie or video from a file storage website, it actually just sends the request to URLResolver, which then converts it to a format the host can understand. The dependency clicks through any capchas sitting in the way, then the file is delivered.

URLResolver was particularly useful for Kodi add-ons since so much of their content came from third party file hosts. These services aren’t designed to stream videos, only upload or download content. URLResolver converted these static, anonymous file dumping sites into a paradise for streamers. Until it disappeared, of course.

URLResolver was part of several major repositories, including TVAddons and Colossus. These repos were shut down by DMCA takedowns, and URLResolver went with them. The original developer stated the dependency was officially dead, and it was only a matter of time before it stopped working entirely.

How ResolveURL Works

ResolveURL picks up right where URLResolver left off. It’s actually a fork of the original dependency’s code, meaning it’s essentially a clone with some changes made before publication. It was forked and is maintained by well-regarded Kodi developer (and URLResolver creator) jsergio123, which gives it a lot of staying power.

In practice, ResolveURL works exactly like URLResolver. Kodi streamers don’t have to lift a finger, just install an add-on that utilizes the new resolver, then let it do its thing. Add-on developers can easily integrate ResolveURL into their projects, as well. See below for more information.

Do I Have to Use ResolveURL?

Whether or not you need ResolveURL is entirely dependent upon which Kodi add-ons you use to stream. Official add-ons like Viewster or Snagfilms don’t utilize dependencies like ResolveURL, so if you stick to those there’s no need to bother. However, the vast majority of popular third party add-ons did use URLResolver to power their streams, which means they’ll likely make the switch to the fork sometime soon.

The good news is you don’t have to do anything on your part. Repositories and add-ons integrate ResolveURL on their own and usually include the dependency with every download, so there’s no need to track it down and install it manually. If you happen to install an add-on that needs it, it will take care of everything.

How to Use ResolveURL

Developing a Kodi add-on and want to use ResolveURL? Just looking for the latest and greatest ways to stream movies? We’ve got you covered!

Check to See if ResolveURL is Installed

Certain repositories have already added ResolveURL to their offerings. If you happen to have one of these installed, chances are ResolveURL is already present on Kodi. You can perform a quick check to make sure it’s there, if you like. Just follow the steps below.

1. Go to Kodi’s home menu and click the gear icon then choose System settings.
2. Scroll down to the gear at the bottom left side of the screen. Click it until it says Expert.
3. Scroll back up and select Add-ons, then look for the Manage dependencies entry on the right and click it.
4. You’ll be taken to a new screen. Scroll down the alphabetical list and look for ResolveURL. If you see it and there’s a check mark beside it, the dependency is already installed and ready.
5. If ResolveURL doesn’t appear, follow the advice below.

Installing ResolveURL

There’s no need to install ResolveURL by itself. If you download a repository that has an add-on that requires the dependency, it should be pre-packaged and installed for you. To that end, all you need to do is grab an add-on

A good starting point is the Placenta add-on. This multi-purpose movie and TV streaming service comes with some of the best sources around. High quality, reliable links, and a huge selection of content, all ready to stream. Placenta is packaged in the Blamo repository, which includes ResolveURL. Follow this guide on how to install the Placenta streaming add-on and ResolveURL will automatically be added to your system.

Which Add-ons Support ResolveURL?

A growing list of third party Kodi add-ons are including support for ResolveURL. A lot of the old favorites that stopped working with URLResolver disappeared have themselves been shut down, but new releases appear every other week with all the streams you can handle.

Below are a few of the more reliable add-ons you can check out.

• Amore
• At the Flix
• Boondock
• Death Streams
• I Am Absolem
• Invictus
• Kids Corner v2
• Maverick TV
• Nemesis
• Placenta
• Tempus Reborn
• Vortex
• Xtreme Odyssey

Include ResolveURL in Your Add-on

Building a Kodi add-on of your own? You can leverage ResolveURL’s powerful features by adding just a few pieces of code to your files. Follow the quick steps below to do just that.

Paste the following into your addons.xml file:

<requires>

<import addon=”xbmc.python” version=”2.1.0″/>

<import addon=”script.module.resolveurl” version=”5.0.00″/>

</requires>

Now import ResolveURL into your main code:

import resolveurl

resolved = resolveurl.resolve(url)

If your add-on previously supported URLResolver, you can import ResolveURL as URLResolver and save yourself a lot of work:

import resolveurl as urlresolver

resolved = urlresolver.resolve(url)

And finally, include the official repository to make sure you always give users access to the latest ResolveURL updates:

<dir>

<info compressed=”false”>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jsergio123/zips/master/addons.xml</info>

<checksum>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jsergio123/zips/master/addons.xml.md5</checksum>

<datadir zip=”true”>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jsergio123/zips/master/</datadir>

</dir>

Troubleshooting ResolveURL Issues

For the most part, ResolveURL stays quiet in the background and does its job. There are a few small problems that can arise for first time users, however. See below for some quick, no-fuss fixes.

Fixing ResolveURL Setup Errors

The first time you use an add-on updated to be compatible with ResolveURL, you may encounter some errors. These are temporary, fortunately, and can be fixed with just a few clicks. The most common one is an error that appears shortly after installing a ResolveURL add-on. A pop-up window claims there’s a problem with URLResolver. All you have to do is click “Ignore” and everything will work perfectly afterwards.

If you use Real Debrid, All-Debrid, or other premium account services, you will need to re-authorize them to work with ResolveURL. Simply head to the Kodi settings page, choose system, then scroll to the add-ons section. Select Manage dependencies on the right. Scroll down to ResolveURL and open it, then click the configure icon.

In the window that pops open you’ll see a list of your resolving services on the left. Choose them one by one and re-enable them by clicking the toggle icon on the right. Once you’re done, click ok to close the window, then resume streaming. You may need to restart Kodi for some of the changes to take effect.

How to Uninstall URLResolver

Although it’s not a necessary step, some users report a better ResolveURL experience once they uninstall its predecessor URLResolver. Even if you don’t notice any compatibility issues, uninstalling URLResolver is harmless. It doesn’t work, after all, so there’s no sense in keeping it around. Follow the steps below to remove it from your system entirely.

1. Go to Kodi’s home menu and click the gear icon.
2. Choose System settings.
3. Scroll down to the gear at the bottom left side of the screen. Click it until it says Expert.
4. Scroll back up and select Add-ons.
5. Look for the Manage dependencies entry and click it.
6. You’ll be taken to a new screen. Scroll down and look for URLResolver.
7. Click the URLResolver entry to view its details.
8. Click the Uninstall button in the lower right corner.
9. If you don’t have any add-ons that rely on URLResolver, it will be removed immediately. If you do, you can remove those add-ons first, then try removing URLResolver afterwards, or just follow the section below.

Force Uninstall URLResolver

If add-ons require an installed dependency, Kodi won’t let you remove it using the automatic uninstaller. Instead, you’ll need to dive in and remove files manually. It’s easy to do if you’re on Windows, Mac, or Linux, and it’s possible on iOS and Android devices, as well. You should only use this method if you have to get rid of URLResolver and are unwilling to remove the add-ons keeping it installed.

The first step is to find where Kodi stores your add-on data. You can locate it by searching your system manually, or start by visiting the appropriate location below.

• Android – Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons/
• iOS – /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/Kodi/addons/
• Linux – ~/.kodi/addons/
• Mac – /Users/[Your User Name]/Library/Application Support/Kodi/addons/
• Windows – C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\
• Windows (alternate) – Open the “Start” menu, type %APPDATA%, then press “Enter”

Once inside the right folder, look for the following entry:

• script.module.urlresolver

All you need to do to manually remove URLResolver is delete the script.module.urlresolver file. Now you can restart Kodi. A few error messages might pop up, but you can safely ignore them for now. Be sure to keep your add-ons and repository sources up to date so you can get new content as it’s released. In all likelihood your favorite add-ons will add support for ResolveURL in the near future, and you want to be the first to start streaming!

Conclusion

ResolveURL is a life saver for thousands of Kodi users. It neatly fills the gap left by URLResolver and does so without causing any trouble. You don’t need to install it yourself, and if you’re working on an add-on, you can include it with just a few lines of code. Simple, easy, straightforward, and quite honestly, amazing.

Know of any add-ons making use of ResolveURL? Let us know in the comments!

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1 Comment

1. My issue with ResolveURL is when I click to authorize my Real-Debrid, I’m taken out of the add-on I’m authorizing. Then the authorization window appears with my code. This happens with Seren, The Crew, ect.. Each time I try this it refreshes and my authorization is lost. It happens within every add-on, and also under manage dependencies.. I have been using Seren only for the past 3-4 years with no issues. until Trakt showed up. I haven’t been able to use Seren for a few weeks. It’s either a ResolveURL issue, Trakt issue, or Python issue. Any info you might have would be greatly appreciated. I’m no wizard when it comes to the stuff, and finding “accurate” information online is next to impossible. Thank You for your time.