diff --git a/backend/db.js b/backend/db.js
index 16a8d0c..c8ef8fb 100644
--- a/backend/db.js
+++ b/backend/db.js
@@ -213,6 +213,29 @@ async function importUnregisteredFiles() {
 
 }
 
+async function preimportUnregisteredSubscriptionFile(sub, appendedBasePath) {
+    const preimported_file_paths = [];
+
+    let dbPath = null;
+    if (sub.user_uid)
+        dbPath = users_db.get('users').find({uid: sub.user_uid}).get('subscriptions').find({id: sub.id}).get('videos');
+    else
+        dbPath = db.get('subscriptions').find({id: sub.id}).get('videos');
+
+    const files = await utils.getDownloadedFilesByType(appendedBasePath, sub.type);
+    files.forEach(file => {
+        // check if file exists in db, if not add it
+        const file_is_registered = !!(dbPath.find({id: file.id}).value())
+        if (!file_is_registered) {
+            // add additional info
+            registerFileDBManual(dbPath, file);
+            preimported_file_paths.push(file['path']);
+            logger.verbose(`Preemptively added subscription file to the database: ${file.id}`);
+        }
+    });
+    return preimported_file_paths;
+}
+
 async function getVideo(file_uid, uuid, sub_id) {
     const base_db_path = uuid ? users_db.get('users').find({uid: uuid}) : db;
     const sub_db_path = sub_id ? base_db_path.get('subscriptions').find({id: sub_id}).get('videos') : base_db_path.get('files');
@@ -235,6 +258,7 @@ module.exports = {
     updatePlaylist: updatePlaylist,
     getFileDirectoriesAndDBs: getFileDirectoriesAndDBs,
     importUnregisteredFiles: importUnregisteredFiles,
+    preimportUnregisteredSubscriptionFile: preimportUnregisteredSubscriptionFile,
     getVideo: getVideo,
     setVideoProperty: setVideoProperty
 }
diff --git a/backend/subscriptions.js b/backend/subscriptions.js
index 3a6e0a3..7ff1d06 100644
--- a/backend/subscriptions.js
+++ b/backend/subscriptions.js
@@ -277,6 +277,7 @@ async function getVideosForSub(sub, user_uid = null) {
         basePath = config_api.getConfigItem('ytdl_subscriptions_base_path');
 
     let appendedBasePath = getAppendedBasePath(sub, basePath);
+    fs.ensureDirSync(appendedBasePath);
 
     let multiUserMode = null;
     if (user_uid) {
@@ -292,8 +293,17 @@ async function getVideosForSub(sub, user_uid = null) {
     logger.verbose('Subscription: getting videos for subscription ' + sub.name);
 
     return new Promise(resolve => {
+        const preimported_file_paths = [];
+        const PREIMPORT_INTERVAL = 5000;
+        const preregister_check = setInterval(() => {
+            if (sub.streamingOnly) return;
+            db_api.preimportUnregisteredSubscriptionFile(sub, appendedBasePath);
+        }, PREIMPORT_INTERVAL);
         youtubedl.exec(sub.url, downloadConfig, {maxBuffer: Infinity}, async function(err, output) {
+            // cleanup
             updateSubscriptionProperty(sub, {downloading: false}, user_uid);
+            clearInterval(preregister_check);
+
             logger.verbose('Subscription: finished check for ' + sub.name);
             if (err && !output) {
                 logger.error(err.stderr ? err.stderr : err.message);
@@ -337,7 +347,7 @@ async function getVideosForSub(sub, user_uid = null) {
                     }
 
                     const reset_videos = i === 0;
-                    handleOutputJSON(sub, sub_db, output_json, multiUserMode, reset_videos);
+                    handleOutputJSON(sub, sub_db, output_json, multiUserMode, preimported_file_paths, reset_videos);
                 }
 
                 if (config_api.getConfigItem('ytdl_subscriptions_redownload_fresh_uploads')) {
@@ -351,6 +361,7 @@ async function getVideosForSub(sub, user_uid = null) {
     }, err => {
         logger.error(err);
         updateSubscriptionProperty(sub, {downloading: false}, user_uid);
+        clearInterval(preregister_check);
     });
 }