import Navbar from '@/components/Navbar'; import Footer from '@/components/Footer'; import DocsLayout from '@/components/docs/DocsLayout'; export const metadata = { title: 'Install Paperless-ngx — DashCaddy Docs', description: 'Install and configure Paperless-ngx via DashCaddy. Document management system - scan, organize, and search documents', }; export default function paperlessNgxDocsPage() { return (
Category: Productivity Difficulty: Intermediate Docker image: ghcr.io/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx:latest

What is Paperless-ngx?

Document management system - scan, organize, and search documents

Paperless-ngx ships as a self-contained Docker image that DashCaddy provisions with one click. The platform handles the container lifecycle, DNS, reverse proxy, HTTPS certificate, and persistent storage so you can focus on using Paperless-ngx, not installing it.

Prerequisites

  • A running DashCaddy host with the dashboard accessible.
  • No special host paths required.
  • If you want a stable subdomain: Technitium DNS recommended (otherwise DashCaddy will use direct IP access).

Install via the DashCaddy dashboard

  1. Sign in at https://status.sami (or your host's dashboard URL).
  2. Open Apps → Catalog and select Paperless-ngx from the Productivity category.
  3. Choose your host (or pick Local if you have one host).
  4. Fill in any required fields (notably the media library path and any claim token).
  5. Click Deploy. DashCaddy will:
    1. Pull the ghcr.io/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx:latest image.
    2. Create persistent volumes for config and data.
    3. Reserve a host port and wire it through Caddy.
    4. Issue a Let's Encrypt certificate for paperless.<your-domain>.
    5. Wait for the container health check (/) to pass.
  6. After ~30–60 seconds the dashboard will turn the row Running and the URL will become clickable.

Install via the REST API

If you script deployments or use the MCP / AI Intent Router, install with:

curl -X POST https://your-dashcaddy-host/api/v1/apps/deploy \\
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHCADDY_API_TOKEN" \\
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
  -d '{
    "template": "paperless-ngx",
    "host": "local",
    "subdomain": "paperless",
    "port": "{{PORT}}",
    "environment": {
      "PAPERLESS_URL": "",
      "USERMAP_UID": "",
      "USERMAP_GID": "",
      "PAPERLESS_TIME_ZONE": "",
      "PAPERLESS_OCR_LANGUAGE": "",
      "PAPERLESS_SECRET_KEY": ""
    },
    "labels": { "managed-by": "dashcaddy" }
  }'

Response returns a deployment ID. Poll GET /api/v1/apps/{id}/status until state === "running".

Install via the AI Intent Router

From any chat surface wired to DashCaddy's MCP server, just say:

"Deploy Paperless-ngx on my home host and expose it at paperless.sami"

The Intent Router will pick the right template, prompt you for any missing fields, and start the deployment.

Post-install: first-run checklist

  1. Create admin account via: docker exec -it <container> python3 manage.py createsuperuser
  2. Drop documents into the consume folder for automatic import
  3. Configure tags and correspondents for organization

Volumes and persistent data

DashCaddy creates these volume mounts:

  • /opt/paperless/data:/usr/src/paperless/data
  • /opt/paperless/media:/usr/src/paperless/media
  • /opt/paperless/consume:/usr/src/paperless/consume

All paths are absolute host paths; the left side is the container-side mount. Restarting the container never deletes the data; reinstalling the template preserves it unless you explicitly check Wipe data on the deploy form.

Environment variables

  • PAPERLESS_URL
  • USERMAP_UID
  • USERMAP_GID
  • PAPERLESS_TIME_ZONE
  • PAPERLESS_OCR_LANGUAGE
  • PAPERLESS_SECRET_KEY

Override any of these from the deploy form's Environment panel, or programmatically in the API environment object.

Updating

DashCaddy's built-in Watchtower integration will pull ghcr.io/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx:latest every 24 hours and restart your container with zero downtime if the image digest changes. To force an update immediately, click Apps → Paperless-ngx → Update.

Backups

The config volume for Paperless-ngx is included in DashCaddy's default nightly snapshot. To restore on a fresh host, redeploy the same template and DashCaddy will prompt to restore from the most recent snapshot during install.

Troubleshooting

Common issues with Paperless-ngx:

  • Container won't start: check the dashboard's Logs tab. Most startup failures are permission errors on the media/config volume.
  • Slow first scan: expected for large libraries on first run. Subsequent restarts are fast.

For layer-by-layer diagnostics, see the Troubleshooting guide.

Related services

Paperless-ngx is in the Productivity category. Common pairings:


Last reviewed against DashCaddy product version in dashcaddy-api/src/docker/app-templates.js. Template ID: paperless-ngx. If anything here looks wrong, edit the file and the change will appear in the next docs rebuild.

); }