Docker

Every release publishes the image, so you don't need to build anything. The package is public, so pulling it doesn't require a login.

Tip

The named volume below survives updates. Docker creates reaper-data for you and keeps it when the container is recreated or pulled fresh, so your policies, decisions and encryption key carry over with no setup.

Installation

Docker Compose

services:
  reaper:
    image: ghcr.io/scythe-labs/reaper:latest
    container_name: reaper
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8420:8420"
    volumes:
      - reaper-data:/data
    environment:
      REAPER_DESTRUCTIVE_ACTIONS_ENABLED: "false"
      REAPER_LOG_LEVEL: INFO
      # PUID: "1000"
      # PGID: "1000"
      # REAPER_TIMEZONE: "America/New_York"

volumes:
  reaper-data:

Then:

docker compose up -d          # serves on http://localhost:8420

Docker CLI

docker run -d \
  --name reaper \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 8420:8420 \
  -v reaper-data:/data \
  -e REAPER_DESTRUCTIVE_ACTIONS_ENABLED=false \
  -e REAPER_LOG_LEVEL=INFO \
  ghcr.io/scythe-labs/reaper:latest

Reaper then serves on http://localhost:8420.

Tip

No healthcheck to write. The image declares its own against /api/health, so docker ps reports real health with no extra configuration. That endpoint is open to unauthenticated callers, so a checker needs no credentials.

The volume

Reaper uses one path, /data, to hold its own database. Your media stays where it is.

A named volume works without any setup and stays put even when you update or recreate things, so the examples above use one.

If you want to see and copy your files, bind-mount a host directory instead with ./data:/data. This is what you'll want on a NAS. It makes backing up the three files a plain file copy instead of a trip through docker volume. Reaper's own Settings, Backup works either way.

You don't need chown either way. The container starts as root to take ownership of the folder, then drops to an unprivileged user before it opens the database. Set PUID and PGID to choose that user. If you want to skip the root phase entirely, pin user: "1000:1000" and create the folder owned by 1000 yourself.

Windows

When you use Docker on Windows, it runs Linux containers inside a small VM using Docker Desktop on the WSL 2 backend. You can follow Microsoft's WSL install guide to turn WSL on.

Caution

Keep the named volume on Windows. The VM reaches Windows folders over a file share, and that share cannot lock files. A media mount can live with that; a database cannot, so a /data bind mount on a Windows folder will eventually corrupt Reaper's database, which shows up as slow behavior and then crashes. The same goes for any container holding a SQLite database, Sonarr and Radarr included. A named volume, like reaper-data in the examples above, lives inside the VM, where locking works. If you want the files visible in a normal folder, skip Docker and use the Windows app instead.

Common settings

Variable	Default	What it does
REAPER_DESTRUCTIVE_ACTIONS_ENABLED	false	Whether a brand new install comes up able to delete. Seeds the first run only.
REAPER_LOG_LEVEL	INFO	Set DEBUG when you are chasing something. Seeds the first run only; Settings, Logs owns it afterwards.
REAPER_LOG_JSON	false	One JSON object per line, for a log collector.
PUID / PGID	1000	Which user the app runs as. Unraid wants 99 / 100.
REAPER_TIMEZONE	host's zone	First-run default only. Settings, General owns it afterwards.
REAPER_PORT	8420	The port inside the container. Moving it moves the healthcheck too.
REAPER_SECRET_KEY	generated	See the encryption key.

If you want to publish Reaper on a different host port, you don't need a variable. Just change the left side of 8420:8420 and leave the right side alone.

The full list is in Configuration.

Which tag

Tag	Follows
:latest	the newest release. Use this.
:dev	the dev branch, refreshed on every change, for testing what is coming.

These two are the only tags to put in a compose file.

Put ghcr.io/scythe-labs/reaper:dev in your compose file to run the dev channel. Dev builds change often, so use Releases if you want a steadier channel.

Updating

Docker Compose

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Docker CLI

docker stop reaper
docker rm reaper
docker pull ghcr.io/scythe-labs/reaper:latest
# then run the same command you installed with

Migrations run every time you start the app, before it accepts a connection.

Building from source

Uncomment build: in docker-compose.yml and run:

docker compose up -d --build

Next

Follow the First run steps in order. The first account that signs in claims the install, so make sure you know who's doing it.