It worked! Thanks @Kilrah and @Alex_P for the insight. Was over analyzing all the details in the migration docs, but you were right. The secret key was already in the template. I watched the logs as I started paperless for the first time after updating to v3. It performed all the migrations without issue.
Looks like a new major version of Paperless is out.. V3. https://docs.paperless-ngx.com/migration-v3/ Curious if anyone has upgraded yet? Is it as simple as hitting update or did you have to add/change a bunch of environment variables based on the v.3 migration guide. The CA_Template likely isn't getting an update..... the publisher in the app store seems like they are taking a step back from unraid templates. Welcome anyone's experience or insight before I dive into the update.