Pad is a project tracker built for developers and AI coding agents. Single Go binary, SQLite by default, MCP-ready (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex). Your data stays on your Unraid box — no telemetry, no account required, no cloud lock-in.

Image: ghcr.io/perpetualsoftware/pad:latest (multi-arch: amd64, arm64)

Source: https://github.com/PerpetualSoftware/pad

Install docs: https://getpad.dev/docs/self-hosting/unraid

Bug reports: https://github.com/PerpetualSoftware/pad/issues

Pad Cloud (managed): https://getpad.dev — if you'd rather not self-host

What you get

• Tasks, ideas, plans, docs — typed collections, FTS-indexed search, wiki-style [[item-links]] resolved across collections

• MCP server built in — Claude / Cursor / Windsurf can read and write items via natural language

• Auth + 2FA + role-based workspace membership (owner / editor / viewer)

• Real-time sync via SSE — multi-tab + multi-user without polling

• Email invitations via Maileroo (optional) or copyable join codes if you skip email config

Install

Full walkthrough: getpad.dev/docs/self-hosting/unraid

Short version once Pad lands in CA: Apps → search "Pad" → Install → wait ~10s for healthy → Logs → grab the bootstrap URL from the Pad first-run setup banner → paste in browser → email/name/password → done.

First-run setup

Pad's first-admin bootstrap is gated to either localhost OR a one-time token written to the container logs. Two paths:

Default — token from logs. Click the container's Logs button, scroll for Pad first-run setup, copy the URL (http://<your-tower>:7777/setup#token=<TOKEN>), paste in your browser. The #token= portion is a URL fragment — browser-only, never sent to the server.

Trusted-network shortcut — open mode. If your Unraid is LAN-only / Tailscale-only / firewalled, set the Bypass Setup Token field to true and visit /setup directly. No token required. Don't enable this if your WebUI port is exposed to the open internet — anyone who races you becomes admin. The bypass is gated to UserCount==0; once an admin exists the surface closes regardless of the flag.

Form fields

Field	Default	Notes
WebUI Port	7777	Change if 7777 is in use
Appdata	/mnt/user/appdata/pad/	SQLite DB, attachments, encryption key, logs
PUID / PGID	99 / 100	Unraid nobody:users; rarely changed
Log Level	info	debug / info / warn / error
Bypass Setup Token	false	Trusted networks only — see above
Public URL	(empty)	Required if reverse-proxying
Maileroo API Key	(empty)	Optional; enables email invitations
Email From / Name	(empty) / Pad	Required if Maileroo key is set

Backups

Stop the container so SQLite isn't mid-write, then:

tar -C /mnt/user/appdata -czf "pad-backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz" pad/

Critical files: pad.db (+ WAL/SHM), encryption.key (losing this bricks encrypted fields like TOTP seeds), attachments/. The entrypoint runs chown -R PUID:PGID on every start, so the backup is portable across hosts.

Reverse proxy

Set the Public URL field to your external URL (e.g. https://pad.example.com), point your proxy at <unraid-host>:7777. Standard headers; no special config. Public URL is required so emailed invitation links point at the right host.

Connect your CLI + AI agents

brew install perpetualsoftware/tap/pad
pad init --url http://<your-tower>:7777 --workspace <your-workspace-slug>
pad agent install claude    # or: cursor / windsurf / codex

pad agent install drops the natural-language /pad skill into your AI coding tool. Pad also runs as a local MCP server (pad mcp install claude-desktop) for MCP-aware tools — the skill and MCP are independent integrations; use either, both, or neither.

Support boundaries

• This thread — Unraid-specific install / runtime questions, template fields, common gotchas.

• GitHub Issues (github.com/PerpetualSoftware/pad/issues) — bug reports, feature requests, anything Pad-the-product. Tracked and tied to commits.

Pad is built by Perpetual Software (perpetualsoftware.org). Template lives at github.com/PerpetualSoftware/unraid-templates — PRs welcome. Reply with feedback, questions, or "this is missing X" — I read everything.

Edited May 26May 26 by xarmian

reserved

Pad is now listed on CA inside Unraid. If you're looking for it, Search for "Pad". The listing looks like this: