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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.instapods.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

1-Click Apps are popular open-source applications pre-packaged for InstaPods. Instead of writing code, you pick an app from the catalog and deploy it - the app is baked into a ready-to-run image, so it boots in seconds with sensible defaults and per-pod credentials already generated.
1-Click Apps run as a managed service inside your pod (their own systemd units), not from /home/instapod/app. You still get a Web Terminal, SSH, custom domains, and backups like any other pod.

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Deploying an app

  1. Click Create Pod and choose the 1-Click App tab.
  2. Pick an app (n8n, AutoMem, Vaultwarden, Uptime Kuma, and more).
  3. Choose a plan. Each app has a minimum plan based on the resources it needs - the wizard preselects it for you.
  4. Fill in any optional setup fields the app exposes (for example, an API key), then click Deploy.
When the pod is ready, the dashboard shows a setup card with the app URL and any generated credentials.
Each app declares a minimum plan. If you pick a plan below it, the deploy is rejected - choose at least the app’s minimum (for example, AutoMem requires Grow).

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Configuring an app with environment variables

1-Click Apps read their configuration from their own env file (not the preset’s /home/instapod/app/.env). The CLI handles this for you - instapods env set writes to the right file and restarts the app so the change takes effect immediately. No separate reload is needed. 
# Set one or more variables (the app restarts automatically)
instapods env set my-memory EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=openai OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key

# List current variables (values masked by default)
instapods env list my-memory
instapods env list my-memory --show-values

# Remove variables
instapods env unset my-memory OLD_KEY
For custom-code pods (Static, PHP, Node.js, Python), instapods env set writes to your app directory and you restart with instapods pods reload. See Environment Variables for the full custom-code workflow.

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Example: AutoMem embeddings and MCP

AutoMem gives your AI assistant persistent memory over MCP, backed by a knowledge graph and a vector database.

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Choosing an embedding provider

By default AutoMem uses local embeddings (384-dimensional) - no API key required, fully self-contained. For higher-quality semantic search, point it at a remote provider:
ProviderEMBEDDING_PROVIDERKey variableDimensions
Local (default)(blank)none384
OpenAIopenaiOPENAI_API_KEY1024
Voyage AIvoyageVOYAGE_API_KEY1024
Set these at deploy time (in the app’s setup fields or app_config) and AutoMem provisions its vector store at the matching dimension automatically.
To switch providers after deploy, run instapods env set my-memory EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=openai OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key. Because the vector dimension changes, also reset the existing vector store so it is recreated at the new size:
instapods exec my-memory -- bash -c \
  "curl -fsS -X DELETE http://127.0.0.1:6333/collections/memories && systemctl restart automem.target"

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Connecting an MCP client

After deploy, AutoMem’s setup card shows an MCP config snippet with your pod URL and API key pre-filled. Add it to your MCP client (for example, Claude Desktop under Settings → Developer → Edit Config): 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "automem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@verygoodplugins/mcp-automem"],
      "env": {
        "AUTOMEM_API_URL": "https://your-pod.instapods.app",
        "AUTOMEM_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
Use AUTOMEM_API_URL and AUTOMEM_API_KEY exactly. Older variable names (AUTOMEM_URL, AUTOMEM_API_TOKEN) are not read by the bridge and will leave it connecting to nothing.