Inspector 0.9.1: guide explains VPN apps and Portainer setup; dependency and token fixes

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,33 @@ Version numbers follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html
 
 ---
 
+## [0.9.1] — 2026-10-28
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **A dependency on a disabled container no longer blocks recovery forever.** If
+  `depends_on` named a container that is disabled in Inspector, the dependent app was
+  never restarted. Inspector now only waits for dependencies it is watching, and the
+  container page warns when the selected dependency is disabled.
+- **`PORTAINER_API_TOKEN` now reaches the container.** The public `compose.yml` didn't
+  pass it in, so setting it as a Portainer stack variable had no effect. Existing
+  stacks need the line `- PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}` added under
+  `environment:` (Stacks → inspector → Editor).
+- The "depends_on … is disabled or not found" warning was logged on every check
+  (since 0.8.0). It is now logged once, and again only when the container settings
+  change.
+
+### Changed
+
+- Guide: new sections **6. Apps behind a VPN container** (why depends_on matters, how to
+  spot a VPN-routed app, setup, what Inspector does) and **7. Portainer stack redeploy**
+  (why it's needed, what a redeploy does to the whole stack, requirements, where to find
+  every value, adding the token, the other settings, Test connection errors).
+- Clearer form hints: `vpn_routed` only affects logging; `depends_on` works for any
+  dependency; where to find the endpoint ID.
+
+---
+
 ## [0.9.0] — 2026-10-28
 
 ### Added

INSTALL.md

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ TZ=America/Los_Angeles
 | `INSPECTOR_PORT` | Port on your server for the dashboard. Change it if `8080` is taken. | No (default `8080`) |
 | `INSPECTOR_TAG` | Version to run, e.g. `0.8.0`. See [Updating](#4-updating). | No (default `latest`) |
 | `PUID` / `PGID` | User and group that own Inspector's files. Unraid users often use `99` / `100` so the files match other appdata. | No (default `1000` / `1000`) |
+| `PORTAINER_API_TOKEN` | A Portainer access token. Only needed if you use **Portainer stack redeploy** for VPN-routed apps; see the in-app guide (Help → Portainer). | No |
 
 ## 3. Deploy and sign in
 

compose.yml

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 #   INSPECTOR_TAG       Image version to run (default "latest"; e.g. 0.8.0 to pin).
 #   PUID / PGID         User/group Inspector runs as (default 1000/1000).
 #                       Unraid users often prefer 99 / 100.
+#   PORTAINER_API_TOKEN Portainer access token, only if you use stack redeploy
+#                       (Settings -> Portainer in the dashboard).
 #
 # No config file to create, no docker group ID to look up: Inspector creates
 # its config on first start and detects Docker socket permissions by itself.
@@ -36,3 +38,4 @@ services:
       - INSPECTOR_PASSWORD=${INSPECTOR_PASSWORD:-}
       - PUID=${PUID:-1000}
       - PGID=${PGID:-1000}
+      - PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}

src/inspector/__init__.py

@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = "0.9.0"
+__version__ = "0.9.1"

src/inspector/assets/guide/guide.html

@@ -78,10 +78,12 @@
   <a href="#status">3. The Status page</a>
   <a href="#notifications">4. Notifications</a>
   <a href="#containers">5. Managing containers</a>
-  <a href="#events">6. Events history</a>
-  <a href="#settings">7. Other settings</a>
-  <a href="#restart">8. "Requires restart" fields</a>
-  <a href="#trouble">9. Troubleshooting</a>
+  <a href="#vpn">6. Apps behind a VPN</a>
+  <a href="#portainer">7. Portainer stack redeploy</a>
+  <a href="#events">8. Events history</a>
+  <a href="#settings">9. Other settings</a>
+  <a href="#restart">10. "Requires restart" fields</a>
+  <a href="#trouble">11. Troubleshooting</a>
 </nav>
 
 <main>
@@ -175,7 +177,7 @@ Each card shows:</p>
       under Apps). <b>Pushover</b>: enter your application API token and your user key.</li>
   <li>Click <b>Send test</b>. You should get a message on your phone within seconds. If it fails,
       the reason appears next to the button.</li>
-  <li>Click <b>Save</b>, then restart Inspector once (see <a href="#restart">section 8</a>),
+  <li>Click <b>Save</b>, then restart Inspector once (see <a href="#restart">section 10</a>),
       because turning a channel on or off is a "requires restart" field.</li>
 </ol>
 <p>You'll get one alert when a container first fails, when Inspector restarts it, and when it
@@ -220,32 +222,159 @@ Inspector to act on it.</p>
 <figure><img src="container-advanced.png" alt="Reachability, Dependencies and Recovery groups">
 <figcaption>Bottom of a container's page: an app behind a VPN container with an HTTP check and stack-redeploy recovery.</figcaption></figure>
 
-<h3>Apps behind a VPN container</h3>
-<p>If an app shares a VPN container's network (<code>network_mode: container:vpn</code> or similar), set these on the app's page:</p>
+</section>
+
+<section id="vpn">
+<h2>6. Apps behind a VPN container</h2>
+<h3>Why these apps need special handling</h3>
+<p>A common setup routes download and indexer apps through a VPN container. Those apps don't get a
+network of their own: their compose file says <code>network_mode: container:&lt;vpn&gt;</code> (or
+<code>service:&lt;vpn&gt;</code>) and all their traffic goes through the VPN container. That causes
+two problems for a watchdog:</p>
+<ul>
+  <li><b>When the VPN breaks, every app behind it breaks at the same time.</b> Restarting the apps
+    does nothing while the tunnel is down. Without help, Inspector would restart each app over and
+    over, use up their hourly restart limits, and flood you with alerts, all for a problem in a
+    different container.</li>
+  <li><b>When the VPN container is recreated</b> (an image update, or someone redeploys its stack),
+    it gets a new container ID. The apps still point at the old one, so a normal restart fails with
+    errors like <i>"No such container"</i> or <i>"joining network namespace"</i>. The only fix is
+    to recreate the apps too, which is what a Portainer stack redeploy does
+    (<a href="#portainer">section 7</a>).</li>
+</ul>
+<h3>How to tell if an app is behind a VPN</h3>
+<ul>
+  <li>In Portainer open <b>Stacks → your stack → Editor</b> and look for
+    <code>network_mode: container:…</code> or <code>network_mode: service:…</code> on the app.</li>
+  <li>Or open <b>Containers → the app</b>: under <b>Network</b> it shows the VPN container instead
+    of a normal network, and it has no ports of its own (they're published on the VPN container).</li>
+</ul>
+<h3>Setting it up</h3>
 <ol class="steps">
-  <li><b>Dependencies → depends_on</b>: pick the VPN container, and turn on <b>vpn_routed</b>.
-    Inspector checks the VPN first and waits for it to recover before touching the app.</li>
-  <li><b>Recovery → recovery_action</b>: choose <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b>
-    and enter the <b>stack name</b> exactly as Portainer shows it. When the VPN container gets
-    recreated, a plain restart of the app fails; redeploying the stack reconnects it.</li>
+  <li><b>Add the VPN container to Inspector and keep it enabled</b> (restart on UNHEALTHY and NOT
+    RUNNING is a good start). Inspector can only wait for containers it is watching: if the VPN
+    container is disabled, its apps are recovered normally, as if there were no dependency, and the
+    container page shows a warning.</li>
+  <li>On each app behind it, set <b>Dependencies → depends_on</b> to the VPN container.</li>
+  <li>Turn on <b>vpn_routed</b>. This only changes the log: Inspector writes down when it holds off
+    on the app because the VPN is down. The waiting itself comes from depends_on.</li>
+  <li>Add an <b>HTTP check</b> (<a href="#containers">section 5</a>) using your server's IP and the
+    port published on the VPN container, and tick <b>UNREACHABLE</b>. Docker often still reports
+    these apps as healthy when the tunnel is down; the HTTP check notices.</li>
+  <li>Under <b>Recovery</b>, choose <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b> and enter the
+    stack name. This needs the Portainer connection from <a href="#portainer">section 7</a>.</li>
 </ol>
-<p>Stack redeploys need the Portainer connection in <b>Settings → Portainer</b>:</p>
+<h3>What Inspector then does</h3>
+<p>Every check, it looks at the VPN container first. While the VPN is anything other than healthy
+(or starting, or running without a health check), the apps that depend on it are not restarted;
+Inspector fixes the VPN first. Once the VPN is healthy again, the apps are handled normally: a
+restart first, and a stack redeploy if the restart fails or doesn't help.</p>
+<p class="note"><b>depends_on isn't only for VPNs.</b> Use it for any "B needs A" pair, such as an
+app and its database: Inspector won't restart the app while its database is down.</p>
+</section>
+
+<section id="portainer">
+<h2>7. Portainer stack redeploy</h2>
+<h3>Why Inspector needs Portainer</h3>
+<p>Inspector talks to Docker directly, so it can restart or start a container. It can't
+<i>recreate</i> one: that needs the container's compose definition, which lives in Portainer. A
+stack redeploy asks Portainer to do exactly what its <b>Update the stack</b> button does. That's
+how VPN-routed apps get reattached to a recreated VPN container. You only need this if you use one
+of the two "redeploy" recovery actions.</p>
+<p class="note warn"><b>A redeploy affects the whole stack.</b> Portainer pulls the latest images
+and recreates <i>every</i> container in that stack, not just the failing app, so all of them blink
+off for a moment. That's why <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b> is the recommended
+choice: most problems are fixed by the plain restart, and the redeploy is only used when that
+doesn't work.</p>
+<h3>Requirements</h3>
+<ul>
+  <li>The app must belong to a stack that was <b>created in Portainer</b>. In <b>Stacks</b>, stacks
+    created elsewhere (for example with <code>docker compose</code> on the command line) are marked
+    <b>Limited</b>, and Portainer can't redeploy them.</li>
+  <li>An access token for a Portainer user who can manage that stack. An administrator's token is
+    the simplest.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3>Step 1: find the values</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Setting</th><th>Where to find it</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>base_url</td><td>The address you open Portainer at, without anything after the port:
+    usually <code>http://&lt;server-ip&gt;:9000</code> or <code>https://&lt;server-ip&gt;:9443</code>.
+    Use the server's IP, not <code>localhost</code>: Inspector runs in its own container.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>endpoint_id</td><td>On Portainer's <b>Home</b> page, click your environment (often
+    <b>local</b>). The browser address then ends like <code>#!/2/docker/dashboard</code>: the
+    number after <code>#!/</code> is the endpoint ID (here <code>2</code>).</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>stack name</td><td><b>Stacks</b> list, <b>Name</b> column, spelled exactly the same.
+    This goes on each app's container page, not on the Portainer page.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>verify_ssl</td><td>Leave off for <code>http://</code> and for Portainer's built-in
+    self-signed certificate on 9443. Turn on only if Portainer has a real certificate.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>API token</td><td>Click your username (top right) → <b>My account</b> →
+    <b>Access tokens</b> → <b>Add access token</b>. Name it <code>inspector</code> and copy the
+    token straight away: Portainer shows it only once.</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<h3>Step 2: give Inspector the token</h3>
+<p><b>Recommended: an environment variable.</b> The token then never lands in
+<code>config.yml</code> or its backups.</p>
 <ol class="steps">
-  <li>In Portainer, open <b>My account → Access tokens</b> and create a token.</li>
-  <li>Easiest and safest: add it to the Inspector stack as an environment variable (for example
-    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>) and redeploy Inspector. Or choose <b>Saved in config.yml</b>
-    and paste it in.</li>
-  <li>In <b>Settings → Portainer</b>, add an environment with Portainer's URL and endpoint ID
-    (usually 1 or 2; it's the number in the URL when you open the environment in Portainer).
-    Click <b>Test connection</b>: it should list your stacks.</li>
-  <li>Turn Portainer on and save.</li>
+  <li>In Portainer open <b>Stacks → inspector → Editor</b>.</li>
+  <li>Check that the compose file has this line under <code>environment:</code> (it's in the
+    compose file from version 0.9.1 on; add it if your stack is older):
+    <code>- PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}</code></li>
+  <li>Under <b>Environment variables</b> click <b>Add an environment variable</b>: name
+    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>, value the token.</li>
+  <li>Click <b>Update the stack</b>. Inspector restarts with the token available.</li>
+</ol>
+<p><b>Alternative: save it in Inspector.</b> In the next step choose <b>Saved in config.yml</b>
+and paste the token. It is masked in the dashboard, but anyone who can read Inspector's config
+folder (or a backup of it) can read the token.</p>
+
+<h3>Step 3: connect Inspector</h3>
+<ol class="steps">
+  <li>Open <b>Settings → Portainer</b>. Under <b>Add environment</b>, give it a name (your own
+    label, e.g. <code>home</code>) and fill in base_url, endpoint_id and verify_ssl.</li>
+  <li><b>API token stored as</b>: <i>Environment variable</i> with the name
+    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>, or <i>Saved in config.yml</i> with the token.</li>
+  <li>Click <b>Test connection</b>. It should list the stacks on that endpoint; check that your
+    app's stack is there. Then <b>Save new environment</b>.</li>
+  <li>At the top of the page turn <b>enabled</b> on, pick the <b>default_environment</b>, and
+    <b>Save Portainer</b>.</li>
+  <li>On each app's container page, set the recovery action and stack name
+    (<a href="#vpn">section 6</a>). Leave <b>portainer_environment</b> on <i>Default</i> unless
+    you connected more than one Portainer.</li>
 </ol>
 <figure><img src="settings-portainer.png" alt="Portainer settings">
 <figcaption>Settings → Portainer with one environment; the token comes from an environment variable.</figcaption></figure>
+
+<h3>The other settings on the page</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Setting</th><th>What it does</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>default_environment</td><td>Which connection apps use when they don't pick one. With a
+    single environment you can leave it on Automatic.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds</td><td>Minimum time between two redeploys of the same
+    stack (default 300). Several apps often share a stack; this stops them triggering a redeploy
+    each.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>post_redeploy_wait_seconds</td><td>How long Inspector waits after a redeploy for the
+    stack to come up before judging it again (default 90).</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<h3>If Test connection fails</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Message</th><th>Fix</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>environment variable … is not set</td><td>The compose line from step 2 is missing, or
+    the stack wasn't updated after adding the variable.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>the API token was rejected</td><td>Token copied wrong, deleted, or from a user without
+    access. Create a new one.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>no stacks found on endpoint N</td><td>Wrong endpoint ID; check the number in the
+    Portainer address again.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>request failed …</td><td>Wrong address or port, <code>http</code> vs <code>https</code>
+    mixed up, or <code>localhost</code> used instead of the server IP. With https and a
+    self-signed certificate, turn verify_ssl off.</td></tr>
+</table>
 </section>
 
 <section id="events">
-<h2>6. Events history</h2>
+<h2>8. Events history</h2>
 <p>The <b>Events</b> tab is a day-by-day timeline of failures, restarts, recoveries, mutes, and
 maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
 <figure><img src="events.png" alt="Events timeline">
@@ -253,7 +382,7 @@ maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="settings">
-<h2>7. Other settings</h2>
+<h2>9. Other settings</h2>
 <figure><img src="settings-inspector.png" alt="Inspector loop settings">
 <figcaption>Settings → Inspector loop.</figcaption></figure>
 <table>
@@ -266,14 +395,14 @@ maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
   <tr><td>Maintenance</td><td>A daily quiet window (e.g. 02:00–05:00) so nightly backups or updates don't trigger restarts. Turn on <b>maintenance_window</b> on each container that should follow it.</td></tr>
   <tr><td>Notification mute</td><td>Turns the per-container <b>Mute notifications</b> buttons on or off, and sets how long a mute lasts.</td></tr>
   <tr><td>Uptime Kuma</td><td>Connection to your Uptime Kuma status page, used by container reachability checks.</td></tr>
-  <tr><td>Portainer</td><td>Connection to Portainer, used to redeploy stacks. See <a href="#containers">Apps behind a VPN container</a>.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>Portainer</td><td>Connection to Portainer, used to redeploy stacks. See <a href="#portainer">section 7</a>.</td></tr>
 </table>
 <p>At the bottom of every settings page is a strip showing where the config file lives and
 whether Inspector can write to it.</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="restart">
-<h2>8. "Requires restart" fields</h2>
+<h2>10. "Requires restart" fields</h2>
 <p>Most changes apply on the next check. Fields marked
 <span class="tag t-violet">REQUIRES RESTART</span> (like turning a notification channel or the
 dashboard on or off) only take effect after Inspector restarts:</p>
@@ -285,7 +414,7 @@ dashboard on or off) only take effect after Inspector restarts:</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="trouble">
-<h2>9. Troubleshooting</h2>
+<h2>11. Troubleshooting</h2>
 <table>
   <tr><th>Problem</th><th>Fix</th></tr>
   <tr><td>Red <b>READ-ONLY</b> badge at the bottom of Settings</td>

src/inspector/dashboard.py

@@ -2177,7 +2177,7 @@ def _portainer_env_form(env_name: str, env, csrf_token: str, *, suggest_name: st
         + _settings_field("name", "env_name", env_name or suggest_name,
                           hint="Your own label, referenced by containers")
         + _settings_field("endpoint_id", "endpoint_id", str(env.endpoint_id if env else 1), kind="number",
-                          hint="Portainer → Environments; the number in the URL (usually 1 or 2)")
+                          hint="Open the environment from Portainer's Home page; the number after #!/ in the address (often 1 or 2)")
         + "</div>"
         + _settings_field("base_url", "base_url", env.base_url if env else "",
                           hint="e.g. http://192.168.1.10:9000 or https://portainer.example.com")
@@ -2190,7 +2190,7 @@ def _portainer_env_form(env_name: str, env, csrf_token: str, *, suggest_name: st
         + f'<div class="token-src" data-src="env"{" hidden" if inline else ""}>'
         + _settings_field("environment variable name", "api_token_env",
                           (env.api_token_env if env else "") or "PORTAINER_API_TOKEN",
-                          hint="Set this variable on the Inspector container (Portainer → stack → Environment variables), then redeploy Inspector.")
+                          hint="Add it to the Inspector stack's environment variables; the compose file must pass it in. Step by step: Help → Portainer stack redeploy, step 2.")
         + "</div>"
         + f'<div class="token-src" data-src="inline"{"" if inline else " hidden"}>'
         + _settings_secret_field("api_token", "api_token", bool(env and env.api_token))
@@ -2451,18 +2451,25 @@ def _render_container_advanced(name: str, cfg, app: AppConfig) -> str:
     )
 
     others = [c.name for c in app.containers if c.name != name]
+    disabled = {c.name for c in app.containers if not c.enabled}
     dep_value = getattr(cfg, "depends_on", "") or ""
-    dep_options = [("", "— none —")] + [(n, n) for n in others]
+    dep_options = [("", "— none —")] + [(n, n + (" (disabled)" if n in disabled else "")) for n in others]
     if dep_value and dep_value not in others:
         dep_options.append((dep_value, f"{dep_value} (not configured)"))
+    dep_warn = ""
+    if dep_value in disabled:
+        dep_warn = _warn(f"{_escape(dep_value)} is disabled, so Inspector can't see its status and won't wait for it. "
+                         "Enable it to make this dependency count.")
     deps = (
         '<div class="form-group"><h4>Dependencies</h4>'
         '<p class="group-sub">Check this container after the one it relies on, and hold off recovering it '
         "while that one is still failing.</p>"
         + _settings_select("depends_on", "depends_on", dep_value, dep_options,
-                           hint="e.g. the VPN container, for apps that use network_mode: container:<vpn>")
+                           hint="e.g. the VPN container, for apps that use network_mode: container:<vpn>. "
+                                "Also works for any other dependency, like an app and its database.")
+        + dep_warn
         + _settings_field("vpn_routed", "vpn_routed", "on" if getattr(cfg, "vpn_routed", False) else "", kind="switch",
-                          hint="Routes through the container above. Logs why recovery is deferred while it is down.")
+                          hint="Only affects logging: says in the log when recovery waits on the VPN container. The waiting itself comes from depends_on.")
         + "</div>"
     )
 

src/inspector/main.py

@@ -293,8 +293,10 @@ def _check_one(
 
         if ok:
             dep = container_config.depends_on
-            if dep:
-                dep_status = states[dep].current_status if dep in states else None
+            # Only wait on a dependency Inspector is watching. A disabled one has
+            # no state, and waiting on it would block recovery forever.
+            if dep and dep in states:
+                dep_status = states[dep].current_status
                 if dep_status not in (HEALTHY, STARTING, NO_HEALTH_CHECK):
                     if container_config.vpn_routed:
                         log.info(
@@ -454,8 +456,10 @@ def run_loop(config_ref: ConfigRef) -> int:
         for gone in states.keys() - current_enabled.keys():
             states.pop(gone, None)
             log.info("Stopped watching container (removed or disabled): %s", gone)
+        if current_enabled != enabled_configs:
+            # Only re-order (and re-log ordering warnings) when the config changed.
+            check_order = _topological_order(current_enabled)
         enabled_configs = current_enabled
-        check_order = _topological_order(enabled_configs)
 
         # Integration clients hold their config; rebuild them when the
         # settings page changes Uptime Kuma / Portainer.