Update
Update your self-hosted Talkr stack to a newer image version
This guide covers updating a Talkr stack you've already deployed with Docker or a custom domain. You run commands from the same directory that contains your docker-compose.yaml (this is the talkr/ directory if you used setup_remote.sh).
There are three update flows depending on how you deployed:
- Remote, build mode (most users today — you have a
docker-compose.override.yaml) — update via git; see Updating a source build. - Local Docker — pull the latest source and restart; see Local deployment.
- Remote, prebuilt mode — use
update_remote.shbelow, once your Talkr contact has confirmed a published image registry for your deployment.
Remote, prebuilt mode
This flow pulls versioned talkr-api/talkr-ui images from a container registry. Use it only once your Talkr contact has confirmed a registry is published for your deployment — otherwise use Updating a source build below, which works today for every deployment.
Each release is published under release tags. Note the formats differ between GitHub releases and Docker image tags — update_remote.sh understands both and normalizes for you.
| Where | Tag format | Example | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub release tag | talkr-vX.Y.Z | talkr-v1.28.0 | Use when copying the version from a GitHub release |
| Docker image tag (semver) | X.Y.Z | 1.28.0 | Stable, recommended for production |
Docker image tag (latest) | latest | latest | Tracks the most recent release tag |
Always update talkr-api and talkr-ui to the same tag. The two images are built from the same commit and the UI expects API responses in a matching shape — mixing versions will break the app. update_remote.sh handles this for you automatically.
update_remote.sh is the supported path for updating a stack created with setup_remote.sh. In one shot it:
- Asks for a target version (defaults to the latest release tag on GitHub).
- Pulls
docker-compose.yamlat that version and pins bothapianduiimages to it. - Refreshes the remote helper bundle (
remote_up.shplus shared templates/helpers). - Synchronizes the canonical remote keys in
.envand validates the runtime config thattalkr-initwill render from it. - Backs up every file it changes with a
.bak.<timestamp>suffix.
From your install directory:
cd talkr
bash scripts/update_remote.shYou'll be prompted for the target version, defaulting to the most recent release. Accepted forms: bare semver (1.28.0), v-prefixed (v1.28.0), the full GitHub tag (talkr-v1.28.0), or main to refresh deployment files from the default branch — the script normalizes them. Non-interactive callers can set it via environment variable and skip the confirmation prompt:
TARGET_VERSION=1.28.0 TALKR_UPDATE_YES=1 bash update_remote.shAfter the script finishes, apply the update through the validated startup wrapper:
./remote_up.shThe script overwrites docker-compose.yaml and the remote helper bundle (remote_up.sh, scripts/run_talkr_init.sh, scripts/lib/setup_common.sh, and deploy/templates/*) from the shared upstream deployment bundle. If you've made local edits to any of these, check the .bak.<timestamp> files after the update and re-apply your edits.
Local deployment
For local Docker installs (the Quick Start flow or setup_local.sh / setup_local.ps1), pull the latest source, stop the stack, then run the startup script again. The script preserves existing .env secrets, creates REDIS_PASSWORD and MinIO credentials if they are missing, and only creates POSTGRES_PASSWORD for brand-new .env files. If a retained local Postgres volume already exists, it syncs the database user's password to .env before starting the full stack:
git pull
git submodule update --init --recursive
docker compose down
./scripts/start_docker.shgit pull
git submodule update --init --recursive
docker compose down
.\scripts\start_docker.ps1Verify the update
Check the running image tags:
docker compose ps --format "table {{.Service}}\t{{.Image}}"You should see the API and UI both running the tag you pinned.
Hit the health endpoint to confirm the API is responding:
curl -k https://YOUR_SERVER_IP/api/v1/health # remote
curl http://localhost:8000/api/v1/health # localRoll back
update_remote.sh saves backups of every file it touched. To roll back, restore them and recreate the stack — the exact commands (including the timestamp it used) are printed at the end of the script's output. The generic form:
cd talkr
for f in docker-compose.yaml nginx.conf turnserver.conf .env remote_up.sh scripts/run_talkr_init.sh scripts/lib/setup_common.sh deploy/templates/nginx.remote.conf.template deploy/templates/turnserver.remote.conf.template; do
[[ -f "$f.bak.<timestamp>" ]] && cp "$f.bak.<timestamp>" "$f"
done
./remote_up.shYour Postgres data volume persists across down/up cycles, so agents and call history are preserved.
Rolling back across a database migration is not always safe — if the newer release ran a schema migration, downgrading may leave the DB in a state the older API doesn't understand. If in doubt, contact your Talkr admin before rolling back.
Updating a source build
If you deployed in build mode (you'll have a docker-compose.override.yaml in your install directory), update_remote.sh deliberately refuses to run — you already have the full repo locally and update via git:
cd talkr
git fetch
# Track latest main:
git pull
# Or pin to a specific release (git tag format is talkr-vX.Y.Z):
git checkout talkr-v1.28.0
# Pick up pipecat and other submodule bumps
git submodule update --init --recursive
# Rebuild and restart
sudo docker compose --profile remote build
sudo docker compose --profile remote up -dIf you update the pipecat submodule, you must run git submodule update --init --recursive before rebuilding, or the Docker build will not pick up pipecat changes.
If you maintain a fork with local customizations on top of upstream, merging conflicts in docker-compose.yaml, remote_up.sh, scripts/run_talkr_init.sh, deploy/templates/*, or setup_remote.sh is up to you — resolve them as you would any other git merge. Leave OSS_JWT_SECRET, TURN_SECRET, POSTGRES_PASSWORD, REDIS_PASSWORD, MINIO_ROOT_USER, and MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD in .env unchanged across updates to preserve sessions, WebRTC auth, and service credentials.
The same migration warning above applies: rolling back across a schema change can leave the DB in a state the older API can't read.