Unraid 7.2.4 Docker Autostart Bug – Containers Will Not Stay Enabled / Random Containers Start (Downgrading to 7.2.3 Fixes It)
Summary
After upgrading from
Unraid 7.2.3 to 7.2.4, Docker behavior became unstable and the
Docker container autostart feature stopped working reliably. Containers would either:
- Refuse to save the Autostart = On setting
- Randomly revert to Autostart = Off
- Start inconsistently after reboot
The issue persisted even after rebuilding the Docker image and reinstalling containers.
The only confirmed fix in this case was
downgrading back to Unraid 7.2.3, which immediately restored normal Docker behavior.
This post documents the issue for anyone experiencing Docker instability after upgrading to
Unraid 7.2.4.
Environment
- Unraid Version (problematic): 7.2.4
- Previous Version (stable): 7.2.3
- Docker Containers: ~60+ containers
- Hardware: Ryzen 9 16 core 32 threads cpu, 64 GB RAM
- Primary workloads:
- Paperless-ngx
- OCRmyPDF
- AI document tagging
- Ollama
- Jellyfin
- MariaDB
- Various utility containers
The system is running
heavy document ingestion and AI workloads, including thousands of document imports.
Primary Issue: Docker Autostart Settings Do Not Persist
After upgrading to
Unraid 7.2.4, Docker containers could no longer reliably retain their
autostart setting.
Typical Behavior
When enabling
Autostart = On for any container:
- Toggle autostart to ON
- Navigate away from the Docker page or refresh
- Return to the Docker tab
Result:
Code:
Autostart has reverted back to OFF
The toggle appears to change temporarily but
the configuration never saves.
Additional Behavior: Random Containers Start While Others Do Not
Another confusing symptom is that
some containers will start while others will not, even when autostart is enabled.
Observed behavior includes:
- Some containers randomly starting at boot
- Others refusing to start
- Autostart toggles randomly switching back to OFF
- Containers behaving inconsistently after reboots
Example patterns observed:
- A few containers start normally
- Many remain stopped
- Autostart flags appear disabled again when revisiting the Docker page
This makes Docker startup
unpredictable.
Docker Instability During Heavy Workloads
During large document ingestion jobs:
- Paperless-ngx processing thousands of files
- OCRmyPDF running continuously
- AI tagging services running
- Multiple containers active
The system experienced
very high CPU usage and eventually
Unraid crashed.
After rebooting the server, the Docker autostart issue remained.
Attempted Fixes (Did Not Work)
Several troubleshooting steps were attempted before discovering the downgrade fix.
Recreating the Docker Image
Steps taken:
- Deleted the existing Docker image
- Recreated a new Docker image
- Reinstalled containers from Previous Apps
Result:
Code:
Issue persisted
Autostart toggles still reverted to OFF
Reinstalling Containers
Containers were restored using the
Unraid App Store → Previous Apps feature.
- Containers reinstalled successfully
- XML templates restored correctly
- Configuration appeared intact
However:
Code:
Autostart settings still would not persist
Manual Docker Configuration Attempts
Attempts were made to manually manipulate Docker configuration and restart services.
Result:
Code:
No change in behavior
The system continued to show:
- Autostart toggles reverting
- Random containers starting
- Docker settings not persisting
UI Behavior Observed
The issue appears to be related to the
Docker UI not committing configuration changes.
Indicators include:
- Toggle switches visually change
- Page navigation resets the toggle
- Refreshing the page resets the toggle
- Docker configuration never actually updates
This strongly suggests the
autostart configuration is not being written properly.
Final Resolution
After exhausting troubleshooting options, the system was
downgraded back to Unraid 7.2.3.
Steps
- Reverted Unraid OS to 7.2.3
- Rebooted the server
Immediately after downgrade:
- Docker started normally
- Containers behaved normally
- Autostart toggles saved correctly
- Containers started consistently again
Conclusion
The issue appears to be a
Docker management bug introduced in Unraid 7.2.4, affecting the persistence of container autostart settings.
Key observations:
- Occurs immediately after upgrading from 7.2.3 → 7.2.4
- Affects many or all containers
- Some containers may start randomly while others do not
- Deleting and recreating the Docker image does not resolve the issue
- Reinstalling containers does not resolve the issue
- Downgrading to Unraid 7.2.3 restores normal Docker functionality
Recommendation
If you experience the following issues after upgrading to
Unraid 7.2.4:
- Docker autostart toggles reverting to OFF
- Docker configuration not saving
- Containers starting inconsistently
- Random containers starting while others remain stopped
You may want to
downgrade back to 7.2.3 until the issue is confirmed and resolved.
Hopefully this documentation helps others running into similar Docker problems after upgrading to
Unraid 7.2.4.