# Managing Dokku

> Audits self-hosted Dokku PaaS deployments by inventorying apps, containers, domains, plugins, storage mounts, environment variable counts, proxy settings, and SSL status via read-only SSH commands.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-dokku` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-dokku`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-dokku/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra, Coding & Dev Tools, Deployment & Release, Monitoring & Observability
- Tags: Container, Deployment, Dokku, Domains, Environment Variables, Paas, Ssh, Ssl
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-dokku

---


# Dokku Management

Analyze Dokku apps, containers, plugins, and deployment configuration on self-hosted PaaS.

## Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
DOKKU_HOST="${DOKKU_HOST:-localhost}"
DOKKU_CMD="ssh dokku@${DOKKU_HOST}"

echo "=== Apps Inventory ==="
$DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2 | while read APP; do
  STATUS=$($DOKKU_CMD ps:report "$APP" --ps-computed-status 2>/dev/null)
  echo -e "${APP}\t${STATUS}"
done | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Container Status ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  $DOKKU_CMD ps:report "$APP" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "running|deployed|restore" | head -5
done

echo ""
echo "=== Domains ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  DOMAINS=$($DOKKU_CMD domains:report "$APP" --domains-app-vhosts 2>/dev/null)
  echo "${APP}: ${DOMAINS}"
done

echo ""
echo "=== Plugins ==="
$DOKKU_CMD plugin:list 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Storage Mounts ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  MOUNTS=$($DOKKU_CMD storage:report "$APP" --storage-bind-mounts 2>/dev/null)
  [ -n "$MOUNTS" ] && echo "${APP}: ${MOUNTS}"
done
```

## Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
DOKKU_HOST="${DOKKU_HOST:-localhost}"
DOKKU_CMD="ssh dokku@${DOKKU_HOST}"

echo "=== Process Scaling ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  SCALE=$($DOKKU_CMD ps:scale "$APP" 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2 | tr '\n' ' ')
  echo "${APP}: ${SCALE}"
done

echo ""
echo "=== Environment Variables (count only) ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  COUNT=$($DOKKU_CMD config:export "$APP" 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
  echo "${APP}: ${COUNT} env vars"
done

echo ""
echo "=== Proxy Configuration ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  PORTS=$($DOKKU_CMD proxy:ports "$APP" 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2 | tr '\n' ' ')
  echo "${APP}: ${PORTS}"
done

echo ""
echo "=== Docker Container Resources ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  $DOKKU_CMD resource:report "$APP" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "memory|cpu" | head -4
done

echo ""
echo "=== Network Config ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  $DOKKU_CMD network:report "$APP" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "bind-all|attach-post" | head -3
done

echo ""
echo "=== SSL/TLS Status ==="
for APP in $($DOKKU_CMD apps:list 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2); do
  SSL=$($DOKKU_CMD certs:report "$APP" 2>/dev/null | grep -i "ssl-enabled" | head -1)
  echo "${APP}: ${SSL}"
done
```

## Output Format

```
DOKKU ANALYSIS
===============
App              Status    Scale        Domains              Storage  SSL
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
web-app          running   web:2        app.example.com      2 mounts Yes
worker           running   worker:1     none                 1 mount  No
api              running   web:3        api.example.com      0 mounts Yes

Apps: 3 | Plugins: 8 installed | Total Processes: 6
SSL: 2/3 apps secured | Storage: 3 bind mounts
```

## Safety Rules

- **Read-only**: Only use `list`, `report`, and `show` Dokku subcommands
- **Never deploy, scale, or destroy** apps without explicit confirmation
- **Env vars**: Never output config variable values, only counts
- **SSH access**: Requires SSH key authentication to the Dokku host

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |