How to set Instance name and use #runOnInstance label

[ShuangqiLi]

I'm trying to use the label #runOnInstance=Server, but it didn't work. My server is set up using docker.
I've already updated my config.ini file with:

instanceName=Server

But the instanceName setting doesn't seem to take effect.
After running the api.log(api.instanceName) command to inspect the runtime configuration, I found that instanceName is still empty.
How should I properly configure the instanceName so that it gets recognized by the application?

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @ShuangqiLi! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the Trilium team.

The instanceName must be set under the [General] section header in your config.ini file:

[General]
instanceName=Server

For Docker deployments, you have two options:

1. Config.ini approach: Make sure your config.ini is in the volume-mapped data directory (~/trilium-data/config.ini on host → /home/node/trilium-data/config.ini in container) and includes the [General] section header.

2. Environment variable approach (recommended for Docker): Use the TRILIUM_GENERAL_INSTANCENAME environment variable in your docker-compose.yml:

   environment:
     - TRILIUM_GENERAL_INSTANCENAME=Server

Important notes:

• Environment variables take precedence over config.ini, so check if TRILIUM_GENERAL_INSTANCENAME is set elsewhere
• You must restart the Docker container after making changes
• The config.ini file is only generated after Trilium runs at least once

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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