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Runbooks

Operational runbooks for the homelab. Each file covers one procedure the fleet can hit at any time. Read docs/nodes.md and docs/networking.md first — the runbooks act against that reality.

Index

Runbook Covers
node-setup.md SSH key, GitHub access, and repo clone on a new node
restic-restore.md Restore data from the Backrest/restic repos (pihdd + gdrive)
node-rebuild.md Rebuild a node from scratch (vps-apps / pi-home / vps-net)
certificate-renewal.md What TLS exists and why the edge certs renew on their own
netbird-down.md Recovery when Netbird / the mesh drops, incl. tunnel fallbacks
vaultwarden-backup.md Vaultwarden backup & restore (pi-home, SQLite)
home-assistant-backup.md Home Assistant backup & restore (vps-apps)
mesh-dns-flapping.md "DNS slow / DietPi dying" — NetBird restart storms, stale resolvers
hermes-webui.md Operate/upgrade the Hermes web front-end on vps-apps (mesh-only, local build)

Consistent procedure checklist

Whenever following a runbook, apply the shared steps:

  • Confirm the thing you're about to change is the one the runbook describes (read the reference docs; the fleet has drifted before).
  • Get approval for anything on vps-net, volume removal, a data restore, or a firewall/SSH change (see CLAUDE.md, "Ask before doing").
  • Back-up before restore — never overwrite live state without a rollback copy.
  • Verify after — don't trust the command output alone; confirm the app works (log in, load data, run one export).