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Capsule runs as a systemd service so it can execute scheduled backups automatically and restart after a server reboot.

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Subcommands

Check status and control the service directly with systemctl:

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capsule install-service

This creates /etc/systemd/system/capsule.service, enables it, and starts it immediately. The service:
  • Runs as root (installing the service requires sudo, and the generated unit has no unprivileged User= override)
  • Starts automatically on boot
  • Restarts unconditionally, 5 seconds after it stops for any reason — not just on crashes
That unconditional restart is more than a reliability feature — it’s the actual mechanism behind auto-updates. When the daemon downloads a new version, it exits cleanly on purpose; systemd then relaunches it and the new binary takes over. Without this restart policy, auto-update wouldn’t be able to bring the new version online by itself. When to run: Immediately after capsule auth during initial server setup. The service is what makes scheduled backups fire — without it, schedules are configured but never executed. Install it once and forget it.

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capsule uninstall-service

Stops and disables the systemd unit, and then deletes all local Capsule data — your connections, schedules, config, and encryption key are all removed. This is not just a service-level operation; it’s a full local teardown.
This is destructive and cannot be undone. In particular, deleting the encryption key means any backups already uploaded from this server can no longer be decrypted by anyone — not even Capsule — unless you saved a copy first with capsule key show. If you have existing backups you may ever need to restore, save your key before running this command.
When to run: Only when you’re permanently decommissioning the server and have already saved your encryption key elsewhere (or no longer need the backups tied to it). This is not the right command if you just want to temporarily pause scheduled backups — for that, use sudo systemctl stop capsule instead, which leaves all your local data and config in place and can be reversed with sudo systemctl start capsule.

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Restrict network access (optional)

For tighter security, you can lock the service to only communicate with Capsule’s API by adding network restrictions to the service file:
After editing, reload and restart:

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Troubleshooting

Service won’t start Check the logs:
Scheduled backups not running Confirm the service is active:
If it’s inactive, start it:
After updating Capsule Restart the service so the new binary takes effect: