Stop all containers, remove data volumes, and delete generated configuration files. This is a destructive operation — all local data is lost. The command prompts for confirmation before proceeding.
Destructive operation
nself reset permanently deletes your local Postgres data, auth state, storage objects, and all generated files. There is no undo. Back up any data you need before running this. For a non-destructive restart, use nself stop followed by nself start.
# Full reset with confirmation prompt
nself reset
# Skip the prompt (use in CI or scripts)
nself reset --yesnself reset [FLAGS]nself reset is the nuclear option for returning a nSelf instance to a clean state. It is intended for two scenarios: clearing a broken dev environment after a failed migration, or starting completely fresh on a machine that has stale state from an old install.
What it removes:
docker-compose.yml, nginx/sites/, .env.computed.nself/state.json instance state fileWhat it keeps:
.env.dev, .env.secrets, and other env files — these are never deletedplugins/migrations/ directorynself ssl uninstall separately if needed)After a reset, run nself start to spin up a fresh instance from scratch.
If you do not need to wipe data, use one of these instead:
| Goal | Command |
|---|---|
| Restart services after a config change | nself restart |
| Stop everything without deleting data | nself stop |
| Remove generated files only (keep data) | nself clean |
| Wipe and recreate a single service | nself restart <service> --fresh |
| Flag | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--yes | bool | false | Skip the interactive confirmation prompt |
--volumes-only | bool | false | Remove data volumes but keep generated config files |
--config-only | bool | false | Remove generated config files but keep data volumes |
nself reset
# ⚠ This will destroy all local data. Type YES to confirm:
# YES
# Stopping containers...
# Removing volumes...
# Cleaning generated files...
# Done. Run nself start to begin fresh.nself reset --yesnself reset --volumes-only --yesnself reset --yes && nself start0 — reset completed1 — reset failed (container stop or volume removal error)2 — invalid flag combination130 — user declined the confirmation prompt