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Troubleshooting & FAQ

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Breen edited this page Dec 30, 2025 · 1 revision

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What comic formats does Parker support?

Parker supports CBZ (ZIP) and CBR (RAR) archive formats. These are the most common comic archive formats.

Note: CBR support requires unrar to be installed in the container (included in the official Parker image).

Can I edit metadata in Parker's UI?

No. Parker is built on the philosophy that the file is the source of truth. To edit metadata, you need to:

  1. Use an external tool like ComicTagger or Mylar3 to edit the ComicInfo.xml file
  2. Re-scan your library in Parker
  3. Parker will update its database to match the files

See Philosophy: Why Parker? for more on this design decision.

Why are my comics mounted read-only?

This is a best practice for data safety. Parker doesn't need to write to your comic files - it only reads them. Mounting read-only prevents accidental corruption or modification.

If you need to edit files, do so outside of Parker with proper tools, then trigger a re-scan.

Does Parker support manga?

Yes, Parker supports right-to-left reading for manga. However, Parker is optimized for Western comics. If you primarily read manga, dedicated manga servers like Komga might be better suited.

Can I organize comics into folders however I want?

Yes! Parker doesn't care about your folder structure. It reads the ComicInfo.xml metadata from each file to organize your library. You can organize files on disk however makes sense to you.

How do I add a new comic to my library?

  1. Add the comic file (CBZ/CBR) to your comics directory
  2. Go to Admin → Library Management
  3. Click "Scan Library"
  4. Parker will detect and add the new comic

Can I have multiple libraries?

Yes

Installation & Setup

I can't access Parker after installation

Check these common issues:

  1. Wrong port mapping - Verify your Docker port mapping matches
   ports:
     - "8080:5000"  # External:Internal

Access at http://localhost:8080, not http://localhost:5000

  1. Firewall blocking - Ensure your firewall allows the mapped port
  2. Wrong base url- If you set BASE_URL=/comics, access at http://localhost:8080/comics
  3. Check container logs:
docker logs parker

Scanning Issues

Comics aren't showing up after scanning

Checklist:

  1. Verify ComicInfo.xml exists - Parker requires this file inside each comic archive
  2. Check required fields - At minimum, comics need:
    • <Series>
    • <Number>
    • <Volume> (highly recommended)
  3. Check file permissions - Ensure Parker can read the files:
docker exec -it parker ls -la /comics
  1. Check logs for errors:
docker logs parker
  1. Verify file format - Only CBZ and CBR are supported

How do I force a complete re-scan?

  1. Go to Admin → Library Management
  2. Click "Force" (this re-scans everything)

Warning: Full re-scans can take a while on large libraries.

Why are some thumbnails missing?

Possible causes:

  1. Thumbnail generation failed - Check logs for image processing errors
  2. Corrupted cover image - The first page of the comic may be corrupted
  3. Unsupported image format - Rare, but some exotic formats may fail
  4. Insufficient disk space - Check /config/covers has space

Reading Lists, Collections & Story Arcs

My reading lists aren't showing up

Checklist:

  1. Verify ComicInfo.xml has required fields:
<AlternateSeries>Your Reading List Name</AlternateSeries>
<AlternateNumber>1</AlternateNumber>
  1. Re-scan the library after adding metadata
  2. Check for typos - AlternateSeries names must match exactly
  3. Verify numbers are sequential - Gaps in AlternateNumber are okay, but they should be numbers

What's the difference between Reading Lists, Collections, and Story Arcs? See the Collections, Reading Lists & Story Arcs guide for detailed explanations.

Quick summary:

  • Reading Lists (AlternateSeries) - Cross-series reading orders (e.g., "Civil War Reading Order")
  • Collections (SeriesGroup) - Thematic groupings of series (e.g., "X-Men: Krakoa Era")
  • Story Arcs (StoryArc) - Multi-issue storylines, sequentially within one series (e.g., "Dark Phoenix Saga")

Can I have a comic in multiple reading lists?

Not currently. A comic can only have one AlternateSeries value. However, it can be in:

  • One Reading List (AlternateSeries)
  • One Collection (SeriesGroup)
  • One Story Arc (StoryArc)

All at the same time.

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