# paperless-gpt
[](LICENSE)
[](https://hub.docker.com/r/icereed/paperless-gpt)
[](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)
**paperless-gpt** seamlessly pairs with [paperless-ngx][paperless-ngx] to generate **AI-powered document titles** and **tags**, saving you hours of manual sorting. While other tools may offer AI chat features, **paperless-gpt** stands out by **supercharging OCR with LLMs**—ensuring high accuracy, even with tricky scans. If you’re craving next-level text extraction and effortless document organization, this is your solution.
[](./demo.gif)
---
## Key Highlights
1. **LLM-Enhanced OCR**
Harness Large Language Models (OpenAI or Ollama) for **better-than-traditional** OCR—turn messy or low-quality scans into context-aware, high-fidelity text.
2. **Automatic Title & Tag Generation**
No more guesswork. Let the AI do the naming and categorizing. You can easily review suggestions and refine them if needed.
3. **Extensive Customization**
- **Prompt Templates**: Tweak your AI prompts to reflect your domain, style, or preference.
- **Tagging**: Decide how documents get tagged—manually, automatically, or via OCR-based flows.
4. **Simple Docker Deployment**
A few environment variables, and you’re off! Compose it alongside paperless-ngx with minimal fuss.
5. **Unified Web UI**
- **Manual Review**: Approve or tweak AI’s suggestions.
- **Auto Processing**: Focus only on edge cases while the rest is sorted for you.
6. **Opt-In LLM-based OCR**
If you opt in, your images get read by a Vision LLM, pushing boundaries beyond standard OCR tools.
---
## Table of Contents
- [Key Highlights](#key-highlights)
- [Getting Started](#getting-started)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Docker Compose](#docker-compose)
- [Manual Setup](#manual-setup)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Environment Variables](#environment-variables)
- [Custom Prompt Templates](#custom-prompt-templates)
- [Prompt Templates Directory](#prompt-templates-directory)
- [Mounting the Prompts Directory](#mounting-the-prompts-directory)
- [Editing the Prompt Templates](#editing-the-prompt-templates)
- [Template Syntax and Variables](#template-syntax-and-variables)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)
- [Star History](#star-history)
- [Disclaimer](#disclaimer)
---
## Getting Started
### Prerequisites
- [Docker][docker-install] installed.
- A running instance of [paperless-ngx][paperless-ngx].
- Access to an LLM provider:
- **OpenAI**: An API key with models like `gpt-4o` or `gpt-3.5-turbo`.
- **Ollama**: A running Ollama server with models like `llama2`.
### Installation
#### Docker Compose
Here’s an example `docker-compose.yml` to spin up **paperless-gpt** alongside paperless-ngx:
```yaml
version: '3.7'
services:
paperless-ngx:
image: ghcr.io/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx:latest
# ... (your existing paperless-ngx config)
paperless-gpt:
image: icereed/paperless-gpt:latest
environment:
PAPERLESS_BASE_URL: 'http://paperless-ngx:8000'
PAPERLESS_API_TOKEN: 'your_paperless_api_token'
PAPERLESS_PUBLIC_URL: 'http://paperless.mydomain.com' # Optional
MANUAL_TAG: 'paperless-gpt' # Optional, default: paperless-gpt
AUTO_TAG: 'paperless-gpt-auto' # Optional, default: paperless-gpt-auto
LLM_PROVIDER: 'openai' # or 'ollama'
LLM_MODEL: 'gpt-4o' # or 'llama2'
OPENAI_API_KEY: 'your_openai_api_key'
LLM_LANGUAGE: 'English' # Optional, default: English
OLLAMA_HOST: 'http://host.docker.internal:11434' # If using Ollama
VISION_LLM_PROVIDER: 'ollama' # (for OCR) - openai or ollama
VISION_LLM_MODEL: 'minicpm-v' # (for OCR) - minicpm-v (ollama example), gpt-4o (for openai), etc.
AUTO_OCR_TAG: 'paperless-gpt-ocr-auto' # Optional, default: paperless-gpt-ocr-auto
LOG_LEVEL: 'info' # Optional: debug, warn, error
volumes:
- ./prompts:/app/prompts # Mount the prompts directory
ports:
- '8080:8080'
depends_on:
- paperless-ngx
```
**Pro Tip**: Replace placeholders with real values and read the logs if something looks off.
#### Manual Setup
1. **Clone the Repository**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/icereed/paperless-gpt.git
cd paperless-gpt
```
2. **Create a `prompts` Directory**
```bash
mkdir prompts
```
3. **Build the Docker Image**
```bash
docker build -t paperless-gpt .
```
4. **Run the Container**
```bash
docker run -d \
-e PAPERLESS_BASE_URL='http://your_paperless_ngx_url' \
-e PAPERLESS_API_TOKEN='your_paperless_api_token' \
-e LLM_PROVIDER='openai' \
-e LLM_MODEL='gpt-4o' \
-e OPENAI_API_KEY='your_openai_api_key' \
-e LLM_LANGUAGE='English' \
-e VISION_LLM_PROVIDER='ollama' \
-e VISION_LLM_MODEL='minicpm-v' \
-e LOG_LEVEL='info' \
-v $(pwd)/prompts:/app/prompts \
-p 8080:8080 \
paperless-gpt
```
---
## Configuration
### Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Required |
|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
| `PAPERLESS_BASE_URL` | URL of your paperless-ngx instance (e.g. `http://paperless-ngx:8000`). | Yes |
| `PAPERLESS_API_TOKEN` | API token for paperless-ngx. Generate one in paperless-ngx admin. | Yes |
| `PAPERLESS_PUBLIC_URL` | Public URL for Paperless (if different from `PAPERLESS_BASE_URL`). | No |
| `MANUAL_TAG` | Tag for manual processing. Default: `paperless-gpt`. | No |
| `AUTO_TAG` | Tag for auto processing. Default: `paperless-gpt-auto`. | No |
| `LLM_PROVIDER` | AI backend (`openai` or `ollama`). | Yes |
| `LLM_MODEL` | AI model name, e.g. `gpt-4o`, `gpt-3.5-turbo`, `llama2`. | Yes |
| `OPENAI_API_KEY` | OpenAI API key (required if using OpenAI). | Cond. |
| `LLM_LANGUAGE` | Likely language for documents (e.g. `English`). Default: `English`. | No |
| `OLLAMA_HOST` | Ollama server URL (e.g. `http://host.docker.internal:11434`). | No |
| `VISION_LLM_PROVIDER` | AI backend for OCR (`openai` or `ollama`). | No |
| `VISION_LLM_MODEL` | Model name for OCR (e.g. `minicpm-v`). | No |
| `AUTO_OCR_TAG` | Tag for automatically processing docs with OCR. Default: `paperless-gpt-ocr-auto`. | No |
| `LOG_LEVEL` | Application log level (`info`, `debug`, `warn`, `error`). Default: `info`. | No |
| `LISTEN_INTERFACE` | Network interface to listen on. Default: `:8080`. | No |
| `WEBUI_PATH` | Path for static content. Default: `./web-app/dist`. | No |
| `AUTO_GENERATE_TITLE` | Generate titles automatically if `paperless-gpt-auto` is used. Default: `true`. | No |
| `AUTO_GENERATE_TAGS` | Generate tags automatically if `paperless-gpt-auto` is used. Default: `true`. | No |
### Custom Prompt Templates
paperless-gpt’s flexible **prompt templates** let you shape how AI responds:
1. **`title_prompt.tmpl`**: For document titles.
2. **`tag_prompt.tmpl`**: For tagging logic.
3. **`ocr_prompt.tmpl`**: For LLM OCR.
Mount them into your container via:
```yaml
volumes:
- ./prompts:/app/prompts
```
Then tweak at will—**paperless-gpt** reloads them automatically on startup!
---
## Usage
1. **Tag Documents**
- Add `paperless-gpt` or your custom tag to the docs you want to AI-ify.
2. **Visit Web UI**
- Go to `http://localhost:8080` (or your host) in your browser.
3. **Generate & Apply Suggestions**
- Click “Generate Suggestions” to see AI-proposed titles/tags.
- Approve, edit, or discard. Hit “Apply” to finalize in paperless-ngx.
4. **Try LLM-Based OCR (Experimental)**
- If you enabled `VISION_LLM_PROVIDER` and `VISION_LLM_MODEL`, let AI-based OCR read your scanned PDFs.
- Tag those documents with `paperless-gpt-ocr-auto` (or your custom `AUTO_OCR_TAG`).
**Tip**: The entire pipeline can be **fully automated** if you prefer minimal manual intervention.
---
## Contributing
**Pull requests** and **issues** are welcome!
1. Fork the repo
2. Create a branch (`feature/my-awesome-update`)
3. Commit changes (`git commit -m "Improve X"`)
4. Open a PR
Check out our [contributing guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.
---
## License
paperless-gpt is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE). Feel free to adapt and share!
---
## Star History
[](https://star-history.com/#icereed/paperless-gpt&Date)
---
## Disclaimer
This project is **not** officially affiliated with [paperless-ngx][paperless-ngx]. Use at your own risk.
---
**paperless-gpt**: The **LLM-based** companion your doc management has been waiting for. Enjoy effortless, intelligent document titles, tags, and next-level OCR.
[paperless-ngx]: https://github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx
[docker-install]: https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/