Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
There are getting on for 4,000 apps in Community Applications, and most were put there by somebody in our community - not by Lime Tech. Getting your own in there used to mean writing a template, sticking it in a repo, messaging someone on the forums and then just waiting. There was no feedback, and if your XML was wrong you often never found out. Now there's a proper portal that reads your repo, checks your work and tells you what's broken before you submit anything.
In this guide we cover both halves of it: claiming a repository you've already got listed in CA, and submitting a brand new one completely from scratch.
If you've had apps in Community Applications for years, there's something here you probably don't know about. You can now claim your repository and link it to your Unraid account, so every app you maintain turns up in one place with its status. I show exactly how the ownership check works — and if you've ever proved you own a domain name with a DNS TXT record, you already understand the principle.
Then we get into setting one up from nothing:
-Creating your GitHub repository
-The OSI open source licence requirement, and the fastest way to add one
-What ca_profile.xml actually is, and why it's about you rather than your app
-Running Validate and Scan, and fixing each failure as it comes up
-Adding a Docker template so you've got a valid app in there
-Submitting for review, and why containers can be auto-approved but plugins can't
-Why your app doesn't appear straight away, and where to check the app feed
This isn't a video about how to build a container or write a plugin - I'm taking it that you've already made your thing and it works. This is the bit that comes after: getting it into Community Applications so other people can find it and install it.
If you've built something for your own server and always wished you could share it, this is the full walkthrough.
*Key Links*
🔗 Community Applications: ca.unraid.net
🔗 Submit a repository: ca.unraid.net/submit
🔗 Submission help and XML field reference: ca.unraid.net/submit/help
🔗 Starter repository template: github.com/unraid/unraid-community-apps-starter
🔗 Community Apps submission support board: product.unraid.net/b/community-apps-submission-support
🔗 Community Applications forum thread: forums.unraid.net/topic/38582-plug-in-community-applications
⏱️ *Timestamps*
0:00 - Nearly 4,000 apps, put there by the community
0:28 - How submitting used to work
0:52 - What the new portal does differently
1:07 - Containers get auto-approved, plugins don't
1:16 - Who this video is for
1:49 - What this video isn't
2:14 - Claiming a repo you already have
2:21 - Signing in with your Unraid account
2:52 - Where the claim button actually is
3:24 - Pasting in your repository URL
3:53 - What stops someone claiming your repo?
4:32 - Generating the claim file
4:52 - Creating the file in GitHub
5:28 - Verifying the claim
5:49 - Your repository inside Community Applications
6:31 - Worth adding the extra files anyway
6:45 - Starting a new repo from scratch
7:07 - Creating the GitHub repository
7:53 - Starting the submission
8:06 - What you need before you begin
8:40 - Adding your repository URL
8:56 - Failed check - you need a licence
9:39 - Scanning the repository
10:09 - Creating the ca_profile.xml
11:11 - Rescanning
11:30 - Adding a Docker template
12:21 - A clean bill of health
12:39 - Submitting for review
12:51 - Auto-approved
13:10 - Why your app isn't showing yet
13:38 - The app feed picks it up
13:57 - Submitting plugins
14:30 - Roundup and outro
What will you build with Unraid? Get Started with Unraid in 15 minutes or less: unraid.net/getting-started
There are getting on for 4,000 apps in Community Applications, and most were put there by somebody in our community - not by Lime Tech. Getting your own in there used to mean writing a template, sticking it in a repo, messaging someone on the forums and then just waiting. There was no feedback, and if your XML was wrong you often never found out. Now there's a proper portal that reads your repo, checks your work and tells you what's broken before you submit anything.
In this guide we cover both halves of it: claiming a repository you've already got listed in CA, and submitting a brand new one completely from scratch.
If you've had apps in Community Applications for years, there's something here you probably don't know about. You can now claim your repository and link it to your Unraid account, so every app you maintain turns up in one place with its status. I show exactly how the ownership check works — and if you've ever proved you own a domain name with a DNS TXT record, you already understand the principle.
Then we get into setting one up from nothing:
-Creating your GitHub repository
-The OSI open source licence requirement, and the fastest way to add one
-What ca_profile.xml actually is, and why it's about you rather than your app
-Running Validate and Scan, and fixing each failure as it comes up
-Adding a Docker template so you've got a valid app in there
-Submitting for review, and why containers can be auto-approved but plugins can't
-Why your app doesn't appear straight away, and where to check the app feed
This isn't a video about how to build a container or write a plugin - I'm taking it that you've already made your thing and it works. This is the bit that comes after: getting it into Community Applications so other people can find it and install it.
If you've built something for your own server and always wished you could share it, this is the full walkthrough.
*Key Links*
🔗 Community Applications: ca.unraid.net
🔗 Submit a repository: ca.unraid.net/submit
🔗 Submission help and XML field reference: ca.unraid.net/submit/help
🔗 Starter repository template: github.com/unraid/unraid-community-apps-starter
🔗 Community Apps submission support board: product.unraid.net/b/community-apps-submission-support
🔗 Community Applications forum thread: forums.unraid.net/topic/38582-plug-in-community-applications
⏱️ *Timestamps*
0:00 - Nearly 4,000 apps, put there by the community
0:28 - How submitting used to work
0:52 - What the new portal does differently
1:07 - Containers get auto-approved, plugins don't
1:16 - Who this video is for
1:49 - What this video isn't
2:14 - Claiming a repo you already have
2:21 - Signing in with your Unraid account
2:52 - Where the claim button actually is
3:24 - Pasting in your repository URL
3:53 - What stops someone claiming your repo?
4:32 - Generating the claim file
4:52 - Creating the file in GitHub
5:28 - Verifying the claim
5:49 - Your repository inside Community Applications
6:31 - Worth adding the extra files anyway
6:45 - Starting a new repo from scratch
7:07 - Creating the GitHub repository
7:53 - Starting the submission
8:06 - What you need before you begin
8:40 - Adding your repository URL
8:56 - Failed check - you need a licence
9:39 - Scanning the repository
10:09 - Creating the ca_profile.xml
11:11 - Rescanning
11:30 - Adding a Docker template
12:21 - A clean bill of health
12:39 - Submitting for review
12:51 - Auto-approved
13:10 - Why your app isn't showing yet
13:38 - The app feed picks it up
13:57 - Submitting plugins
14:30 - Roundup and outro
What will you build with Unraid? Get Started with Unraid in 15 minutes or less: unraid.net/getting-started
