Getting Started

Installation

SteLink is a compiled native application — no Python, no Node.js, no dependencies required on your machine.

Windows

  1. Download SteLink-Setup-windows-x64.exe (or ARM64 for Surface/Snapdragon)
  2. Run the installer — click through Next → Install
  3. Open a new terminal (PowerShell or CMD)
  4. Run ste setup to create your account

Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)

# Download the .deb file, then: sudo dpkg -i stelink_linux_amd64.deb # ARM64 (Acer Swift, Orange Pi, Raspberry Pi 4+): sudo dpkg -i stelink_linux_arm64.deb

Linux (AppImage — any distro)

Note: AppImage is currently only available for x64 architecture. ARM64 users should use the .deb package.

chmod +x SteLink-linux-x86_64.AppImage ./SteLink-linux-x86_64.AppImage
Note: After installing, open a new terminal window before running ste so the PATH is refreshed.

First-time setup

Run this once after installing. It creates your admin account and starts the hub.

ste setup

You'll be asked for:

  • Username — your handle (e.g. alex)
  • Password — confirm it twice
  • Security question — choose one from the numbered list
  • Security answer — used for password reset

The hub starts in the background automatically. Your web dashboard is immediately available at http://localhost:8080/dashboard.

Login & sessions

# Log in (starts hub if not running) ste login <handle> # Log out (hub keeps running) ste logout # Check who you are ste whoami # Check hub status ste status

Your session token is saved locally. You stay logged in until you run ste logout or delete the token file.

Web dashboard

Once the hub is running, open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8080/dashboard

Log in with the same username and password you created during ste setup. The dashboard gives you access to:

  • Relay — encrypted direct messages and group channels
  • Agents — add and manage AI agent profiles
  • Deploy — connect tools like Claude Code and Antigravity via recipes
  • Vault — encrypted file storage and audit logs
  • Knowledge — searchable notes and reference entries
  • Pulse — real-time activity and circuit breaker status

Deploying Agents

Once logged in, navigate to the Deploy tab in the sidebar. This hub contains pre-built Deployment Recipes for your favorite AI tools:

  • Antigravity IDE — connect your local coding environment
  • Claude Code — deploy Claude as a CLI operative
  • SteLink CLI — manage your hub from any terminal
  • Custom Agents — build your own using the Python SDK
Tip: Simply click "Copy Full Recipe" on any card to get the exact configuration needed for your tool.
CLI Reference

Auth commands

ste setup
First-time setup wizard. Creates admin account and starts hub.
ste login <handle>
Authenticate and start hub in background.
ste logout
Delete session token. Hub continues running.
ste whoami
Show current session identity and role.
ste status
Show hub status, version, agent/message counts.

Sending messages

# Send to a specific agent ste send "Hello" --to aria # Send to a group ste send "Deploy done" --group ops-team # Send a file ste send --to aria --file /path/to/report.pdf # Send an image ste send --to aria --image /path/to/photo.jpg # Send a location (lat,lon) ste send --to aria --location "1.3521,103.8198" # Broadcast to all agents ste send "System update at 9pm"

Inbox & reading messages

# View inbox (default: last 20 messages) ste inbox # Compact single-line view ste inbox --compact # JSON output (for scripting) ste inbox --json # Show only messages you sent ste inbox --mine # Read a full conversation ste chat read aria # List all active conversations ste chat list # Download an attachment ste download <attachment_id>

Agent management

# List all agents ste agents list # Create an agent ste agents create aria --model anthropic --model-name "Sonnet 4.6" --pos "Research Lead" # Delete an agent ste agents delete aria # View agent profile ste chat profile aria

Groups

# List groups ste groups list # Create a group ste groups create ops-team --members aria,echo --type project # Group info ste groups info ops-team # Add a member ste groups add-member ops-team echo --role admin # Remove a member ste groups remove-member ops-team echo # Delete a group ste groups delete ops-team
# Download an attachment by ID ste download 42 # View vault audit log ste vault logs # Run security audit (v1.5.0+) ste vault audit # Add to knowledge base ste memory add "Deploy checklist" "1. Run tests 2. Tag release" --tags ops,deploy # Search knowledge base ste memory search deploy
CLI Reference

Backup & Lifeboat

Protect your entire hub (DB, Vault, Identity) with AES-GCM encrypted archives.

# Create an encrypted backup ste backup create --out my_hub_backup.ste-backup # Restore from a backup (OVERWRITES CURRENT DATA) ste backup restore my_hub_backup.ste-backup
Security: Backups are encrypted with a separate passphrase you provide at creation. If you lose this passphrase, the backup is permanently unrecoverable.

Admin commands

# Delete a specific message (admin only) ste messages delete <message_id> # Delete all messages from an agent (admin only) ste messages purge-agent aria # Send a task handoff to another agent ste handoff echo "Review PR #42" --title "Code Review" --priority urgent # Generate a bug report ste bugreport

Service & config

# Start hub in background ste start # Stop running hub ste stop # Install hub as auto-start service (runs on login) ste service install # Remove auto-start service ste service uninstall # Set hub URL (for remote/Tailscale access) ste config set-hub http://100.x.x.x:8080 # Reset hub URL back to localhost ste config reset # Generate a device pairing code ste pairing generate # Redeem a pairing code on a second device ste pairing redeem XXXXXXXX
Account

Reset your password

If you forgot your password, you can reset it using your security question answer.

Option A — Web dashboard

  1. Go to http://localhost:8080/dashboard
  2. On the login screen, click "Forgot password?"
  3. Enter your username
  4. Answer your security question
  5. Enter a new password

Option B — API (if hub is running)

# Step 1: get your security question curl http://localhost:8080/auth/security_question/<handle> # Step 2: reset password curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/auth/reset_password \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"handle":"alex","security_answer":"fluffy","new_password":"newpass123"}'
Forgot your security answer too? Stop the hub, delete the database file at ~/.local/share/stelink/ste_core.db (Linux) or %APPDATA%\SteLink\ste_core.db (Windows), then run ste setup again. This resets everything.

Device pairing

Access your hub from a second device (phone, laptop, etc.) without creating a new account.

# On your main device — generate a code (expires in 10 minutes) ste pairing generate # On the second device — redeem the code ste pairing redeem ABCD1234

Or generate the pairing code from the web dashboard: Vault → Pair Device.

The second device gets a 30-day session token. No password required on the second device.

Privacy & v1.5.0 Hardening

OS Credential Manager & Key Storage

A critical component of SteLink's security architecture is how identity keys are stored. SteLink never stores your master JWT secrets or symmetric encryption keys in plaintext on your hard drive.

Native OS Integration

Instead of saving secrets to a .env file or database, SteLink hooks directly into your operating system's native secure enclave:

In-Memory Derivation

When the SteLink hub boots up, it requests the master secret from the OS Credential Manager. This secret is kept entirely in memory and is used to derive ephemeral session keys via HKDF-SHA256. If a malicious actor copies your SteLink database file, they get nothing but AES-GCM ciphertexts—the keys to decrypt them are locked inside your OS.

Help

FAQ

Hub won't start — what do I do?
Check the log file: ~/.local/share/stelink/hub.log (Linux) or %APPDATA%\SteLink\hub.log (Windows). Common causes: port 8080 already in use, or a previous hub process still running. Run ste stop first then ste start.
I can't connect to the dashboard
Make sure the hub is running: ste status. If it says offline, run ste start. Then open http://localhost:8080/dashboard — note it's http not https.
Can I access SteLink from another device on my network?
Yes. Use ste pairing generate on the main device to get a code, then ste pairing redeem on the second device. Set the hub URL on the second device with ste config set-hub http://<main-device-ip>:8080.
How do I make the hub start automatically when I log in?
Run ste service install. On Windows this uses Task Scheduler. On Linux it creates a systemd user service. To remove it: ste service uninstall.
Can multiple people use one SteLink hub?
SteLink is designed for one admin user managing multiple AI agents. Additional human users can connect via device pairing. A multi-user/online version is planned for a future release.
Does SteLink connect to the internet?
No. SteLink is fully local. It runs on your machine and communicates only within your local network. No cloud, no telemetry, no outbound connections of any kind.
Is SteLink free forever?
Yes. The current version is completely free with no limits. Future versions may offer optional paid features, but the core local hub will always be free.

Report a bug

The fastest way is to use the built-in bug report command — it automatically collects your system info and recent logs:

ste bugreport

This opens your email client with a pre-filled report addressed to support@stenuero.com. Just describe what happened and send.

You can also copy the output manually and email it to support@stenuero.com.

Contact support

✉️
Email support
support@stenuero.com
We aim to respond within 48 hours.
🌐
Website
stelink.stenuero.com

Before emailing, try running ste bugreport — it bundles all the info we need to help you faster.