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Grove Quickstart

Get your own Grove cell running in 5 minutes.

Option A: Join via Invite (Recommended)

Someone with Grove sends you an invite link like:


https://grove.nook.li/invite/abc123...

In a Browser

1. Open the link

2. Enter your name

3. Click 🌲 Join the Grove

4. Download and run the install script

5. Dashboard opens at http://localhost:5678

From Terminal


curl -s https://grove.nook.li/invite/abc123... | bash

The script will:

Check for Python 3
Install dependencies
Generate your encryption keys
Connect to the inviter's cell
Start your dashboard

Option B: Fresh Install


# 1. Install dependencies
pip3 install flask flask-socketio cryptography requests websockets pynacl gevent gevent-websocket markdown zeroconf

# 2. Create Grove directory and get the code (from a peer or release)
mkdir -p ~/.grove/assets
cp grove.py web.py acme.py acme_jws.py watchdog.py ~/.grove/
cp assets/*.html assets/*.css assets/*.js ~/.grove/assets/

# 3. Start
cd ~/.grove && python3 web.py

Visit http://localhost:5678 → set your password → you're in.

First Steps

1. Set a password

First visit takes you to setup. Choose a strong password.

2. Name your cell

Go to ⚙️ Settings → set your cell name (how peers see you).

3. Add peers

Got an invite? Already connected!
Know a peer's IP? Home tab → Add Peer → enter their IP
Same network? Discovery may find them automatically

4. Upload files

📁 Files tab → drag files onto the upload zone → done. Files encrypt and sync automatically.

5. Share with friends

First: promote a peer to friend (👥 button)
Then: click ⋯ on a file → 🔗 Share → select friend(s)
Shared files appear in your friend's 📡 Feed tab (not their Files tab)

6. Back up your keys!

⚙️ Settings → Backup Keys → save the ZIP somewhere safe.

If you lose your keys, your encrypted files are gone forever.

What Happens Next

Background sync runs every ~5 minutes, pushing your chunks to peers
Activity tab shows what's happening
Peer status dots show who's online (🟢) and offline (🔴)
📡 Feed tab shows files friends share with you
Recycle Bin gives you a 24-hour window to recover deleted files before they're gone permanently
GroveAI (AI tab) runs local LLM inference — routes to peer cells with better models when yours is at capacity

System Requirements

Python 3.9+
100MB RAM minimum (512MB recommended)
Storage: depends on your files + peer contributions
Network: any (LAN, Tailscale, Yggdrasil, public internet)
OS: macOS, Linux, Windows (experimental)