dzming.li
A vibe coded tangled fork which supports pijul.
1---
2title: Tangled docs
3author: The Tangled Contributors
4date: 21 Sun, Dec 2025
5abstract: |
6 Tangled is a decentralized code hosting and collaboration
7 platform. Every component of Tangled is open-source and
8 self-hostable. [tangled.org](https://tangled.org) also
9 provides hosting and CI services that are free to use.
10
11 There are several models for decentralized code
12 collaboration platforms, ranging from ActivityPub’s
13 (Forgejo) federated model, to Radicle’s entirely P2P model.
14 Our approach attempts to be the best of both worlds by
15 adopting the AT Protocol—a protocol for building decentralized
16 social applications with a central identity
17
18 Our approach to this is the idea of “knots”. Knots are
19 lightweight, headless servers that enable users to host Git
20 repositories with ease. Knots are designed for either single
21 or multi-tenant use which is perfect for self-hosting on a
22 Raspberry Pi at home, or larger “community” servers. By
23 default, Tangled provides managed knots where you can host
24 your repositories for free.
25
26 The appview at tangled.org acts as a consolidated "view"
27 into the whole network, allowing users to access, clone and
28 contribute to repositories hosted across different knots
29 seamlessly.
30---
31
32# Quick start guide
33
34## Login or sign up
35
36You can [login](https://tangled.org) by using your AT Protocol
37account. If you are unclear on what that means, simply head
38to the [signup](https://tangled.org/signup) page and create
39an account. By doing so, you will be choosing Tangled as
40your account provider (you will be granted a handle of the
41form `user.tngl.sh`).
42
43In the AT Protocol network, users are free to choose their account
44provider (known as a "Personal Data Service", or PDS), and
45login to applications that support AT accounts.
46
47You can think of it as "one account for all of the atmosphere"!
48
49If you already have an AT account (you may have one if you
50signed up to Bluesky, for example), you can login with the
51same handle on Tangled (so just use `user.bsky.social` on
52the login page).
53
54## Add an SSH key
55
56Once you are logged in, you can start creating repositories
57and pushing code. Tangled supports pushing git repositories
58over SSH.
59
60First, you'll need to generate an SSH key if you don't
61already have one:
62
63```bash
64ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "foo@bar.com"
65```
66
67When prompted, save the key to the default location
68(`~/.ssh/id_ed25519`) and optionally set a passphrase.
69
70Copy your public key to your clipboard:
71
72```bash
73# on X11
74cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | xclip -sel c
75
76# on wayland
77cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | wl-copy
78
79# on macos
80cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy
81```
82
83Now, navigate to 'Settings' -> 'Keys' and hit 'Add Key',
84paste your public key, give it a descriptive name, and hit
85save.
86
87## Create a repository
88
89Once your SSH key is added, create your first repository:
90
911. Hit the green `+` icon on the topbar, and select
92 repository
932. Enter a repository name
943. Add a description
954. Choose a knotserver to host this repository on
965. Hit create
97
98Knots are self-hostable, lightweight Git servers that can
99host your repository. Unlike traditional code forges, your
100code can live on any server. Read the [Knots](TODO) section
101for more.
102
103## Configure SSH
104
105To ensure Git uses the correct SSH key and connects smoothly
106to Tangled, add this configuration to your `~/.ssh/config`
107file:
108
109```
110Host tangled.org
111 Hostname tangled.org
112 User git
113 IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
114 AddressFamily inet
115```
116
117This tells SSH to use your specific key when connecting to
118Tangled and prevents authentication issues if you have
119multiple SSH keys.
120
121Note that this configuration only works for knotservers that
122are hosted by tangled.org. If you use a custom knot, refer
123to the [Knots](TODO) section.
124
125## Push your first repository
126
127Initialize a new Git repository:
128
129```bash
130mkdir my-project
131cd my-project
132
133git init
134echo "# My Project" > README.md
135```
136
137Add some content and push!
138
139```bash
140git add README.md
141git commit -m "Initial commit"
142git remote add origin git@tangled.org:user.tngl.sh/my-project
143git push -u origin main
144```
145
146That's it! Your code is now hosted on Tangled.
147
148## Migrating an existing repository
149
150Moving your repositories from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or
151any other Git forge to Tangled is straightforward. You'll
152simply change your repository's remote URL. At the moment,
153Tangled does not have any tooling to migrate data such as
154GitHub issues or pull requests.
155
156First, create a new repository on tangled.org as described
157in the [Quick Start Guide](#create-a-repository).
158
159Navigate to your existing local repository:
160
161```bash
162cd /path/to/your/existing/repo
163```
164
165You can inspect your existing Git remote like so:
166
167```bash
168git remote -v
169```
170
171You'll see something like:
172
173```
174origin git@github.com:username/my-project (fetch)
175origin git@github.com:username/my-project (push)
176```
177
178Update the remote URL to point to tangled:
179
180```bash
181git remote set-url origin git@tangled.org:user.tngl.sh/my-project
182```
183
184Verify the change:
185
186```bash
187git remote -v
188```
189
190You should now see:
191
192```
193origin git@tangled.org:user.tngl.sh/my-project (fetch)
194origin git@tangled.org:user.tngl.sh/my-project (push)
195```
196
197Push all your branches and tags to Tangled:
198
199```bash
200git push -u origin --all
201git push -u origin --tags
202```
203
204Your repository is now migrated to Tangled! All commit
205history, branches, and tags have been preserved.
206
207## Mirroring a repository to Tangled
208
209If you want to maintain your repository on multiple forges
210simultaneously, for example, keeping your primary repository
211on GitHub while mirroring to Tangled for backup or
212redundancy, you can do so by adding multiple remotes.
213
214You can configure your local repository to push to both
215Tangled and, say, GitHub. You may already have the following
216setup:
217
218```
219$ git remote -v
220origin git@github.com:username/my-project (fetch)
221origin git@github.com:username/my-project (push)
222```
223
224Now add Tangled as an additional push URL to the same
225remote:
226
227```bash
228git remote set-url --add --push origin git@tangled.org:user.tngl.sh/my-project
229```
230
231You also need to re-add the original URL as a push
232destination (Git replaces the push URL when you use `--add`
233the first time):
234
235```bash
236git remote set-url --add --push origin git@github.com:username/my-project
237```
238
239Verify your configuration:
240
241```
242$ git remote -v
243origin git@github.com:username/repo (fetch)
244origin git@tangled.org:username/my-project (push)
245origin git@github.com:username/repo (push)
246```
247
248Notice that there's one fetch URL (the primary remote) and
249two push URLs. Now, whenever you push, Git will
250automatically push to both remotes:
251
252```bash
253git push origin main
254```
255
256This single command pushes your `main` branch to both GitHub
257and Tangled simultaneously.
258
259To push all branches and tags:
260
261```bash
262git push origin --all
263git push origin --tags
264```
265
266If you prefer more control over which remote you push to,
267you can maintain separate remotes:
268
269```bash
270git remote add github git@github.com:username/my-project
271git remote add tangled git@tangled.org:username/my-project
272```
273
274Then push to each explicitly:
275
276```bash
277git push github main
278git push tangled main
279```
280
281# Hosting websites on Tangled
282
283You can serve static websites directly from your git repositories on
284Tangled. If you've used GitHub Pages or Codeberg Pages, this should feel
285familiar.
286
287## Overview
288
289Every user gets a sites domain. If you signed up through Tangled's own
290PDS (`tngl.sh`), your sites domain is automatically
291`<your-handle>.tngl.sh` no setup needed. Otherwise, you can claim a
292`<subdomain>.tngl.io` domain from your settings.
293
294You can serve multiple sites per domain:
295
296- One **index site** served at the root of your domain (e.g.
297 `alice.tngl.sh`)
298- Any number of **sub-path sites** served under the repository name
299 (e.g. `alice.tngl.sh/my-project`)
300
301## Claiming a domain
302
303If you don't have a `tngl.sh` handle, you need to claim a domain before
304publishing sites:
305
3061. Go to **Settings → Sites**
3072. Enter a subdomain (e.g. `alice` to claim `alice.tngl.io`)
3083. Click **claim**
309
310You can only hold one domain at a time. Releasing a domain puts it in a
31130-day cooldown before anyone else can claim it.
312
313## Configuring a site for a repository
314
3151. Navigate to your repository
3162. Go to **Settings → Sites**
3173. Choose a **branch** to deploy from
3184. Set the **deploy directory** — the path within the repository
319 containing your `index.html`. Use `/` for the root, or a subdirectory
320 like `/docs` or `/public`
3215. Choose the **site type**:
322 - **Index site** — served at the root of your domain (e.g.
323 `alice.tngl.sh`)
324 - **Sub-path site** — served under the repository name (e.g.
325 `alice.tngl.sh/my-project`)
3266. Click **save**
327
328The site will be deployed automatically. You can see the status of your
329previous deploys in the **Recent Deploys** section at the bottom of the
330page.
331
332Sites are redeployed automatically on every push to the configured
333branch.
334
335## Custom domains
336
337Tangled currently doesn't support custom domains for sites. This will be
338added in a future update.
339
340## Deploy directory
341
342The deploy directory is the path within your repository that Tangled
343serves as the site root. It must contain an `index.html`.
344
345| Deploy directory | Result |
346|---|---|
347| `/` | Serves the repository root |
348| `/docs` | Serves the `docs/` subdirectory |
349| `/public` | Serves the `public/` subdirectory |
350
351Directories are served with automatic `index.html` resolution -- a
352request to `/about` will serve `/about/index.html` if it exists.
353
354## Site types
355
356| Type | URL |
357|---|---|
358| Index site | `alice.tngl.sh` |
359| Sub-path site | `alice.tngl.sh/my-project` |
360
361Only one repository can be the index site for a given domain at a time.
362If another repository already holds the index site, you will see a
363notice in the settings and only the sub-path option will be available.
364
365## Deploy triggers
366
367A deployment is triggered automatically when:
368
369- You push to the configured branch
370- You change the site configuration (branch, deploy directory, or site
371 type)
372
373## Disabling a site
374
375To stop serving a site, go to **Settings → Sites** in your repository
376and click **Disable**. This removes the site configuration and stops
377serving the site. The deployed files are also deleted from storage.
378
379Releasing your domain from **Settings → Sites** at the account level
380will disable all sites associated with it and delete their files.
381
382
383# Knot self-hosting guide
384
385So you want to run your own knot server? Great! Here are a few prerequisites:
386
3871. A server of some kind (a VPS, a Raspberry Pi, etc.). Preferably running a Linux distribution of some kind.
3882. A (sub)domain name. People generally use `knot.example.com`.
3893. A valid SSL certificate for your domain.
390
391## NixOS
392
393Refer to the [knot
394module](https://tangled.org/tangled.org/core/blob/master/nix/modules/knot.nix)
395for a full list of options. Sample configurations:
396
397- [The test VM](https://tangled.org/tangled.org/core/blob/master/nix/vm.nix#L85)
398- [@pyrox.dev/nix](https://tangled.org/pyrox.dev/nix/blob/d19571cc1b5fe01035e1e6951ec8cf8a476b4dee/hosts/marvin/services/tangled.nix#L15-25)
399
400## Docker
401
402Refer to
403[@tangled.org/knot-docker](https://tangled.org/@tangled.org/knot-docker).
404Note that this is community maintained.
405
406## Manual setup
407
408First, clone this repository:
409
410```
411git clone https://tangled.org/@tangled.org/core
412```
413
414Then, build the `knot` CLI. This is the knot administration
415and operation tool. For the purpose of this guide, we're
416only concerned with these subcommands:
417
418- `knot server`: the main knot server process, typically
419 run as a supervised service
420- `knot guard`: handles role-based access control for git
421 over SSH (you'll never have to run this yourself)
422- `knot keys`: fetches SSH keys associated with your knot;
423 we'll use this to generate the SSH
424 `AuthorizedKeysCommand`
425
426```
427cd core
428export CGO_ENABLED=1
429go build -o knot ./cmd/knot
430```
431
432Next, move the `knot` binary to a location owned by `root` --
433`/usr/local/bin/` is a good choice. Make sure the binary itself is also owned by `root`:
434
435```
436sudo mv knot /usr/local/bin/knot
437sudo chown root:root /usr/local/bin/knot
438```
439
440This is necessary because SSH `AuthorizedKeysCommand` requires [really
441specific permissions](https://stackoverflow.com/a/27638306). The
442`AuthorizedKeysCommand` specifies a command that is run by `sshd` to
443retrieve a user's public SSH keys dynamically for authentication. Let's
444set that up.
445
446```
447sudo tee /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/authorized_keys_command.conf <<EOF
448Match User git
449 AuthorizedKeysCommand /usr/local/bin/knot keys -o authorized-keys
450 AuthorizedKeysCommandUser nobody
451EOF
452```
453
454Then, reload `sshd`:
455
456```
457sudo systemctl reload ssh
458```
459
460Next, create the `git` user. We'll use the `git` user's home directory
461to store repositories:
462
463```
464sudo adduser git
465```
466
467Create `/home/git/.knot.env` with the following, updating the values as
468necessary. The `KNOT_SERVER_OWNER` should be set to your
469DID, you can find your DID in the [Settings](https://tangled.sh/settings) page.
470
471```
472KNOT_REPO_SCAN_PATH=/home/git
473KNOT_SERVER_HOSTNAME=knot.example.com
474APPVIEW_ENDPOINT=https://tangled.org
475KNOT_SERVER_OWNER=did:plc:foobar
476KNOT_SERVER_INTERNAL_LISTEN_ADDR=127.0.0.1:5444
477KNOT_SERVER_LISTEN_ADDR=127.0.0.1:5555
478```
479
480If you run a Linux distribution that uses systemd, you can
481use the provided service file to run the server. Copy
482[`knotserver.service`](https://tangled.org/tangled.org/core/blob/master/systemd/knotserver.service)
483to `/etc/systemd/system/`. Then, run:
484
485```
486systemctl enable knotserver
487systemctl start knotserver
488```
489
490The last step is to configure a reverse proxy like Nginx or Caddy to front your
491knot. Here's an example configuration for Nginx:
492
493```
494server {
495 listen 80;
496 listen [::]:80;
497 server_name knot.example.com;
498
499 location / {
500 proxy_pass http://localhost:5555;
501 proxy_set_header Host $host;
502 proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
503 proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
504 proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
505 }
506
507 # wss endpoint for git events
508 location /events {
509 proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
510 proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
511 proxy_set_header Upgrade websocket;
512 proxy_set_header Connection Upgrade;
513 proxy_pass http://localhost:5555;
514 }
515 # additional config for SSL/TLS go here.
516}
517
518```
519
520Remember to use Let's Encrypt or similar to procure a certificate for your
521knot domain.
522
523You should now have a running knot server! You can finalize
524your registration by hitting the `verify` button on the
525[/settings/knots](https://tangled.org/settings/knots) page. This simply creates
526a record on your PDS to announce the existence of the knot.
527
528### Custom paths
529
530(This section applies to manual setup only. Docker users should edit the mounts
531in `docker-compose.yml` instead.)
532
533Right now, the database and repositories of your knot lives in `/home/git`. You
534can move these paths if you'd like to store them in another folder. Be careful
535when adjusting these paths:
536
537- Stop your knot when moving data (e.g. `systemctl stop knotserver`) to prevent
538 any possible side effects. Remember to restart it once you're done.
539- Make backups before moving in case something goes wrong.
540- Make sure the `git` user can read and write from the new paths.
541
542#### Database
543
544As an example, let's say the current database is at `/home/git/knotserver.db`,
545and we want to move it to `/home/git/database/knotserver.db`.
546
547Copy the current database to the new location. Make sure to copy the `.db-shm`
548and `.db-wal` files if they exist.
549
550```
551mkdir /home/git/database
552cp /home/git/knotserver.db* /home/git/database
553```
554
555In the environment (e.g. `/home/git/.knot.env`), set `KNOT_SERVER_DB_PATH` to
556the new file path (_not_ the directory):
557
558```
559KNOT_SERVER_DB_PATH=/home/git/database/knotserver.db
560```
561
562#### Repositories
563
564As an example, let's say the repositories are currently in `/home/git`, and we
565want to move them into `/home/git/repositories`.
566
567Create the new folder, then move the existing repositories (if there are any):
568
569```
570mkdir /home/git/repositories
571# move all DIDs into the new folder; these will vary for you!
572mv /home/git/did:plc:wshs7t2adsemcrrd4snkeqli /home/git/repositories
573```
574
575In the environment (e.g. `/home/git/.knot.env`), update `KNOT_REPO_SCAN_PATH`
576to the new directory:
577
578```
579KNOT_REPO_SCAN_PATH=/home/git/repositories
580```
581
582Similarly, update your `sshd` `AuthorizedKeysCommand` to use the updated
583repository path:
584
585```
586sudo tee /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/authorized_keys_command.conf <<EOF
587Match User git
588 AuthorizedKeysCommand /usr/local/bin/knot keys -o authorized-keys -git-dir /home/git/repositories
589 AuthorizedKeysCommandUser nobody
590EOF
591```
592
593Make sure to restart your SSH server!
594
595#### MOTD (message of the day)
596
597To configure the MOTD used ("Welcome to this knot!" by default), edit the
598`/home/git/motd` file:
599
600```
601printf "Hi from this knot!\n" > /home/git/motd
602```
603
604Note that you should add a newline at the end if setting a non-empty message
605since the knot won't do this for you.
606
607## Troubleshooting
608
609If you run your own knot, you may run into some of these
610common issues. You can always join the
611[IRC](https://web.libera.chat/#tangled) or
612[Discord](https://chat.tangled.org/) if this section does
613not help.
614
615### Unable to push
616
617If you are unable to push to your knot or repository:
618
6191. First, ensure that you have added your SSH public key to
620 your account
6212. Check to see that your knot has synced the key by running
622 `knot keys`
6233. Check to see if git is supplying the correct private key
624 when pushing: `GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -v" git push ...`
6254. Check to see if `sshd` on the knot is rejecting the push
626 for some reason: `journalctl -xeu ssh` (or `sshd`,
627 depending on your machine). These logs are unavailable if
628 using docker.
6295. Check to see if the knot itself is rejecting the push,
630 depending on your setup, the logs might be in one of the
631 following paths:
632 - `/tmp/knotguard.log`
633 - `/home/git/log`
634 - `/home/git/guard.log`
635
636# Spindles
637
638## Pipelines
639
640Spindle workflows allow you to write CI/CD pipelines in a
641simple format. They're located in the `.tangled/workflows`
642directory at the root of your repository, and are defined
643using YAML.
644
645The fields are:
646
647- [Trigger](#trigger): A **required** field that defines
648 when a workflow should be triggered.
649- [Engine](#engine): A **required** field that defines which
650 engine a workflow should run on.
651- [Clone options](#clone-options): An **optional** field
652 that defines how the repository should be cloned.
653- [Dependencies](#dependencies): An **optional** field that
654 allows you to list dependencies you may need.
655- [Environment](#environment): An **optional** field that
656 allows you to define environment variables.
657- [Steps](#steps): An **optional** field that allows you to
658 define what steps should run in the workflow.
659
660### Trigger
661
662The first thing to add to a workflow is the trigger, which
663defines when a workflow runs. This is defined using a `when`
664field, which takes in a list of conditions. Each condition
665has the following fields:
666
667- `event`: This is a **required** field that defines when
668 your workflow should run. It's a list that can take one or
669 more of the following values:
670 - `push`: The workflow should run every time a commit is
671 pushed to the repository.
672 - `pull_request`: The workflow should run every time a
673 pull request is made or updated.
674 - `manual`: The workflow can be triggered manually.
675- `branch`: Defines which branches the workflow should run
676 for. If used with the `push` event, commits to the
677 branch(es) listed here will trigger the workflow. If used
678 with the `pull_request` event, updates to pull requests
679 targeting the branch(es) listed here will trigger the
680 workflow. This field has no effect with the `manual`
681 event. Supports glob patterns using `*` and `**` (e.g.,
682 `main`, `develop`, `release-*`). Either `branch` or `tag`
683 (or both) must be specified for `push` events.
684- `tag`: Defines which tags the workflow should run for.
685 Only used with the `push` event - when tags matching the
686 pattern(s) listed here are pushed, the workflow will
687 trigger. This field has no effect with `pull_request` or
688 `manual` events. Supports glob patterns using `*` and `**`
689 (e.g., `v*`, `v1.*`, `release-**`). Either `branch` or
690 `tag` (or both) must be specified for `push` events.
691
692For example, if you'd like to define a workflow that runs
693when commits are pushed to the `main` and `develop`
694branches, or when pull requests that target the `main`
695branch are updated, or manually, you can do so with:
696
697```yaml
698when:
699 - event: ["push", "manual"]
700 branch: ["main", "develop"]
701 - event: ["pull_request"]
702 branch: ["main"]
703```
704
705You can also trigger workflows on tag pushes. For instance,
706to run a deployment workflow when tags matching `v*` are
707pushed:
708
709```yaml
710when:
711 - event: ["push"]
712 tag: ["v*"]
713```
714
715You can even combine branch and tag patterns in a single
716constraint (the workflow triggers if either matches):
717
718```yaml
719when:
720 - event: ["push"]
721 branch: ["main", "release-*"]
722 tag: ["v*", "stable"]
723```
724
725### Engine
726
727Next is the engine on which the workflow should run, defined
728using the **required** `engine` field. The currently
729supported engines are:
730
731- `nixery`: This uses an instance of
732 [Nixery](https://nixery.dev) to run steps, which allows
733 you to add [dependencies](#dependencies) from
734 Nixpkgs (https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs). You can
735 search for packages on https://search.nixos.org, and
736 there's a pretty good chance the package(s) you're looking
737 for will be there.
738
739Example:
740
741```yaml
742engine: "nixery"
743```
744
745### Clone options
746
747When a workflow starts, the first step is to clone the
748repository. You can customize this behavior using the
749**optional** `clone` field. It has the following fields:
750
751- `skip`: Setting this to `true` will skip cloning the
752 repository. This can be useful if your workflow is doing
753 something that doesn't require anything from the
754 repository itself. This is `false` by default.
755- `depth`: This sets the number of commits, or the "clone
756 depth", to fetch from the repository. For example, if you
757 set this to 2, the last 2 commits will be fetched. By
758 default, the depth is set to 1, meaning only the most
759 recent commit will be fetched, which is the commit that
760 triggered the workflow.
761- `submodules`: If you use Git submodules
762 (https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Tools-Submodules)
763 in your repository, setting this field to `true` will
764 recursively fetch all submodules. This is `false` by
765 default.
766
767The default settings are:
768
769```yaml
770clone:
771 skip: false
772 depth: 1
773 submodules: false
774```
775
776### Dependencies
777
778Usually when you're running a workflow, you'll need
779additional dependencies. The `dependencies` field lets you
780define which dependencies to get, and from where. It's a
781key-value map, with the key being the registry to fetch
782dependencies from, and the value being the list of
783dependencies to fetch.
784
785The registry URL syntax can be found [on the nix
786manual](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.18/command-ref/new-cli/nix3-registry-add).
787
788Say you want to fetch Node.js and Go from `nixpkgs`, and a
789package called `my_pkg` you've made from your own registry
790at your repository at
791`https://tangled.org/@example.com/my_pkg`. You can define
792those dependencies like so:
793
794```yaml
795dependencies:
796 # nixpkgs
797 nixpkgs:
798 - nodejs
799 - go
800 # unstable
801 nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable:
802 - bun
803 # custom registry
804 git+https://tangled.org/@example.com/my_pkg:
805 - my_pkg
806```
807
808Now these dependencies are available to use in your
809workflow!
810
811### Environment
812
813The `environment` field allows you define environment
814variables that will be available throughout the entire
815workflow. **Do not put secrets here, these environment
816variables are visible to anyone viewing the repository. You
817can add secrets for pipelines in your repository's
818settings.**
819
820Example:
821
822```yaml
823environment:
824 GOOS: "linux"
825 GOARCH: "arm64"
826 NODE_ENV: "production"
827 MY_ENV_VAR: "MY_ENV_VALUE"
828```
829
830By default, the following environment variables set:
831
832- `CI` - Always set to `true` to indicate a CI environment
833- `TANGLED_PIPELINE_ID` - The AT URI of the current pipeline
834- `TANGLED_REPO_KNOT` - The repository's knot hostname
835- `TANGLED_REPO_DID` - The DID of the repository owner
836- `TANGLED_REPO_NAME` - The name of the repository
837- `TANGLED_REPO_DEFAULT_BRANCH` - The default branch of the
838 repository
839- `TANGLED_REPO_URL` - The full URL to the repository
840
841These variables are only available when the pipeline is
842triggered by a push:
843
844- `TANGLED_REF` - The full git reference (e.g.,
845 `refs/heads/main` or `refs/tags/v1.0.0`)
846- `TANGLED_REF_NAME` - The short name of the reference
847 (e.g., `main` or `v1.0.0`)
848- `TANGLED_REF_TYPE` - The type of reference, either
849 `branch` or `tag`
850- `TANGLED_SHA` - The commit SHA that triggered the pipeline
851- `TANGLED_COMMIT_SHA` - Alias for `TANGLED_SHA`
852
853These variables are only available when the pipeline is
854triggered by a pull request:
855
856- `TANGLED_PR_SOURCE_BRANCH` - The source branch of the pull
857 request
858- `TANGLED_PR_TARGET_BRANCH` - The target branch of the pull
859 request
860- `TANGLED_PR_SOURCE_SHA` - The commit SHA of the source
861 branch
862
863### Steps
864
865The `steps` field allows you to define what steps should run
866in the workflow. It's a list of step objects, each with the
867following fields:
868
869- `name`: This field allows you to give your step a name.
870 This name is visible in your workflow runs, and is used to
871 describe what the step is doing.
872- `command`: This field allows you to define a command to
873 run in that step. The step is run in a Bash shell, and the
874 logs from the command will be visible in the pipelines
875 page on the Tangled website. The
876 [dependencies](#dependencies) you added will be available
877 to use here.
878- `environment`: Similar to the global
879 [environment](#environment) config, this **optional**
880 field is a key-value map that allows you to set
881 environment variables for the step. **Do not put secrets
882 here, these environment variables are visible to anyone
883 viewing the repository. You can add secrets for pipelines
884 in your repository's settings.**
885
886Example:
887
888```yaml
889steps:
890 - name: "Build backend"
891 command: "go build"
892 environment:
893 GOOS: "darwin"
894 GOARCH: "arm64"
895 - name: "Build frontend"
896 command: "npm run build"
897 environment:
898 NODE_ENV: "production"
899```
900
901### Complete workflow
902
903```yaml
904# .tangled/workflows/build.yml
905
906when:
907 - event: ["push", "manual"]
908 branch: ["main", "develop"]
909 - event: ["pull_request"]
910 branch: ["main"]
911
912engine: "nixery"
913
914# using the default values
915clone:
916 skip: false
917 depth: 1
918 submodules: false
919
920dependencies:
921 # nixpkgs
922 nixpkgs:
923 - nodejs
924 - go
925 # custom registry
926 git+https://tangled.org/@example.com/my_pkg:
927 - my_pkg
928
929environment:
930 GOOS: "linux"
931 GOARCH: "arm64"
932 NODE_ENV: "production"
933 MY_ENV_VAR: "MY_ENV_VALUE"
934
935steps:
936 - name: "Build backend"
937 command: "go build"
938 environment:
939 GOOS: "darwin"
940 GOARCH: "arm64"
941 - name: "Build frontend"
942 command: "npm run build"
943 environment:
944 NODE_ENV: "production"
945```
946
947If you want another example of a workflow, you can look at
948the one [Tangled uses to build the
949project](https://tangled.org/@tangled.org/core/blob/master/.tangled/workflows/build.yml).
950
951## Self-hosting guide
952
953### Prerequisites
954
955- Go
956- Docker (the only supported backend currently)
957
958### Configuration
959
960Spindle is configured using environment variables. The following environment variables are available:
961
962- `SPINDLE_SERVER_LISTEN_ADDR`: The address the server listens on (default: `"0.0.0.0:6555"`).
963- `SPINDLE_SERVER_DB_PATH`: The path to the SQLite database file (default: `"spindle.db"`).
964- `SPINDLE_SERVER_HOSTNAME`: The hostname of the server (required).
965- `SPINDLE_SERVER_JETSTREAM_ENDPOINT`: The endpoint of the Jetstream server (default: `"wss://jetstream1.us-west.bsky.network/subscribe"`).
966- `SPINDLE_SERVER_DEV`: A boolean indicating whether the server is running in development mode (default: `false`).
967- `SPINDLE_SERVER_OWNER`: The DID of the owner (required).
968- `SPINDLE_PIPELINES_NIXERY`: The Nixery URL (default: `"nixery.tangled.sh"`).
969- `SPINDLE_PIPELINES_WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT`: The default workflow timeout (default: `"5m"`).
970- `SPINDLE_PIPELINES_LOG_DIR`: The directory to store workflow logs (default: `"/var/log/spindle"`).
971
972### Running spindle
973
9741. **Set the environment variables.** For example:
975
976 ```shell
977 export SPINDLE_SERVER_HOSTNAME="your-hostname"
978 export SPINDLE_SERVER_OWNER="your-did"
979 ```
980
9812. **Build the Spindle binary.**
982
983 ```shell
984 cd core
985 go mod download
986 go build -o cmd/spindle/spindle cmd/spindle/main.go
987 ```
988
9893. **Create the log directory.**
990
991 ```shell
992 sudo mkdir -p /var/log/spindle
993 sudo chown $USER:$USER -R /var/log/spindle
994 ```
995
9964. **Run the Spindle binary.**
997
998 ```shell
999 ./cmd/spindle/spindle
1000 ```
1001
1002Spindle will now start, connect to the Jetstream server, and begin processing pipelines.
1003
1004## Architecture
1005
1006Spindle is a small CI runner service. Here's a high-level overview of how it operates:
1007
1008- Listens for [`sh.tangled.spindle.member`](/lexicons/spindle/member.json) and
1009 [`sh.tangled.repo`](/lexicons/repo.json) records on the Jetstream.
1010- When a new repo record comes through (typically when you add a spindle to a
1011 repo from the settings), spindle then resolves the underlying knot and
1012 subscribes to repo events (see:
1013 [`sh.tangled.pipeline`](/lexicons/pipeline.json)).
1014- The spindle engine then handles execution of the pipeline, with results and
1015 logs beamed on the spindle event stream over WebSocket
1016
1017### The engine
1018
1019At present, the only supported backend is Docker (and Podman, if Docker
1020compatibility is enabled, so that `/run/docker.sock` is created). spindle
1021executes each step in the pipeline in a fresh container, with state persisted
1022across steps within the `/tangled/workspace` directory.
1023
1024The base image for the container is constructed on the fly using
1025[Nixery](https://nixery.dev), which is handy for caching layers for frequently
1026used packages.
1027
1028The pipeline manifest is [specified here](https://docs.tangled.org/spindles.html#pipelines).
1029
1030## Secrets with openbao
1031
1032This document covers setting up spindle to use OpenBao for secrets
1033management via OpenBao Proxy instead of the default SQLite backend.
1034
1035### Overview
1036
1037Spindle now uses OpenBao Proxy for secrets management. The proxy handles
1038authentication automatically using AppRole credentials, while spindle
1039connects to the local proxy instead of directly to the OpenBao server.
1040
1041This approach provides better security, automatic token renewal, and
1042simplified application code.
1043
1044### Installation
1045
1046Install OpenBao from Nixpkgs:
1047
1048```bash
1049nix shell nixpkgs#openbao # for a local server
1050```
1051
1052### Setup
1053
1054The setup process can is documented for both local development and production.
1055
1056#### Local development
1057
1058Start OpenBao in dev mode:
1059
1060```bash
1061bao server -dev -dev-root-token-id="root" -dev-listen-address=127.0.0.1:8201
1062```
1063
1064This starts OpenBao on `http://localhost:8201` with a root token.
1065
1066Set up environment for bao CLI:
1067
1068```bash
1069export BAO_ADDR=http://localhost:8200
1070export BAO_TOKEN=root
1071```
1072
1073#### Production
1074
1075You would typically use a systemd service with a
1076configuration file. Refer to
1077[@tangled.org/infra](https://tangled.org/@tangled.org/infra)
1078for how this can be achieved using Nix.
1079
1080Then, initialize the bao server:
1081
1082```bash
1083bao operator init -key-shares=1 -key-threshold=1
1084```
1085
1086This will print out an unseal key and a root key. Save them
1087somewhere (like a password manager). Then unseal the vault
1088to begin setting it up:
1089
1090```bash
1091bao operator unseal <unseal_key>
1092```
1093
1094All steps below remain the same across both dev and
1095production setups.
1096
1097#### Configure openbao server
1098
1099Create the spindle KV mount:
1100
1101```bash
1102bao secrets enable -path=spindle -version=2 kv
1103```
1104
1105Set up AppRole authentication and policy:
1106
1107Create a policy file `spindle-policy.hcl`:
1108
1109```hcl
1110# Full access to spindle KV v2 data
1111path "spindle/data/*" {
1112 capabilities = ["create", "read", "update", "delete"]
1113}
1114
1115# Access to metadata for listing and management
1116path "spindle/metadata/*" {
1117 capabilities = ["list", "read", "delete", "update"]
1118}
1119
1120# Allow listing at root level
1121path "spindle/" {
1122 capabilities = ["list"]
1123}
1124
1125# Required for connection testing and health checks
1126path "auth/token/lookup-self" {
1127 capabilities = ["read"]
1128}
1129```
1130
1131Apply the policy and create an AppRole:
1132
1133```bash
1134bao policy write spindle-policy spindle-policy.hcl
1135bao auth enable approle
1136bao write auth/approle/role/spindle \
1137 token_policies="spindle-policy" \
1138 token_ttl=1h \
1139 token_max_ttl=4h \
1140 bind_secret_id=true \
1141 secret_id_ttl=0 \
1142 secret_id_num_uses=0
1143```
1144
1145Get the credentials:
1146
1147```bash
1148# Get role ID (static)
1149ROLE_ID=$(bao read -field=role_id auth/approle/role/spindle/role-id)
1150
1151# Generate secret ID
1152SECRET_ID=$(bao write -f -field=secret_id auth/approle/role/spindle/secret-id)
1153
1154echo "Role ID: $ROLE_ID"
1155echo "Secret ID: $SECRET_ID"
1156```
1157
1158#### Create proxy configuration
1159
1160Create the credential files:
1161
1162```bash
1163# Create directory for OpenBao files
1164mkdir -p /tmp/openbao
1165
1166# Save credentials
1167echo "$ROLE_ID" > /tmp/openbao/role-id
1168echo "$SECRET_ID" > /tmp/openbao/secret-id
1169chmod 600 /tmp/openbao/role-id /tmp/openbao/secret-id
1170```
1171
1172Create a proxy configuration file `/tmp/openbao/proxy.hcl`:
1173
1174```hcl
1175# OpenBao server connection
1176vault {
1177 address = "http://localhost:8200"
1178}
1179
1180# Auto-Auth using AppRole
1181auto_auth {
1182 method "approle" {
1183 mount_path = "auth/approle"
1184 config = {
1185 role_id_file_path = "/tmp/openbao/role-id"
1186 secret_id_file_path = "/tmp/openbao/secret-id"
1187 }
1188 }
1189
1190 # Optional: write token to file for debugging
1191 sink "file" {
1192 config = {
1193 path = "/tmp/openbao/token"
1194 mode = 0640
1195 }
1196 }
1197}
1198
1199# Proxy listener for spindle
1200listener "tcp" {
1201 address = "127.0.0.1:8201"
1202 tls_disable = true
1203}
1204
1205# Enable API proxy with auto-auth token
1206api_proxy {
1207 use_auto_auth_token = true
1208}
1209
1210# Enable response caching
1211cache {
1212 use_auto_auth_token = true
1213}
1214
1215# Logging
1216log_level = "info"
1217```
1218
1219#### Start the proxy
1220
1221Start OpenBao Proxy:
1222
1223```bash
1224bao proxy -config=/tmp/openbao/proxy.hcl
1225```
1226
1227The proxy will authenticate with OpenBao and start listening on
1228`127.0.0.1:8201`.
1229
1230#### Configure spindle
1231
1232Set these environment variables for spindle:
1233
1234```bash
1235export SPINDLE_SERVER_SECRETS_PROVIDER=openbao
1236export SPINDLE_SERVER_SECRETS_OPENBAO_PROXY_ADDR=http://127.0.0.1:8201
1237export SPINDLE_SERVER_SECRETS_OPENBAO_MOUNT=spindle
1238```
1239
1240On startup, spindle will now connect to the local proxy,
1241which handles all authentication automatically.
1242
1243### Production setup for proxy
1244
1245For production, you'll want to run the proxy as a service:
1246
1247Place your production configuration in
1248`/etc/openbao/proxy.hcl` with proper TLS settings for the
1249vault connection.
1250
1251### Verifying setup
1252
1253Test the proxy directly:
1254
1255```bash
1256# Check proxy health
1257curl -H "X-Vault-Request: true" http://127.0.0.1:8201/v1/sys/health
1258
1259# Test token lookup through proxy
1260curl -H "X-Vault-Request: true" http://127.0.0.1:8201/v1/auth/token/lookup-self
1261```
1262
1263Test OpenBao operations through the server:
1264
1265```bash
1266# List all secrets
1267bao kv list spindle/
1268
1269# Add a test secret via the spindle API, then check it exists
1270bao kv list spindle/repos/
1271
1272# Get a specific secret
1273bao kv get spindle/repos/your_repo_path/SECRET_NAME
1274```
1275
1276### How it works
1277
1278- Spindle connects to OpenBao Proxy on localhost (typically
1279 port 8200 or 8201)
1280- The proxy authenticates with OpenBao using AppRole
1281 credentials
1282- All spindle requests go through the proxy, which injects
1283 authentication tokens
1284- Secrets are stored at
1285 `spindle/repos/{sanitized_repo_path}/{secret_key}`
1286- Repository paths like `did:plc:alice/myrepo` become
1287 `did_plc_alice_myrepo`
1288- The proxy handles all token renewal automatically
1289- Spindle no longer manages tokens or authentication
1290 directly
1291
1292### Troubleshooting
1293
1294**Connection refused**: Check that the OpenBao Proxy is
1295running and listening on the configured address.
1296
1297**403 errors**: Verify the AppRole credentials are correct
1298and the policy has the necessary permissions.
1299
1300**404 route errors**: The spindle KV mount probably doesn't
1301exist—run the mount creation step again.
1302
1303**Proxy authentication failures**: Check the proxy logs and
1304verify the role-id and secret-id files are readable and
1305contain valid credentials.
1306
1307**Secret not found after writing**: This can indicate policy
1308permission issues. Verify the policy includes both
1309`spindle/data/*` and `spindle/metadata/*` paths with
1310appropriate capabilities.
1311
1312Check proxy logs:
1313
1314```bash
1315# If running as systemd service
1316journalctl -u openbao-proxy -f
1317
1318# If running directly, check the console output
1319```
1320
1321Test AppRole authentication manually:
1322
1323```bash
1324bao write auth/approle/login \
1325 role_id="$(cat /tmp/openbao/role-id)" \
1326 secret_id="$(cat /tmp/openbao/secret-id)"
1327```
1328
1329# Webhooks
1330
1331Webhooks allow you to receive HTTP POST notifications when events occur in your repositories. This enables you to integrate Tangled with external services, trigger CI/CD pipelines, send notifications, or automate workflows.
1332
1333## Overview
1334
1335Webhooks send HTTP POST requests to URLs you configure whenever specific events happen. Currently, Tangled supports push events, with more event types coming soon.
1336
1337## Configuring webhooks
1338
1339To set up a webhook for your repository:
1340
13411. Navigate to your repository
13422. Go to **Settings → Hooks**
13433. Click **new webhook**
13444. Configure your webhook:
1345 - **Payload URL**: The endpoint that will receive the webhook POST requests
1346 - **Secret**: An optional secret key for verifying webhook authenticity (leave blank to send unsigned webhooks)
1347 - **Events**: Select which events trigger the webhook (currently only push events)
1348 - **Active**: Toggle whether the webhook is enabled
1349
1350## Webhook payload
1351
1352### Push
1353
1354When a push event occurs, Tangled sends a POST request with a JSON payload of the format:
1355
1356```json
1357{
1358 "after": "7b320e5cbee2734071e4310c1d9ae401d8f6cab5",
1359 "before": "c04ddf64eddc90e4e2a9846ba3b43e67a0e2865e",
1360 "pusher": {
1361 "did": "did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq"
1362 },
1363 "ref": "refs/heads/main",
1364 "repository": {
1365 "clone_url": "https://tangled.org/did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq/some-repo",
1366 "created_at": "2025-09-15T08:57:23Z",
1367 "description": "an example repository",
1368 "fork": false,
1369 "full_name": "did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq/some-repo",
1370 "html_url": "https://tangled.org/did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq/some-repo",
1371 "name": "some-repo",
1372 "open_issues_count": 5,
1373 "owner": {
1374 "did": "did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq"
1375 },
1376 "ssh_url": "ssh://git@tangled.org/did:plc:hwevmowznbiukdf6uk5dwrrq/some-repo",
1377 "stars_count": 1,
1378 "updated_at": "2025-09-15T08:57:23Z"
1379 }
1380}
1381```
1382
1383## HTTP headers
1384
1385Each webhook request includes the following headers:
1386
1387- `Content-Type: application/json`
1388- `User-Agent: Tangled-Hook/<short-sha>` — User agent with short SHA of the commit
1389- `X-Tangled-Event: push` — The event type
1390- `X-Tangled-Hook-ID: <webhook-id>` — The webhook ID
1391- `X-Tangled-Delivery: <uuid>` — Unique delivery ID
1392- `X-Tangled-Signature-256: sha256=<hmac>` — HMAC-SHA256 signature (if secret configured)
1393
1394## Verifying webhook signatures
1395
1396If you configured a secret, you should verify the webhook signature to ensure requests are authentic. For example, in Go:
1397
1398```go
1399package main
1400
1401import (
1402 "crypto/hmac"
1403 "crypto/sha256"
1404 "encoding/hex"
1405 "io"
1406 "net/http"
1407 "strings"
1408)
1409
1410func verifySignature(payload []byte, signatureHeader, secret string) bool {
1411 // Remove 'sha256=' prefix from signature header
1412 signature := strings.TrimPrefix(signatureHeader, "sha256=")
1413
1414 // Compute expected signature
1415 mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, []byte(secret))
1416 mac.Write(payload)
1417 expected := hex.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil))
1418
1419 // Use constant-time comparison to prevent timing attacks
1420 return hmac.Equal([]byte(signature), []byte(expected))
1421}
1422
1423func webhookHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
1424 // Read the request body
1425 payload, err := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
1426 if err != nil {
1427 http.Error(w, "Bad request", http.StatusBadRequest)
1428 return
1429 }
1430
1431 // Get signature from header
1432 signatureHeader := r.Header.Get("X-Tangled-Signature-256")
1433
1434 // Verify signature
1435 if signatureHeader != "" && verifySignature(payload, signatureHeader, yourSecret) {
1436 // Webhook is authentic, process it
1437 processWebhook(payload)
1438 w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
1439 } else {
1440 http.Error(w, "Invalid signature", http.StatusUnauthorized)
1441 }
1442}
1443```
1444
1445## Delivery retries
1446
1447Webhooks are automatically retried on failure:
1448
1449- **3 total attempts** (1 initial + 2 retries)
1450- **Exponential backoff** starting at 1 second, max 10 seconds
1451- **Retried on**:
1452 - Network errors
1453 - HTTP 5xx server errors
1454- **Not retried on**:
1455 - HTTP 4xx client errors (bad request, unauthorized, etc.)
1456
1457### Timeouts
1458
1459Webhook requests timeout after 30 seconds. If your endpoint needs more time:
1460
14611. Respond with 200 OK immediately
14622. Process the webhook asynchronously in the background
1463
1464## Example integrations
1465
1466### Discord notifications
1467
1468```javascript
1469app.post("/webhook", (req, res) => {
1470 const payload = req.body;
1471
1472 fetch("https://discord.com/api/webhooks/...", {
1473 method: "POST",
1474 headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
1475 body: JSON.stringify({
1476 content: `New push to ${payload.repository.full_name}`,
1477 embeds: [
1478 {
1479 title: `${payload.pusher.did} pushed to ${payload.ref}`,
1480 url: payload.repository.html_url,
1481 color: 0x00ff00,
1482 },
1483 ],
1484 }),
1485 });
1486
1487 res.status(200).send("OK");
1488});
1489```
1490
1491# Migrating knots and spindles
1492
1493Sometimes, non-backwards compatible changes are made to the
1494knot/spindle XRPC APIs. If you host a knot or a spindle, you
1495will need to follow this guide to upgrade. Typically, this
1496only requires you to deploy the newest version.
1497
1498This document is laid out in reverse-chronological order.
1499Newer migration guides are listed first, and older guides
1500are further down the page.
1501
1502## Upgrading from v1.8.x
1503
1504After v1.8.2, the HTTP API for knots and spindles has been
1505deprecated and replaced with XRPC. Repositories on outdated
1506knots will not be viewable from the appview. Upgrading is
1507straightforward however.
1508
1509For knots:
1510
1511- Upgrade to the latest tag (v1.9.0 or above)
1512- Head to the [knot dashboard](https://tangled.org/settings/knots) and
1513 hit the "retry" button to verify your knot
1514
1515For spindles:
1516
1517- Upgrade to the latest tag (v1.9.0 or above)
1518- Head to the [spindle
1519 dashboard](https://tangled.org/settings/spindles) and hit the
1520 "retry" button to verify your spindle
1521
1522## Upgrading from v1.7.x
1523
1524After v1.7.0, knot secrets have been deprecated. You no
1525longer need a secret from the appview to run a knot. All
1526authorized commands to knots are managed via [Inter-Service
1527Authentication](https://atproto.com/specs/xrpc#inter-service-authentication-jwt).
1528Knots will be read-only until upgraded.
1529
1530Upgrading is quite easy, in essence:
1531
1532- `KNOT_SERVER_SECRET` is no more, you can remove this
1533 environment variable entirely
1534- `KNOT_SERVER_OWNER` is now required on boot, set this to
1535 your DID. You can find your DID in the
1536 [settings](https://tangled.org/settings) page.
1537- Restart your knot once you have replaced the environment
1538 variable
1539- Head to the [knot dashboard](https://tangled.org/settings/knots) and
1540 hit the "retry" button to verify your knot. This simply
1541 writes a `sh.tangled.knot` record to your PDS.
1542
1543If you use the nix module, simply bump the flake to the
1544latest revision, and change your config block like so:
1545
1546```diff
1547 services.tangled.knot = {
1548 enable = true;
1549 server = {
1550- secretFile = /path/to/secret;
1551+ owner = "did:plc:foo";
1552 };
1553 };
1554```
1555
1556# Hacking on Tangled
1557
1558We highly recommend [installing
1559Nix](https://nixos.org/download/) (the package manager)
1560before working on the codebase. The Nix flake provides a lot
1561of helpers to get started and most importantly, builds and
1562dev shells are entirely deterministic.
1563
1564To set up your dev environment:
1565
1566```bash
1567nix develop
1568```
1569
1570Non-Nix users can look at the `devShell` attribute in the
1571`flake.nix` file to determine necessary dependencies.
1572
1573## Running the appview
1574
1575The appview requires Redis and OAuth JWKs. Start these
1576first, before launching the appview itself.
1577
1578```bash
1579# OAuth JWKs should already be set up by the Nix devshell:
1580echo $TANGLED_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET
1581z42ty4RT1ovnTopY8B8ekz9NuziF2CuMkZ7rbRFpAR9jBqMc
1582
1583echo $TANGLED_OAUTH_CLIENT_KID
15841761667908
1585
1586# if not, you can set it up yourself:
1587goat key generate -t P-256
1588Key Type: P-256 / secp256r1 / ES256 private key
1589Secret Key (Multibase Syntax): save this securely (eg, add to password manager)
1590 z42tuPDKRfM2mz2Kv953ARen2jmrPA8S9LX9tRq4RVcUMwwL
1591Public Key (DID Key Syntax): share or publish this (eg, in DID document)
1592 did:key:zDnaeUBxtG6Xuv3ATJE4GaWeyXM3jyamJsZw3bSPpxx4bNXDR
1593
1594# the secret key from above
1595export TANGLED_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET="z42tuP..."
1596
1597# Run Redis in a new shell to store OAuth sessions
1598redis-server
1599```
1600
1601The Nix flake exposes a few `app` attributes (run `nix
1602flake show` to see a full list of what the flake provides),
1603one of the apps runs the appview with the `air`
1604live-reloader:
1605
1606```bash
1607TANGLED_DEV=true nix run .#watch-appview
1608
1609# TANGLED_DB_PATH might be of interest to point to
1610# different sqlite DBs
1611
1612# in a separate shell, you can live-reload tailwind
1613nix run .#watch-tailwind
1614```
1615
1616## Running knots and spindles
1617
1618An end-to-end knot setup requires setting up a machine with
1619`sshd`, `AuthorizedKeysCommand`, and a Git user, which is
1620quite cumbersome. So the Nix flake provides a
1621`nixosConfiguration` to do so.
1622
1623<details>
1624 <summary><strong>macOS users will have to set up a Nix Builder first</strong></summary>
1625
1626In order to build Tangled's dev VM on macOS, you will
1627first need to set up a Linux Nix builder. The recommended
1628way to do so is to run a [`darwin.linux-builder`
1629VM](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#sec-darwin-builder)
1630and to register it in `nix.conf` as a builder for Linux
1631with the same architecture as your Mac (`linux-aarch64` if
1632you are using Apple Silicon).
1633
1634> IMPORTANT: You must build `darwin.linux-builder` somewhere other than inside
1635> the Tangled repo so that it doesn't conflict with the other VM. For example,
1636> you can do
1637>
1638> ```shell
1639> cd $(mktemp -d buildervm.XXXXX) && nix run nixpkgs#darwin.linux-builder
1640> ```
1641>
1642> to store the builder VM in a temporary dir.
1643>
1644> You should read and follow [all the other intructions][darwin builder vm] to
1645> avoid subtle problems.
1646
1647Alternatively, you can use any other method to set up a
1648Linux machine with Nix installed that you can `sudo ssh`
1649into (in other words, root user on your Mac has to be able
1650to ssh into the Linux machine without entering a password)
1651and that has the same architecture as your Mac. See
1652[remote builder
1653instructions](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.28/advanced-topics/distributed-builds.html#requirements)
1654for how to register such a builder in `nix.conf`.
1655
1656> WARNING: If you'd like to use
1657> [`nixos-lima`](https://github.com/nixos-lima/nixos-lima) or
1658> [Orbstack](https://orbstack.dev/), note that setting them up so that `sudo
1659ssh` works can be tricky. It seems to be [possible with
1660> Orbstack](https://github.com/orgs/orbstack/discussions/1669).
1661
1662</details>
1663
1664To begin, grab your DID from http://localhost:3000/settings.
1665Then, set `TANGLED_VM_KNOT_OWNER` and
1666`TANGLED_VM_SPINDLE_OWNER` to your DID. You can now start a
1667lightweight NixOS VM like so:
1668
1669```bash
1670nix run --impure .#vm
1671
1672# type `poweroff` at the shell to exit the VM
1673```
1674
1675This starts a knot on port 6444, a spindle on port 6555
1676with `ssh` exposed on port 2222.
1677
1678Once the services are running, head to
1679http://localhost:3000/settings/knots and hit "Verify". It should
1680verify the ownership of the services instantly if everything
1681went smoothly.
1682
1683You can push repositories to this VM with this ssh config
1684block on your main machine:
1685
1686```bash
1687Host nixos-shell
1688 Hostname localhost
1689 Port 2222
1690 User git
1691 IdentityFile ~/.ssh/my_tangled_key
1692```
1693
1694Set up a remote called `local-dev` on a git repo:
1695
1696```bash
1697git remote add local-dev git@nixos-shell:user/repo
1698git push local-dev main
1699```
1700
1701The above VM should already be running a spindle on
1702`localhost:6555`. Head to http://localhost:3000/settings/spindles and
1703hit "Verify". You can then configure each repository to use
1704this spindle and run CI jobs.
1705
1706Of interest when debugging spindles:
1707
1708```
1709# Service logs from journald:
1710journalctl -xeu spindle
1711
1712# CI job logs from disk:
1713ls /var/log/spindle
1714
1715# Debugging spindle database:
1716sqlite3 /var/lib/spindle/spindle.db
1717
1718# litecli has a nicer REPL interface:
1719litecli /var/lib/spindle/spindle.db
1720```
1721
1722If for any reason you wish to disable either one of the
1723services in the VM, modify [nix/vm.nix](/nix/vm.nix) and set
1724`services.tangled.spindle.enable` (or
1725`services.tangled.knot.enable`) to `false`.
1726
1727# Contribution guide
1728
1729## Commit guidelines
1730
1731We follow a commit style similar to the Go project. Please keep commits:
1732
1733- **atomic**: each commit should represent one logical change
1734- **descriptive**: the commit message should clearly describe what the
1735 change does and why it's needed
1736
1737### Message format
1738
1739```
1740<service/top-level directory>/<affected package/directory>: <short summary of change>
1741
1742Optional longer description can go here, if necessary. Explain what the
1743change does and why, especially if not obvious. Reference relevant
1744issues or PRs when applicable. These can be links for now since we don't
1745auto-link issues/PRs yet.
1746```
1747
1748Here are some examples:
1749
1750```
1751appview/state: fix token expiry check in middleware
1752
1753The previous check did not account for clock drift, leading to premature
1754token invalidation.
1755```
1756
1757```
1758knotserver/git/service: improve error checking in upload-pack
1759```
1760
1761### General notes
1762
1763- PRs get merged "as-is" (fast-forward)—like applying a patch-series
1764 using `git am`. At present, there is no squashing—so please author
1765 your commits as they would appear on `master`, following the above
1766 guidelines.
1767- If there is a lot of nesting, for example "appview:
1768 pages/templates/repo/fragments: ...", these can be truncated down to
1769 just "appview: repo/fragments: ...". If the change affects a lot of
1770 subdirectories, you may abbreviate to just the top-level names, e.g.
1771 "appview: ..." or "knotserver: ...".
1772- Keep commits lowercased with no trailing period.
1773- Use the imperative mood in the summary line (e.g., "fix bug" not
1774 "fixed bug" or "fixes bug").
1775- Try to keep the summary line under 72 characters, but we aren't too
1776 fussed about this.
1777- Follow the same formatting for PR titles if filled manually.
1778- Don't include unrelated changes in the same commit.
1779- Avoid noisy commit messages like "wip" or "final fix"—rewrite history
1780 before submitting if necessary.
1781
1782## Code formatting
1783
1784We use a variety of tools to format our code, and multiplex them with
1785[`treefmt`](https://treefmt.com). All you need to do to format your changes
1786is run `nix run .#fmt` (or just `treefmt` if you're in the devshell).
1787
1788## Proposals for bigger changes
1789
1790Small fixes like typos, minor bugs, or trivial refactors can be
1791submitted directly as PRs.
1792
1793For larger changes—especially those introducing new features, significant
1794refactoring, or altering system behavior—please open a proposal first. This
1795helps us evaluate the scope, design, and potential impact before implementation.
1796
1797Create a new issue titled:
1798
1799```
1800proposal: <affected scope>: <summary of change>
1801```
1802
1803In the description, explain:
1804
1805- What the change is
1806- Why it's needed
1807- How you plan to implement it (roughly)
1808- Any open questions or tradeoffs
1809
1810We'll use the issue thread to discuss and refine the idea before moving
1811forward.
1812
1813## Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO)
1814
1815We require all contributors to certify that they have the right to
1816submit the code they're contributing. To do this, we follow the
1817[Developer Certificate of Origin
1818(DCO)](https://developercertificate.org/).
1819
1820By signing your commits, you're stating that the contribution is your
1821own work, or that you have the right to submit it under the project's
1822license. This helps us keep things clean and legally sound.
1823
1824To sign your commit, just add the `-s` flag when committing:
1825
1826```sh
1827git commit -s -m "your commit message"
1828```
1829
1830This appends a line like:
1831
1832```
1833Signed-off-by: Your Name <your.email@example.com>
1834```
1835
1836We won't merge commits if they aren't signed off. If you forget, you can
1837amend the last commit like this:
1838
1839```sh
1840git commit --amend -s
1841```
1842
1843If you're submitting a PR with multiple commits, make sure each one is
1844signed.
1845
1846For [jj](https://jj-vcs.github.io/jj/latest/) users, you can run the following command
1847to make it sign off commits in the tangled repo:
1848
1849```shell
1850# Safety check, should say "No matching config key..."
1851jj config list templates.commit_trailers
1852# The command below may need to be adjusted if the command above returned something.
1853jj config set --repo templates.commit_trailers "format_signed_off_by_trailer(self)"
1854```
1855
1856Refer to the [jujutsu
1857documentation](https://jj-vcs.github.io/jj/latest/config/#commit-trailers)
1858for more information.
1859
1860# Troubleshooting guide
1861
1862## Login issues
1863
1864Owing to the distributed nature of OAuth on AT Protocol, you
1865may run into issues with logging in. If you run a
1866self-hosted PDS:
1867
1868- You may need to ensure that your PDS is timesynced using
1869 NTP:
1870 - Enable the `ntpd` service
1871 - Run `ntpd -qg` to synchronize your clock
1872- You may need to increase the default request timeout:
1873 `NODE_OPTIONS="--network-family-autoselection-attempt-timeout=500"`
1874
1875## Empty punchcard
1876
1877For Tangled to register commits that you make across the
1878network, you need to setup one of following:
1879
1880- The committer email should be a verified email associated
1881 to your account. You can add and verify emails on the
1882 settings page.
1883- Or, the committer email should be set to your account's
1884 DID: `git config user.email "did:plc:foobar"`. You can find
1885 your account's DID on the settings page
1886
1887## Commit is not marked as verified
1888
1889Presently, Tangled only supports SSH commit signatures.
1890
1891To sign commits using an SSH key with git:
1892
1893```
1894git config --global gpg.format ssh
1895git config --global user.signingkey ~/.ssh/tangled-key
1896```
1897
1898To sign commits using an SSH key with jj, add this to your
1899config:
1900
1901```
1902[signing]
1903behavior = "own"
1904backend = "ssh"
1905key = "~/.ssh/tangled-key"
1906```
1907
1908## Self-hosted knot issues
1909
1910If you need help troubleshooting a self-hosted knot, check
1911out the [knot troubleshooting
1912guide](/knot-self-hosting-guide.html#troubleshooting).