Devices and hive-net
How your computers, phone and guests find each other and talk: directly, through your relay, always encrypted end to end.
hive-net is the part of Hivemind that reaches your other devices and the people you let in. It runs beside the app on each computer and host. Every device has its own key. Devices find each other by that key, then talk directly when they can, or through your relay when they cannot.
Paste this into your coding agent to explain how your own devices connect, without changing anything.
Show the prompt
Explain how my Hivemind devices connect, using the "How devices connect" page and what this computer reports. Run only read-only commands: `hive network show`, `hive network doctor` and, if `hive host status` answers, that too. Tell me: which network this computer is on, which relay, lookup and access servers it uses, whether they answer, and what a phone or a guest elsewhere would need to reach me. Do not change anything. REFERENCE https://hivemind.griiken.com/guide/how-devices-connect.md
- Your computer ↔ another device: direct, when the network lets them.
- Otherwise both ↔ your network server, which relays between them.
- Each device has its own key, and encrypts with it.
- The server's roles are in the table under Across networks.
How it works
On one network
With no server, Settings → Servers reads Local network. Devices find each other on that network, and nothing leaves it. The six words of an invite work only here.
Across networks
To reach a device elsewhere, you run your own network server. It has up to four parts:
| Part | Does |
|---|---|
| Relay | Passes traffic between devices that cannot reach each other directly. |
| Lookup | Lets a device find another by its id, and find which device hosts a workspace. |
| Access | Lets in only the devices you enrol, and guests they vouch for. |
| Push | Tells your phones when an agent needs you. |
Encrypted end to end
Traffic between two devices is encrypted with their own keys. The relay passes it on but cannot read it. Push notices are encrypted to the phone, so the server cannot read them either. What your server does know: which devices are enrolled, and which device hosts a workspace.
Invites and the three words
An invite carries a code: six words, a link or a QR code. When another device uses it, both screens show three words. They come from the code and both devices' keys. If anyone sits between the two devices, the words differ. So you answer only when they match.
The phone page
Your phone reaches your computer the same way, from a page your server serves. See The phone page.
Why it works this way
- No hosted server. Your traffic and your list of devices stay on machines you run.
- Keys, not accounts. A device is who its key says. Nothing to sign up for, and nothing to leak but the key.
- The three words. A code can be overheard. The words catch it.
What to do with it
- Set up your own network server
- Connect your devices
- Answer agents from your phone
- Trust, permissions and privacy
- Every server option: hive-net reference
Last validated for Hivemind 2026.10.3.