Setup Wizard
The setup tour served by the host agent at /setup: link the machine to your account, bring it online, and the on-box dashboard that follows.
The setup wizard is the UI the host agent serves at /setup. B3IQ runs it during
provisioning to turn a fresh machine into a working local node in a strict
sequential tour, and it stays available afterward as the reference for how your
machine was set up, keeping every important readiness signal visible at each
stage.
The wizard never hides advanced state behind marketing copy. It shows identity, readiness, runtime, model profile, and enrollment exactly as the host agent reports them for the real hardware it runs on.
Setup flow
A machine boots with only the software that keeps it healthy and reports its status. Engines and models are not part of setup: they come with the inference plugin, which you install later (see Inference comes later). The local-only path is two steps. Linking the machine to your account adds a third.
Link to your account
Choose how the machine serves inference. Serve inference locally is the silent default: the machine serves only your own local clients and the wizard takes no further network action. Link to your account & earn is the recommended, explicit choice. It links the machine to your B3 account so it serves requests made with your own API keys (local serving stays on) and opens the "Bring it online" step.
Bring it online (only if you chose to link)
Name the machine, bring it online with a public route, and claim it with a device-flow 8-character code (or scan the QR) so it serves your account's API keys. The code expires 15 minutes after it is minted; mint a fresh one if it lapses. Each stage reports its own progress so a stall is easy to locate.
Finish
The wizard hands you off to the node dashboard with the node working and, if you opted in, enrolled. Local-only operators finish here without ever touching a payout account, enrollment, or registration.
Serving inference locally requires no decision and no network enrollment. It is what you get if you do nothing at the Link step. Linking is never automatic. It only begins after you explicitly choose Link to your account & earn and complete the managed setup. Routability still depends on the gates described in Route readiness.
Linking a brand-new machine requires a B3IQ onboarding code. B3IQ admits new hardware to the fleet rather than opening it to self-service, and applies the code while provisioning the machine. A purchased machine arrives pre-onboarded and only needs the claim step. A machine that has already enrolled before is unaffected, and re-enrolling it never requires a fresh code.
Inference comes later
Until inference is installed, the dashboard's Overview says so and the Models, Playground, API and Benchmark tabs stay hidden. Install it from the machine's page in your B3IQ dashboard, or as root on the machine:
bashsudo b3iq-host plugin install inference
Once it is installed, the Models tab adds an engine and models. Its links reopen the wizard's engine, model and test steps, which are no longer part of the first-run tour. Model and engine installs run one at a time: queue several models and they download in order rather than saturating the link.
Wizard principles
Expose real machine state
The wizard should show identity, readiness, runtime, endpoint, model profile, enrollment, support grants, and audit state.
Hide advanced state behind marketing copy
Operators are configuring real hardware. Trust comes from visible state, explicit actions, and clear recovery paths.
Setup surfaces
The wizard is one of several surfaces the host agent serves. Each surface has a distinct purpose and its own credential.
| Surface | Purpose | Credential |
|---|---|---|
| Bootstrap setup URL | Initial claim or recovery entry into the wizard | Setup token |
| Command panel URL | Post-install playground, settings, keys, support, and audit | Owner session or local bootstrap token |
| Owner login | Normal local operator access | HttpOnly session cookie |
| Local API keys | Local inference clients | `b3iq_local_` scoped secret |
| Support grants | Temporary diagnostics access | `b3iq_support_` scoped secret |
| Managed enrollment | Signed node sync with the control plane (linked machines only) | Node Ed25519 identity |
Host menu and advanced panel
Beyond the linear tour, a host menu and advanced panel keep recovery and diagnostics one click away after setup:
- Readiness: the live route-readiness view for the node.
- Claim override: re-run or correct the device-flow claim if the original code expired or the node was claimed in the wrong place.
- Network status: current operating mode and managed sync state.
- Tunnel rotate / revoke: rotate or revoke the node's tunnel without re-running the whole wizard.
Revoking the tunnel takes the node off its public route. Your account's API keys can no longer reach it until you rotate a fresh credential and the node re-publishes a healthy heartbeat. Use revoke when you suspect the route is compromised; use rotate for a clean cycle.
Local playground
Once inference is installed, signed-in operators can use persisted local playground sessions to test runtime and model behavior. API-key request logs stay separate and redacted by default.
Use the playground for operator smoke testing. Use b3iq_local_ API keys for
application clients.