First setup¶
The first time the Bridge opens, it asks for the Captain: the person who owns this Starbase. Then a short setup covers what everything else depends on. Every step after the first can be skipped and done later; Finish later picks up where you left it the next time you open the Bridge, and the Captain can run it again from Engineering → Starbase → First setup → Run it again.
Make the Captain on the Starbase PC itself
If other devices can already connect, Welcome aboard only works on the Starbase PC (127.0.0.1), so nobody
else on the network can claim your ship first.
1. Welcome aboard: the Captain¶
- Your name and what the AI should call you (one or more names: "Alex or Captain").
- Username and password (8 characters or more).
- Your PIN, twice: 4 to 8 digits. You'll give it to approve anything that changes something important: the AI's commands on a PC, letting a device out of the house, deleting or sending mail, a mission's plan.
- Take command, then save your recovery codes. Each gets you back in once if you forget your password, and this is the only time they're shown.
2. Your home¶
Where you live (city and state or country), your time zone (your browser's is picked for you) and units (automatic from where you live, or °F and miles, or °C and km). The weather, times and reminders use these. Everyone sets their own later in the Ready Room.
3. The AI¶
- Ollama. If it isn't installed or isn't running, this step says so, with a link and Check again. Nothing else here works until it answers.
- This PC. Starbase looks at the graphics card, memory and processor once, so it can recommend sizes and models. Nothing is downloaded until you say so.
- Chat size. Automatic picks it from the graphics card: see What you need.
- The personas. Build all downloads their shared brain (2.2 to 6.6 GB, depending on the size) and makes Celestra, Computer, Lumina and Nova from it, with progress as it goes.
- Who answers "Hey Ship": the ship's default AI, for anyone who hasn't picked their own.
- Other jobs. Use the recommendations downloads smaller helper models for thinking things through, writing code, reading long pages and finding things it remembers. Without them, the chat AI does those itself. Fine-tune them later in Models.
4. Talk out loud¶
- Voice files (about 900 MB), if they aren't here yet, with progress.
- Hear the AI: checks this PC's speakers.
- Teach it your voice: read three sentences after pressing Record. That also checks the microphone, and afterwards every speaker in the house knows it's you.
5. Devices¶
If only this PC can use Starbase, Let devices at home connect turns on the home network (with HTTPS) and
restarts Starbase. Once it's on, this step shows Starbase's address for phones and other devices, a QR code
to open it on your phone, how to trust Starbase's certificate on each device, and whether Windows Firewall needs
allow-network.bat. Speakers, screens and other PCs are added in the Shuttlebay.
Finish takes you to the Bridge.
Get started¶
After setup, the Captain's Bridge shows a Get started strip with the rest, in any order:
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Add your crew | Crew and ranks |
| Pair a device | The Shuttlebay |
| Connect your mail | |
| Turn on two-step sign-in | The Ready Room |
| Back up to another drive | Backups |
| Use it outside the home | Domain (advanced) |
| Add Home Assistant or other tool servers | Tools and tool servers |
Each one ticks itself when it's done. ✕ puts one away; Put away hides the strip (Run it again in Engineering → Starbase brings it back).