# Homerail Install Ops > Install, configure, start, verify, update, and troubleshoot a local-source HomeRail deployment for AI-agent use. Use when a user wants to deploy HomeRail from a local checkout or local Git address, install HomeRail skills, set up Manager/Node/Worker services, configure provider credentials, run doctor/smoke, or repair a broken local install before npm publication exists. - Skill: `xiaotianfotos/homerail-install-ops` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add xiaotianfotos/homerail-install-ops` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/xiaotianfotos/homerail-install-ops/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: xiaotianfotos (https://skillmd.com/u/xiaotianfotos) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/xiaotianfotos/homerail-install-ops --- # HomeRail Install Ops Before acting, apply `homerail-shared` rules. This pre-publication flow uses a local source checkout or local Git clone, not npm publication. ## Local Skill Install Install HomeRail skills by linking the checkout's `skills/homerail-*` directories into the target agent skill directory. Prefer symlinks over copies so skill updates follow `git pull`. If the source tree is already present, use `skills/README.md` as the source of truth for Codex and Claude Code install targets. On macOS/Linux: ```bash repo=/path/to/HomeRail for root in "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills"; do mkdir -p "$root" for skill in "$repo"/skills/homerail-*; do [ -d "$skill" ] || continue name="$(basename "$skill")" dst="$root/$name" if [ -L "$dst" ]; then rm "$dst" elif [ -e "$dst" ]; then echo "Refusing to replace existing non-symlink skill: $dst" >&2 continue fi ln -s "$skill" "$dst" done done ``` If the user gives a local Git address, clone it first, then install links from the checkout: ```bash git clone HomeRail cd HomeRail ``` On Windows, use PowerShell directory symlinks when Developer Mode or Administrator permissions allow them. If symlinks are blocked, use a junction as the local fallback; repeat the junction for every `skills/homerail-*` directory that should be installed: ```powershell cmd /c mklink /J "%USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\homerail-install-ops" "C:\path\to\HomeRail\skills\homerail-install-ops" ``` After installing or updating skills, ask the user to restart the AI agent session if their agent host only loads skills on startup. After restart, route user requests to the root skills this way: - Use `homerail-install-ops` for first install, update, service startup, provider configuration, and smoke verification. Codex invocation: `$homerail-install-ops`; Claude Code invocation: `/homerail-install-ops`. - Use `homerail-dag-ops` for running DAGs, monitoring runs, checking handoffs, and writing DAG templates. - Use `homerail-dag-patterns` for selecting, composing, instantiating, and validating built-in DAG design patterns. - Use `homerail-cli` for command syntax, flags, and evidence commands. - Use `homerail-shared` as background rules for all HomeRail operations. ## Deploy From Local Source Run from the source root: ```bash npm run install:all npm run build npm run typecheck npm test npm run ci ``` Prepare a local data root: ```bash export HOMERAIL_HOME="${HOMERAIL_HOME:-$HOME/.homerail}" ``` Configure local runtime settings and credentials through the CLI: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js config ``` Start Manager and Node together: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js start node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js start --rebuild-worker-image node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js start --ui node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js doctor ``` `hr start` uses the shared `HOMERAIL_HOME`, starts Manager if needed, applies stored model config, builds `homerail-worker:latest` when missing, and starts a Node with Docker capability when no configured Node is connected. Use `--rebuild-worker-image` after Worker runtime changes so provisioned DAG workers run the current checkout. Use `--ui` or `node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js ui start` to start the decoupled Agent UI. HTTPS is the default endpoint, `https://localhost:19192`, and HTTP is kept as a fallback on `http://localhost:19193`. If provider credentials are not configured yet, `hr start` should still bring up Manager and Node; `hr doctor` reports the missing model or Manager Agent runtime configuration and the agent should run `hr config` / `hr model configure`. Use `node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js runtime status|logs|stop` for service inspection and cleanup. Use `node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js ui status|logs|stop` for UI-only inspection and cleanup. `hr doctor` is the first environment probe an agent needs for normal operation. Do not supplement it with `ps`, `lsof`, `curl /health`, or source reading unless the CLI output is insufficient for a concrete failure. It reports, per line: manager reachability + URL, runtime state (connected nodes/workers, active runs, node capabilities), node count, any active LLM model setting, and the Manager Agent runtime/harness readiness. A `HomeRail is ready.` trailer is the readiness gate; any `FAIL`/`WARN` line names the exact next command to run (e.g. `hr model configure`). `connected_workers: 0` is **expected** on an idle Manager. DAG Workers are provisioned on demand by a Node into Docker containers when a run dispatches; there is no standing worker to inspect or start by hand. `connected_nodes >= 1` is what matters for DAGs to run. The local harness deployment diagnosis DAG runs through the same Worker provisioning path as normal DAGs. Do not start a fixed host Worker, mount the Docker socket into a Worker, or use Docker-in-Docker for this test. The diagnosis run uses its isolated workspace, clones the latest source, builds it, configures the cloned CLI to talk to the outer Manager, and verifies `runtime status` / `doctor`. Deployment diagnosis uses advisory scorecard enforcement; inspect findings, but use terminal status and structured handoff evidence as the deployment result. ## Configure Provider For MiMo token-plan Claude Agent SDK compatibility: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js config node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js config apply node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js doctor ``` Do not put the key into repo files. The config flow stores secrets under Manager's encrypted secret store. `${HOMERAIL_HOME}/secrets/env` is a legacy plaintext import path only. Do not use MiMo ASR/API-billing endpoints for DAG workers. ## Smoke Test Run the public smoke DAG: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js smoke dag \ --template assets/orchestrations/public-dev-5node.yaml.template ``` Then verify the configured Manager Agent harness can call Manager tools and start a real run: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js smoke manager-agent ``` This is the live Manager Agent gate. It uses the saved Manager Agent config, calls `/api/manager/chat`, requires a real `run_id`, and waits for the deterministic two-node DAG to reach `completed`. Use `--setting-id`, `--provider`, or `--model` when validating a specific Kimi Code or Claude SDK-compatible runtime. When it completes, inspect: ```bash node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js dag quick --events 30 node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js dag chats --tools 10 node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js dag handoffs node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js scorecard node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js eval-run ``` Do not treat an idle-looking process as success until terminal status, handoffs, scorecard, and eval-run are checked. ## Maintenance - Keep installed skills as symlinks to the checkout. After skill edits, verify the target agent skill directory still points at `skills/homerail-*`; do not refresh by copying stale directories. - Re-run `npm run build` after code changes. - Run `node homerail_cli/dist/cli.js start`; add `--rebuild-worker-image` after Worker runtime changes. - Keep Manager and Node on the same `HOMERAIL_HOME`. - If Worker containers cannot connect back to Manager, set an explicit callback host through Manager worker WebSocket environment settings rather than hardcoding Docker bridge IPs.