iicp-client 0.7.89

Use the open IICP AI mesh from Python without running a node

iicp-client · Python SDK

Use the open AI mesh from your Python app. Install the client, send an intent, and get a routed response from an IICP node.

You do not need to run a node to try the client path. Consume first, provide later.

urn:iicp:intent:llm:chat:v1  →  discover  →  select  →  submit

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Install

pip install --upgrade iicp-client

Requires Python ≥ 3.11 and httpx.

One-line test

iicp-node query "Hello, mesh."

What good looks like:

iicp-node --help       # shows query, serve, proxy, mcp-gateway, credits, ...
which iicp-node        # points to your Python environment
iicp-node --version    # prints iicp-node 0.7.89 or newer

The query command contacts the public directory, discovers a matching live node, routes your prompt, and prints the response. No account, API key, or local node is required for this consumer path.

Privacy note: the selected remote node can read the prompt it executes. IICP-CX keeps key-ready transport/relay paths confidential, but it is not executor-blind inference. For sensitive data, use local/browser inference or a fail-closed routing profile.

MCP gateway safety

iicp-node mcp-gateway --tools format_json,summarize_text advertises only the tools you name. Shell, file, network, browser, credential, system-control and regulated-decision tools are denied by default. Enabling one requires all four controls: --allow-dangerous-tools, --authz-policy ID, --sandbox container and --audit-redaction (equivalent IICP_MCP_* environment variables exist). Policy receipts include risk/decision metadata and argument counts, never tool arguments, prompts, credentials or response content.

Use from Python

from iicp_client import IicpClient, ChatMessage
import asyncio

async def main():
    reply = await IicpClient().chat_async([
        ChatMessage(role="user", content="Hello, mesh.")
    ])
    print(reply.choices[0].message.content)

asyncio.run(main())

Do I need to run a node?

No. Running a node is only needed when you want to provide compute or tools to the mesh. Start as a client; run a node later when you want to contribute.

Routing policy profiles

The client applies routing policy after prompt-free discovery and before the prompt is sent. Defaults stay adoption-friendly but keyless plaintext is still refused.

iicp-node query "Hello" --routing-profile standard        # default encrypted mesh
iicp-node query "Secret" --routing-profile sensitive      # fail closed: no remote executor
iicp-node query "Hello" --routing-profile eu-restricted   # EU/EEA regions only
iicp-node query "Hello" --routing-profile strict-policy   # requires no-retention manifest

from iicp_client import ChatOptions, RoutingPolicy

reply = await IicpClient().chat_async(
    [ChatMessage(role="user", content="Hello")],
    ChatOptions(routing_policy=RoutingPolicy(profile="eu_restricted")),
)

For stricter deployments, require a minimum policy-manifest identity level before any prompt leaves the client. This keeps the default open mesh behavior unchanged, but lets controllers fail closed on self-attested or rotated/revoked providers.

reply = await IicpClient().chat_async(
    [ChatMessage(role="user", content="Hello")],
    ChatOptions(
        routing_policy=RoutingPolicy(
            required_manifest_identity_level="operator_bound",
        ),
    ),
)

Migrate from existing AI tools

Direct call:

# Before: call one vendor endpoint directly.
# After: ask IICP to discover and route by capability.
reply = await IicpClient().chat_async([
    ChatMessage(role="user", content="Summarize this document.")
])

Existing OpenAI-compatible tools:

pip install 'iicp-client[proxy]'
iicp-node proxy
export OPENAI_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:9483/v1

Then point LangChain, Cursor, liteLLM or another OpenAI-compatible tool at that base URL. Full guide: https://iicp.network/docs/proxy

Keep provider nodes current

The current public release line is 0.7.89. Upgrade through your package manager before troubleshooting an older installation. Routing profiles can refuse remote dispatch before a prompt leaves the client; use sensitive for local-only work, eu-restricted for EU/EEA routing, or strict-policy when a no-retention policy manifest is required.

Provider nodes run an hourly official-registry check by default (IICP_AUTO_UPDATE=1, IICP_AUTO_UPDATE_INTERVAL_S=3600; minimum 300s). When PyPI publishes a newer stable release, serve runs python -m pip install --upgrade iicp-client and re-execs the node so identity and cached node tokens are preserved.

If an older supervised node does not update itself, perform one manual upgrade and restart through its normal supervisor. For Docker, use a Compose restart: unless-stopped policy (or docker run --restart unless-stopped) so verified recovery can restart cleanly.

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Architecture — consumer or provider?

This SDK covers both sides of the IICP protocol:

Role	What you do	Class
Consumer	Send AI tasks to the mesh; discover and submit	IicpClient
Provider	Run a node, register with the directory, serve tasks	IicpNode

Consumer and provider can run in the same process. A node that serves requests can also route tasks it can't handle to other mesh nodes (IicpClient inside the task handler).

For production provider nodes backed by Ollama/vLLM, the iicp-node binary (Rust) and the Python adapter (pip install iicp-adapter) provide additional resilience and monitoring. See iicp.network/docs/node-setup.

---

Library quickstart

import asyncio
from iicp_client import IicpClient, ChatMessage

async def main():
    client = IicpClient()

    # chat_async discovers, selects best node, and submits in one call
    response = await client.chat_async(
        messages=[ChatMessage(role="user", content="Hello from IICP!")],
    )
    print(response.choices[0].message.content)

asyncio.run(main())

Synchronous wrapper for scripts and notebooks:

from iicp_client import IicpClient, ChatMessage

client   = IicpClient()
response = client.chat([ChatMessage(role="user", content="Hello from IICP!")])
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

---

Use as a local API proxy (OpenAI / Ollama / Anthropic compat)

Run a local gateway that speaks the OpenAI, Ollama, and Anthropic HTTP APIs and routes every request across the IICP mesh — point any tool you already use at it, no code changes.

pip install 'iicp-client[proxy]'
iicp-node proxy                       # → http://127.0.0.1:9483

export OPENAI_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:9483/v1   # OpenAI SDK / LangChain / Cursor / liteLLM
export OLLAMA_HOST=http://127.0.0.1:9483          # Open WebUI / Continue.dev / aider / Jan

Loopback-only consumer (never registers with the directory). Override the port with --port / IICP_PROXY_PORT; co-host next to a node with iicp-node serve --with-proxy. Every response carries Server: iicp-proxy. Full guide: https://iicp.network/docs/proxy

Configuration

from iicp_client import ClientConfig

config = ClientConfig(
    directory_url = "https://iicp.network/api",  # IICP directory
    timeout_ms    = 30_000,                      # max 120 000 (SDK-04)
    region        = "eu-central",                # prefer nodes in region
)

Field	Default	Description
directory_url	"https://iicp.network/api"	IICP directory endpoint
timeout_ms	30000	Request timeout — max 120 000 ms
region	None	Preferred node region
max_retries	3	Retry count for transient errors
routing_epsilon	0.05	ε-greedy exploration probability — with this probability a random node is selected instead of the top-ranked one, promoting discovery of new providers; 0.0 disables; override with IICP_ROUTING_EPSILON
routing_policy	RoutingPolicy(profile="standard")	Pre-dispatch remote-routing gate; use sensitive, eu_restricted, strict_policy, or an explicit debug override for special cases

---

Discover options

from iicp_client import DiscoverOptions

node_list = await client.discover_async(
    "urn:iicp:intent:llm:chat:v1",
    DiscoverOptions(
        region         = "eu-central",
        model          = "phi3:mini",
        min_reputation = 0.7,
        limit          = 5,
    )
)
nodes = node_list.nodes  # list of Node objects

---

Error handling

from iicp_client import IicpClient, IicpError, ChatMessage

client = IicpClient()
try:
    response = client.chat([ChatMessage(role="user", content="hi")])
except IicpError as e:
    print(f"[{e.code}] {e.message}  (HTTP {e.http_status})")

Error codes match the IICP error reference — e.g. task_timeout, capacity_exceeded, no_nodes_available.

---

Serving as a provider node

import asyncio
from iicp_client import IicpNode, NodeConfig

async def my_handler(task):
    return {"choices": [{"message": {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hello!"}}]}

async def main():
    node = IicpNode(NodeConfig(
        node_id="my-node-001",
        endpoint="http://my.public.host:8020",
        intent="urn:iicp:intent:llm:chat:v1",
        model="llama3:8b",
    ))
    token = await node.register()
    stop = node.serve(my_handler, port=8020, node_token=token)
    try:
        await asyncio.Event().wait()  # run until stopped
    finally:
        stop()

asyncio.run(main())

Listen port — default 9484, auto-increment (v0.7.5+)

The official IICP port 9484 is the default listen port (IICP_PORT, --port). The iicp-node CLI auto-increments to the next free port when 9484 is already in use, so you can run several nodes on one host without picking ports by hand — the first binds 9484, the second 9485, the third 9486, and so on. Each node gets its own port, hence its own NAT pinhole; multiple models served by one node share that single port. Auto-increment is skipped when you pass an explicit --public-endpoint (you own the port mapping in that case). IicpNode.serve(port=…) uses the port you give it as-is (no auto-increment at the library level).

---

Backends

A provider node forwards each task to an inference backend. The backend is selected with --backend-type (env IICP_BACKEND_TYPE, default openai_compat):

--backend-type	Engine	Default backend URL	API
openai_compat	Ollama, LM Studio, any OpenAI-compatible server	http://localhost:11434	OpenAI /v1/*
meshllm	MeshLLM local distributed runtime	http://localhost:9337/v1	Stable chat only
vllm	vLLM OpenAI server	http://localhost:8000	OpenAI /v1/*
llamacpp	llama.cpp llama-server	http://localhost:8080	OpenAI /v1/*
anthropic	Native Anthropic Messages API — first-class Claude	https://api.anthropic.com	Anthropic /v1/messages

MeshLLM

MeshLLM is a local OpenAI-compatible backend. Start its local gateway, then choose one advertised model explicitly (the stable IICP profile serves chat only):

iicp-node serve --backend-type meshllm --model <meshllm-model-id>

The upstream experimental mesh ensemble is never selected automatically. Use it only with an explicit --model mesh --experimental opt-in.

MeshLLM remains the local inference runtime. IICP uses its local OpenAI-compatible gateway for task execution and does not publish MeshLLM peer or topology details through IICP discovery.

The anthropic backend speaks the Anthropic Messages API directly (not the OpenAI-compat shim): it translates an IICP llm:chat:v1 task into a Messages request and translates the response back to the OpenAI chat-completion shape, so a Claude-backed node looks identical to an Ollama/vLLM node to any IICP client. Run one with:

iicp-node serve \
  --backend-type anthropic \
  --backend-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  --model claude-opus-4-8

--backend-type anthropic defaults --backend-url to https://api.anthropic.com, so you only pass the key and the model. The key is sent as the x-api-key header; an anthropic-version header (2023-06-01) is added automatically. The Anthropic backend serves urn:iicp:intent:llm:chat:v1 only (the Messages API has no completion/embedding endpoint).

Common serve flags (all also read from env):

Flag	Env	Default	Purpose
--backend-type	IICP_BACKEND_TYPE	openai_compat	Inference engine (table above)
--backend-url	IICP_BACKEND_URL	http://localhost:11434	Backend base URL
--backend-api-key	IICP_BACKEND_API_KEY	(empty)	Bearer / x-api-key for an auth'd backend
--model	IICP_BACKEND_MODEL	(auto-detect)	Backend model id (e.g. qwen2.5:0.5b, claude-opus-4-8)

The SDK is configured entirely through CLI flags and environment variables — there is no config file.

Input modalities — text, image, audio

A node advertises the input modalities each model accepts in its capabilities, so clients can discover a vision- or audio-capable node. The modality set is auto-detected from the model name:

Model name contains	Advertised input_modalities
vl, vision, llava	text, image
audio, voxtral	text, audio
omni	text, image, audio
(anything else)	text

These are modalities of the llm:chat:v1 intent, not separate intents. The directory supports a ?modality=image|audio filter on discover so a client can find nodes that accept a given input type.

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NAT traversal — automatic (v0.7.3+)

Since v0.7.3, NAT detection runs automatically on every node startup — no flags needed. The SDK tries each path in order and picks the best one for your network:

Tier	When	What happens
0	VPS/cloud (public IP on NIC) or IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT set	Registers directly with that IP
1a	Home router with UPnP, no CGNAT	Opens a port-forward via UPnP → registers WAN IP
1b	CGNAT + IPv6 available + AddPinhole works	Registers IPv6 address with firewall rule
1c	CGNAT + IPv6 + AddPinhole fails (e.g. FRITZ!Box error 606)	Registers IPv6 GUA anyway + logs guidance
3	CGNAT + no usable IPv6	Opens a Quick Tunnel if available → otherwise auto-elects relay
4	Nothing worked	Serves locally with operator guidance

Environment-specific behaviour

VPS / bare metal — no action needed. The SDK detects the public IP on the NIC (Tier 0).

Home router (no CGNAT) — UPnP opens a port-forward automatically. One pinhole per port, so three nodes on ports 8020 / 8024 / 8025 open three pinholes.

CGNAT (carrier-grade NAT, e.g. NetCologne DSLite) — IPv4 path is blocked by the ISP. The SDK tries IPv6 instead. If your FRITZ!Box rejects AddPinhole with error 606, the SDK still advertises your IPv6 address (many clients can reach it via stateful firewall) and logs:

WARNING: NAT: IPv6 endpoint http://[2a0a:...]:8020 advertised but firewall pinhole
could not be opened. Open manually: FRITZ!Box → Network → Firewall → IPv6.
Alternatively use IICP_RELAY_WORKER_ENDPOINT for relay-as-last-resort fallback.

Docker bridge (-p 8020:8020) — UPnP is skipped (it would reach the Docker NAT, not your home router). The official image includes cloudflared, so if no public endpoint is configured the node first tries a zero-account Quick Tunnel, then falls back to relay. The image also sets IICP_SUPERVISED=1, so with Docker restart policy enabled a confirmed tunnel-dead state exits visibly and lets Docker restart the node. For stable direct hosting, set IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT so the node knows its real address:

# docker-compose.yml
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
  IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT: "http://your-host-ip:8020"
  IICP_BACKEND_URL: "http://host.docker.internal:11434"

Or run with --network host to let UPnP work as on bare metal.

Kubernetes — set IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT to the Service IP or external LoadBalancer:

env:
  - name: IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT
    value: "http://$(LOAD_BALANCER_IP):8020"

CGNAT + no IPv6 → Quick Tunnel, then relay

When no direct path is possible, the SDK automatically finds a relay:

NAT tier=3: no direct or IPv6 endpoint available.
Opening Quick Tunnel...
No tunnel available; auto-electing relay from directory...
Auto-elected relay: relay.example.com:9485

With cloudflared available, the node registers its own temporary HTTPS tunnel URL. If that is unavailable, it connects outbound to the elected relay, which forwards inbound tasks down the relay path. Re-registration happens automatically when either path succeeds.

To use a specific relay instead of auto-electing:

IICP_RELAY_WORKER_ENDPOINT=relay.example.com:9485 python -m iicp_client.cli serve ...

Running a relay-capable node (relay operators)

node = IicpNode(NodeConfig(
    endpoint="http://relay.example.com:8020",
    intent="urn:iicp:intent:llm:chat:v1",
    relay_capable=True,      # accept RELAY_BIND on TCP port 9485
    relay_accept_port=9485,
    enable_mesh=True,        # advertise relay_capable=True in gossip
))

Relay workers request short-lived directory-signed bind tickets when they have a saved node token. Relay operators can enforce them with IICP_RELAY_REQUIRE_BIND_TICKET=1 and the directory's Ed25519 verification key in IICP_RELAY_BIND_TICKET_PUBLIC_KEY. Keep strict mode enabled on public relays; unsigned compatibility mode is intended only for staged migration.

Opt-out / override

IICP_AUTO_DETECT_NAT=false   # disable NAT detection entirely
IICP_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT=http://x.x.x.x:8020   # trust this endpoint, skip detection
IICP_TUNNEL=0                # opt out of Quick Tunnel fallback
IICP_TUNNEL_CREATE_MIN_INTERVAL_S=120  # host-wide Quick Tunnel create pacing
IICP_TUNNEL_CREATE_JITTER_MAX_S=15  # randomized suffix after shared deadlines
IICP_TUNNEL_WAIT_FOR_CAPACITY=1  # default: wait through local/provider cooldowns
IICP_TUNNEL_DEAD_POLICY=auto  # auto|retry|exit|log-only (unrecoverable dead-state policy)
IICP_SUPERVISED=1             # set by generated services/Docker so supervisors can restart
IICP_AUTO_UPDATE=1            # hourly provider self-update; set 0 to disable
IICP_AUTO_UPDATE_INTERVAL_S=3600  # update cadence in seconds; minimum 300
IICP_EXTERNAL_IP_PROBE_URL=https://api.ipify.org  # WAN IP probe (default)

When several nodes on one host wake or recover together, they share a local creation lease and cooldown state. A node waits until the authoritative deadline, then adds a small randomized delay before attempting its own Quick Tunnel. This prevents a restart storm without advertising an unverified direct route. Set IICP_TUNNEL_WAIT_FOR_CAPACITY=0 only for diagnostics that need the raw cooldown error.

Publish a signed node policy

Operators can describe public handling rules in a local JSON file and have the client sign it with their existing operator identity before registration:

iicp-node serve --node my-node --policy-manifest ~/.iicp/node-policy.json
# or: IICP_POLICY_MANIFEST_FILE=~/.iicp/node-policy.json

The source file stays local. The registration contains the public policy document, its public operator key, timestamps, and detached Ed25519 signature—never the operator secret. The same signed document is reused during recovery re-registration, so policy does not disappear when a tunnel rotates. A signed declaration is tamper-evident operator evidence, not a legal or privacy certification.

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Operator identity

Your operator identity is an ed25519 keypair — its public key is your operator_id (the directory stores it as operator_pubkey). One identity spans every node you run: it binds them to you (nodes show Operated by <your name> ✓), earns a founder ordinal, and rolls each node's credits into one operator wallet. Your display_name is the public, mutable handle; your contact stays local.

iicp-node init                       # create your key-backed identity (~/.iicp/operator.json)
iicp-node serve --node mynode        # signs an operator→node delegation; binds the node to you
iicp-node operator rename "NewName"  # change your public display_name (signed)
iicp-node operator encrypt           # password-encrypt the secret at rest ($IICP_OPERATOR_PASSPHRASE)
iicp-node operator decrypt           # remove at-rest encryption

The key is the identity — whoever holds ~/.iicp/operator.json controls it (its nodes, ordinal, and wallet); there is no central recovery. Back it up (encrypted), never commit or share it; lose it and the identity, with its founder ordinal, is gone.

Full guide: iicp.network/docs/operator-identity

Operator data rights

You can request a portable, redacted record of the operator metadata held by a compatible directory without uploading your private identity key:

iicp-node operator dsr export --output ~/iicp-operator-export.json

The client obtains a short-lived challenge and signs it locally. The receipt excludes the private key, node tokens, prompt content, and contact details; it is saved owner-only on Unix. restrict and anonymize are explicit, confirmed requests and do not erase retention records that a directory must keep for security, fraud prevention, or legal obligations. See the operator rights guide.

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SDK conformance

Rule	Description	Status
SDK-01	discover → select → submit pipeline with node retry	✓
SDK-02	task_id auto-generated (UUID v4)	✓
SDK-03	Intent URN pattern validation	✓
SDK-04	timeout_ms capped at 120 000 ms	✓
SDK-05	Retry on 429 / 503 with exponential back-off	✓
SDK-06	W3C traceparent propagation	✓

Conformance tier: iicp:sdk:v1 (spec S.14) · Request a badge

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Development

pip install -e ".[dev]"   # install with dev deps
pytest tests/ -v          # run the unit suite
ruff check src tests       # lint

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Links

• Protocol spec — full IICP specification
• Node setup guide — run your own node
• Error reference — all error codes
• iicp-client-typescript — TypeScript SDK
• iicp-client-rust — Rust SDK

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Apache 2.0 · iicp.network