systemu 0.7.3

Record computer activity and generate step-by-step instructions

Systemu

The open-source way to record any computer workflow, export it as a portable Anthropic Agent Skill, and run it locally with a supervised agent runtime.

Install

pip install systemu                                                       # PyPI (post-v0.7.0 tag)
docker run -p 8765:8765 ghcr.io/rameswaran-mohan/systemu:0.7.0            # Docker (post-v0.7.0 tag)

Open the dashboard at http://localhost:8765.

New to the vocabulary? See docs/glossary.md for a Systemu → industry-terms map.

---

An AI runtime that turns recorded workflows into autonomous agents you operate from a dashboard.

Systemu combines two components:

• Sharing-On (sharing_on) records what you do on your computer and converts the recording into a structured workflow specification using an LLM.
• Systemu runtime executes that specification autonomously through AI Shadow agents, a curated tool registry, and a NiceGUI dashboard.

📚 Read these first: Getting Started · Architecture · User Guide · Contributing · Migration (v0.2)

---

How it works

You perform a task on your computer
          │
          ▼
Sharing-On records: screenshots, window switches,
  file changes, clipboard, process events
          │
          ▼
Intent extractor (Tier-2 LLM) infers what you
  actually wanted — written to intent.json, not
  inferred from the click sequence              (v0.6.0)
          │
          ▼
Scroll refiner turns the intent + abstracted
  steps into a structured Scroll with objectives
          │
          ▼
Pre-flight scroll validator (opt-in) checks
  satisfiability + intent-vs-tool fit;          (v0.4.0 + v0.6.0)
  surfaces a side-by-side remediation card
  with a proposed_revision when blocked         (v0.6.0)
          │
          ▼
Activity extractor selects tools and skills
  via data-flow reasoning (schemas in headers,
  not just keyword name match)                  (v0.6.0)
          │
          ▼
Missing tools forged with intent context →
  dry-run validation gate (Gate 3.5)            (v0.5.0)
          │
          ▼
Shadow decision picks an existing specialist OR
  creates a new one, scoring on semantic intent
  match plus skill/tool ID overlap              (v0.6.0)
          │
          ▼
Supervisor dispatches the Shadow.  Intelligent
  Supervisor (opt-in) intervenes between
  iterations with bounded actions including
  RECALIBRATE_TOOL / RECALIBRATE_SKILL when
  capabilities are structurally inadequate      (v0.5.0 + v0.6.0)
          │
          ▼
Dashboard shows live progress, results,
  per-shadow + per-tool metrics, memory, and
  approval cards for any operator decisions

A deeper walkthrough of every stage lives in ARCHITECTURE.md.

---

Prerequisites

Resource minimums (verified during the manual smoke run)

Resource	local	docker-local	docker-enterprise
CPU cores	2	2	4
Free RAM	4 GB	6 GB	8 GB (Redis + Postgres + workers)
Free disk	2 GB	4 GB	6 GB
Network	LLM API access	+ Postgres	+ Redis

Software

Requirement	Version	Notes
Python	3.10+ (3.12 tested)	Required for all modes
pip	latest	pip install --upgrade pip
Git	2.30+	Required for ./install.sh
Docker	24+ / Desktop 4.x	Required for docker-local and docker-enterprise
Node.js + npm	18+	Optional — only for the Chrome capture extension

OS support

OS	Native capture	docker-* modes
Windows 10 / 11	✅ verified	✅ verified
macOS 13+	⚠️ partial	✅
Ubuntu 22.04+	⚠️ needs xdotool xclip	✅

Linux capture extras:

sudo apt install xdotool xclip      # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install xdotool xclip      # Fedora

LLM access

You need at least one of:

• An OpenRouter key (free tier works)
• A Google AI Studio key (free)
• A local Ollama instance reachable on :11434

---

Quick Start

Full walkthrough lives in docs/getting-started.md. The headline:

git clone https://github.com/rameswaran-mohan/project-systemu-pro.git
cd project-systemu-pro
./install.sh        # Linux/macOS    (or  install.bat  on Windows)
./start.sh          # Linux/macOS    (or  start.bat    on Windows)

install.sh asks which deployment mode you want and sets everything up. Three options:

Mode	What you get	Best for
local	Native venv. Daemon + worker run as detached subprocesses. SQLite vault + Huey-SQLite broker.	Single-machine dev / personal use.
docker-local	docker-compose. Postgres vault + Huey-SQLite broker. One worker container.	Hobbyist self-hosting on one box.
docker-enterprise	docker-compose. Postgres vault + Redis broker. N worker containers (scale via WORKER_REPLICAS).	Production / multi-host.

The dashboard runs at http://localhost:8765 in every mode. ./stop.sh (or stop.bat) shuts everything down cleanly.

To re-run installer after changing your mind: ./install.sh will detect the existing install and offer reconfigure / upgrade-deps / quit.

To upgrade an existing install to the latest release (v0.6.4+): ./update.sh (or update.bat). It stops the daemon, git pull --ff-onlys, reinstalls deps, runs alembic migrations, and restarts. Pass --yes / /y for non-interactive CI / cron usage. Refuses on a dirty working tree.

Non-interactive install (CI / automation)

./install.sh --mode docker-enterprise --non-interactive \
    --pg-password=hunter2 --redis-password=hunter3 \
    --worker-replicas=4 \
    --openrouter-key=sk-... --google-key=AIza...

Record a workflow (optional)

After ./start.sh:

sharing_on record --name "My workflow"
# Press Ctrl+C when done — Systemu converts the recording into a Scroll

Windows note (v0.7.3): Use Ctrl+C directly in the same terminal where sharing_on record is running. Sending SIGINT from another process via kill -INT <pid> (e.g. from Git Bash or a background script) may not deliver the signal to the Python child reliably — the session may stop without writing its final end_time, leaving session.json looking half-complete. Events in events.db are still complete and the session is fully usable by sharing_on analyze.

Export a recorded workflow as a portable Agent Skill

Once a recording has been analyzed, one command turns it into a portable Anthropic Agent Skill bundle that any Agent-Skills-compatible runtime (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) can load:

sharing_on capture export-skill ./captures/<your_session_dir> \
           --output ./my-skill
# -> ./my-skill/<kebab-name>/SKILL.md

Validate the bundle with skills-ref validate ./my-skill/<kebab-name>.

Legacy / advanced Docker profiles

The original profiles are still in docker-compose.yml for backwards compatibility:

docker compose up systemu                          # legacy file backend
docker compose --profile docker-sandbox up systemu-docker   # tool sandbox

---

Migrating from a pre-pivot install

If you already have a JSON-vault deployment from before the holistic-enterprise pivot and want to move to docker-local or docker-enterprise, run the one-shot migration tool after spinning up the new Postgres:

# 1. Start the new stack so Postgres is up + tables created
./install.sh --mode docker-enterprise --skip-pull --pg-password=<your-pg> --redis-password=<your-redis>
docker compose --profile enterprise up -d postgres
alembic upgrade head     # creates tables in the new Postgres

# 2. Dry-run — see what would migrate
python -m systemu.migrations.json_to_db \
    --source ./systemu/vault --dry-run

# 3. Run for real
python -m systemu.migrations.json_to_db \
    --source ./systemu/vault \
    --target "postgresql://systemu:<pg-password>@localhost:5432/systemu"

The migration is idempotent — re-running it after fixing any errors leaves already-migrated rows untouched. See systemu/migrations/json_to_db.py for the source list (scrolls, shadows, tools, skills, activities, evolutions, chat history).

For Redis topologies beyond the default standalone (TLS, Sentinel, custom CA), see docs/redis-topologies.md.

---

Configuration Reference

All settings go in your .env file. Copy .env.example as a starting point.

API Keys

Variable	Required	Description
OPENROUTER_API_KEY	Yes	OpenRouter key for Tier 3 / sharing_on LLM calls. Free tier available at openrouter.ai
GOOGLE_API_KEY	Yes	Google AI Studio key for Tier 1 and Tier 2 calls. Free at aistudio.google.com

LLM Models

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_TIER1_MODEL	gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview	Deep reasoning — scroll refinement, shadow decisions
SYSTEMU_TIER2_MODEL	gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview	Structured output — tool forge, execution planning
SYSTEMU_TIER3_MODEL	z-ai/glm-4.5-air:free	Fast formatting — log-to-instructions conversion
SHARING_ON_MODEL	z-ai/glm-4.5-air:free	LLM used during sharing_on analysis

Storage

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_STORAGE	file	Backend: file (JSON vault), sqlite, or postgres
SYSTEMU_DATABASE_URL	(empty)	SQLAlchemy URL — required for sqlite or postgres mode
SYSTEMU_VAULT_DIR	systemu/vault	Path to JSON vault (file mode only)

Queue

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_QUEUE	(empty)	Leave empty for the in-process Supervisor queue. Set huey to route through Huey.
SYSTEMU_QUEUE_BROKER	sqlite	Huey broker selection: sqlite (default) or redis.
SYSTEMU_REDIS_URL	(empty)	Required when SYSTEMU_QUEUE_BROKER=redis. e.g. redis://:pass@redis:6379/0
HUEY_WORKERS	4	Huey thread count per worker process.
WORKER_REPLICAS	2	docker-enterprise only — number of worker containers.
SYSTEMU_DB_BIND	127.0.0.1:5432 (docker-local) / empty (docker-enterprise)	v0.6.6+ docker modes only. Host bind for the Postgres container. Required for sharing_on record from host to reach the container's vault. Loopback-only by default. Set to 0.0.0.0:5432 to expose on all interfaces (NOT recommended on shared hosts). To fully unpublish in docker-local, remove the ports: section via docker-compose.override.yml.

Deployment mode

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_MODE	local	local | docker-local | docker-enterprise — written by install.py; start.sh/start.bat read it
SYSTEMU_DASHBOARD_HOST	(unset → 127.0.0.1)	Bind host for the NiceGUI dashboard
SYSTEMU_DASHBOARD_PORT	8765	Dashboard port
SYSTEMU_HEADLESS	(unset)	When 1, forces non-interactive mode at the notify_user layer (same effect as SYSTEMU_NON_INTERACTIVE)
SYSTEMU_OUTPUT_DIR	~/Documents	Where Shadow-generated files are saved
SYSTEMU_EXECUTION_RETENTION	(unset)	Max execution audit dirs to keep on disk; older pruned during save

Behaviour & approval

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_NON_INTERACTIVE	false	Auto-pick actions[0] (the safe-by-default choice) in every notify_user prompt. Renamed from SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_SCROLLS in v0.6.1 — the old name lied about scope and is no longer recognised
SYSTEMU_AUTO_FORGE_TOOLS	false	Dev only — auto-enables LLM-generated tools without review (bypasses Gate 2/3)
SYSTEMU_APPROVAL_TIMEOUT	(unset)	Seconds before a queued approval auto-resolves (sqlite_approval_gate)

Tool execution

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_TOOL_BACKEND	local	local | docker | ssh | wsl (ssh/wsl are stubs)
SYSTEMU_DOCKER_TOOL_TIMEOUT	300	Per-tool timeout (seconds) when SYSTEMU_TOOL_BACKEND=docker
SYSTEMU_TOOL_DEP_INSTALL_MODE	auto	auto | off | prompt | always — how the runtime handles tool pip deps
SYSTEMU_PREWARM_TOOL_DEPS	false	Install all deployed-tool deps on daemon start instead of on first call

Intelligent Supervisor (v0.4.0+)

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_INTELLIGENT_SUPERVISOR	false	Master kill switch for the Tier-1/2/3 intervention layer + scroll validator
SYSTEMU_MAX_CONSECUTIVE_THINK	5	Hard cap on THINK-only iterations before the supervisor force-reflects
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_CADENCE	auto	How often the supervisor evaluates — auto | every | slow
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_TIMEOUT_S	5.0	Per-directive LLM timeout
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_BUDGET_RUN	10	Max supervisor LLM calls per shadow run
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_BUDGET_HOUR_USD	5.0	Hourly USD ceiling for supervisor LLM spend
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_BUDGET_DAY_USD	50.0	Daily USD ceiling
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_TIER_ROUTINE	tier_3	Tier used for routine supervisor checks
SYSTEMU_SUPERVISOR_TIER_INTERVENTION	tier_1	Tier used for high-stakes interventions

Pre-flight validators (v0.6.0)

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_SCROLL_VALIDATOR	(off; on when supervisor on)	Run the intent-aware scroll validator before activity extraction
SYSTEMU_SKILL_VALIDATOR	(off; on when scroll validator on)	Run the GUI-codification skill validator at extraction time

Recalibration auto-approve (v0.5.1 + v0.6.0)

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_LOW_RISK_RECAL	false	Auto-apply low-risk tool recalibrations (fork-mode + dry-run passed + confidence=high + non-destructive). Otherwise surfaces operator card on /tools.
SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_LOW_RISK_SKILL_RECAL	false	Auto-apply low-risk skill recalibrations (fork-mode + confidence=high + no side_effect in produces + non-destructive name). Otherwise surfaces operator card on /skills.

Persona defaults

Variable	Default	Description
SYSTEMU_PERSONA_CREATIVITY	50	Default persona dial (0–100) when shadows are auto-created
SYSTEMU_PERSONA_PROFESSIONALISM	50	Default persona dial
SYSTEMU_PERSONA_TECHIE	50	Default persona dial
SYSTEMU_PERSONA_THINKING	50	Default persona dial

sharing_on Capture

Variable	Default	Description
SHARING_ON_SCREENSHOT_INTERVAL	3	Seconds between screenshots
SHARING_ON_SCREENSHOT_WIDTH	1280	Max screenshot width (pixels)
SHARING_ON_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN	(unset)	Optional — when set, the daemon spins up a Telegram bot for chat-based submissions + approvals. See docs/messaging.md
SHARING_ON_TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USER_IDS	(unset)	Required when bot token is set — strict allowlist (refuses to start if empty)

---

Storage Modes

install.py writes SYSTEMU_STORAGE=sqlite to .env for local mode and postgres for docker-local / docker-enterprise. The in-process default when no env is set is file (kept for backward compat with pre-v0.3 installs).

SYSTEMU_STORAGE=sqlite (default for local mode)

• SQLite database at SYSTEMU_DATABASE_URL, e.g. sqlite:///./data/systemu.db
• Durable task queue with crash recovery + orphan requeue
• Dashboard and worker run as separate processes
• Alembic migrations run automatically on first start
• Recommended for single-machine deployments

SYSTEMU_STORAGE=postgres (default for docker-local / docker-enterprise)

• PostgreSQL backend (managed by docker-compose)
• Multi-machine / multi-worker deployments
• Same Alembic migrations as SQLite

SYSTEMU_STORAGE=file (legacy)

• State stored as JSON files in systemu/vault/
• Zero external dependencies
• Kept for backward compatibility; use the migration tool below to move to SQLite or Postgres

Migrating from file → SQLite or Postgres:

SYSTEMU_STORAGE=sqlite SYSTEMU_DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///./data/systemu.db \
  python -m systemu.migrations.json_to_db --source ./systemu/vault --dry-run

See the Migrating from a pre-pivot install section below for the Postgres path.

---

Project Structure

project-systemu-pro/
├── sharing_on/                         — Capture engine + analyser
│   ├── collectors/                       — Screen, clipboard, file, window monitors
│   ├── analyzer/                         — Step detector, narrative generator
│   │   ├── intent_extractor.py             — v0.6.0 Tier-2 pre-pass that infers
│   │   │                                     outcome-oriented intent before the
│   │   │                                     narrative LLM runs (intent.json)
│   │   └── prompts/                        — Analyzer prompt library
│   ├── output/                           — instructions.md renderer
│   └── cli.py                            — `sharing_on` command entry point
│
├── systemu/                            — Systemu runtime
│   ├── core/                             — Pydantic models (Shadow, Scroll,
│   │                                       Activity, Tool, Skill, Objective…)
│   ├── pipelines/                        — Stage 1→6 transformations
│   │   ├── scroll_refiner.py               — Stage 2 — intent + objectives
│   │   ├── scroll_validator.py             — Pre-flight intent-aware check
│   │   ├── scroll_remediator.py            — v0.6.0 side-by-side fix card
│   │   ├── activity_extractor.py           — Stage 3 — schema-aware extraction
│   │   ├── skill_validator.py              — v0.6.0 GUI-codification check
│   │   ├── skill_recalibrator.py           — v0.6.0 re-author instructions_md
│   │   ├── tool_forge.py                   — Spec → code → save (Gate 1/2)
│   │   ├── tool_dry_run.py                 — v0.5.0 Gate 3.5 validation
│   │   ├── tool_recalibrator.py            — v0.5.0 bump-vs-fork pipeline
│   │   ├── tool_inadequacy_diagnosis.py    — v0.5.0 supervisor diagnosis
│   │   ├── shadow_decision.py              — Stage 5 — intent-aware tiebreak
│   │   ├── refinery.py                     — Post-execution memory consolidation
│   │   ├── evolution_engine.py             — Long-term shadow/skill evolution
│   │   ├── memory_consolidator.py          — Tiered memory consolidation
│   │   ├── cross_shadow_patterns.py        — Promotion of recurring lessons
│   │   └── workshop_module.py              — Operator-driven scroll/shadow edit
│   ├── runtime/                          — Shadow ReAct loop + Supervisor
│   │   ├── shadow_runtime.py               — Per-shadow execute loop
│   │   ├── supervisor.py                   — Activity queue + worker pool
│   │   ├── execution_mind.py               — Intelligent Supervisor (v0.4.0)
│   │   ├── execution_snapshot.py           — v0.5.1 true snapshot resume
│   │   ├── failure_classifier.py           — 10-category failure taxonomy
│   │   ├── tool_metrics.py / shadow_metrics.py — per-id telemetry
│   │   ├── affinity_log.py                 — Activity-shadow routing memory
│   │   ├── inadequacy_tracker.py           — Cross-shadow tool-inadequacy clustering
│   │   ├── rejection_store.py              — Operator-feedback learning
│   │   ├── tool_sandbox.py                 — Subprocess / docker / wsl / ssh exec
│   │   └── tool_registry.py                — Runtime tool loader
│   ├── interface/                        — NiceGUI dashboard + REST API
│   │   └── pages/                          — /chat, /scrolls, /tools, /skills, /workflow
│   ├── messaging/                        — Optional Telegram gateway
│   ├── prompts/                          — Tier-1/2/3 prompt library
│   ├── queue/                            — In-process / SQLite / Redis priority queues
│   ├── storage/sqlite/                   — SQLite + Postgres vault (SQLAlchemy)
│   ├── vault/                            — File-based vault + starter pack
│   │   ├── tools/                          — Starter tool implementations
│   │   ├── shadow_army/                    — Starter Shadow configurations
│   │   └── skills/                         — Starter SKILL.md files (Anthropic
│   │                                         Agent Skills Standard compatible)
│   ├── scheduler/                        — Daemon + recurring jobs
│   └── worker.py                         — Background worker entry point
│
├── alembic/versions/                   — DB schema migrations (0001–0007)
├── extension/                          — Chrome extension for web-event capture
├── docs/                               — Architecture, getting-started, messaging
├── tests/                              — pytest suite (840 passed at v0.6.1)
├── docker-compose.yml
├── Dockerfile
├── install.py / install.sh / install.bat
├── start.sh / start.bat / stop.sh / stop.bat
└── .env.example

---

sharing_on Capture

sharing_on records what you do and produces:

captures/
└── my_task_cap_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS/
    ├── instructions.md       ← Step-by-step workflow guide
    ├── session.json          ← Session metadata
    ├── events.db             ← Raw captured events
    └── assets/               ← Screenshots embedded in instructions.md

The instructions.md is converted into a Systemu Scroll when you submit the capture to the dashboard.

Privacy: keystrokes are NOT recorded; clipboard auto-redacts secrets; no data leaves your machine until the LLM analysis step.

---

Development

# Install with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Apply database migrations
alembic upgrade head

# Generate a new migration after model changes
alembic revision --autogenerate -m "describe_change"

---

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome — from humans and AI agents. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the contribution flow, including the explicit guidelines for AI-authored PRs.

• Report bugs / suggest features → issue tracker
• Security disclosures → SECURITY.md
• Community expectations → CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• Release notes → CHANGELOG.md

---

Project status

Pre-1.0. Current release: v0.7.0 (see CHANGELOG for what's new). The table below summarises what's shipped vs. what's next.

Shipped

Version	Scope
v0.2	silentgrasper → sharing_on capture rename + identity split
v0.3	Three-mode pivot (local / docker-local / docker-enterprise), identity_split, Postgres backend, Telegram messaging gateway
v0.4.0	Intelligent Supervisor MVP — bounded action vocabulary, supervisor-flash bus, cost ledger, scroll validator
v0.4.1	Per-shadow supervisor opt-in, TERMINATE resolution UX, operator-feedback learning, strategy-stream UI
v0.4.2	Activity-shadow affinity routing
v0.4.3	Shadow-level success metrics, Shadow.specialty routing tag, cost-pressure surfacing
v0.4.4	Per-tool success-rate tracking, operator dashboard surfaces, specialty auto-suggest
v0.5.0	Tool readiness pipeline (Gate 3.5 dry-run validation), mid-execution RECALIBRATE_TOOL, bump-vs-fork decision, operator-approved resume
v0.5.1	Recalibration deferred items — override actions, spec-diff visualisation, low-risk auto-approve, cross-shadow inadequacy clustering, true snapshot-based resume
v0.6.0	Intent-aware extraction pipeline (root-cause fix) — capture intent extractor, intent-aware scroll validator + remediation, schema-aware tool/skill selection, skill intent contracts + recalibration, intent-driven tool forge, intent-aware shadow tiebreak
v0.6.1	Post-v0.6.0 hardening — Tool.name path-traversal guard, SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_SCROLLS → SYSTEMU_NON_INTERACTIVE rename with safe-action ordering, RECALIBRATE_SKILL runtime wiring, catalog N+1 fix, batched save_skill resolution

What's next

The next-phase work is open for design. Likely candidates (not yet scheduled):

• Auto-recalibration without operator approval for low-risk skill patterns (telemetry-gated promotion)
• Visual workflow editor on the dashboard (today's UI is read-mostly)
• Multi-tenant deployment + per-operator vaults
• Hosted catalog of community-contributed tools / skills

If you want to contribute, CONTRIBUTING.md is the contribution flow.

---

Troubleshooting

Common operator-environment issues and their fixes.

Windows — "The system cannot find the drive specified" during start.bat

Cosmetic stderr from cmd.exe or PowerShell walking PATH when it contains a stale entry pointing to an unmounted drive (typically an old mapped network drive). Doesn't affect daemon startup.

Diagnose:

$env:Path -split ";" | ForEach-Object {
    if ($_ -match "^[A-Z]:") {
        $drive = $_.Substring(0, 2)
        if (-not (Test-Path $drive)) { Write-Output "STALE: $_" }
    }
}

Fix: remove the offending entry from System Properties → Environment Variables → PATH.

Windows — PowerShell ExecutionPolicy blocks start.bat

start.bat spawns daemon + worker via embedded PowerShell Start-Process. On corporate-locked machines this can be blocked by Group Policy even with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass.

Diagnose:

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

Fix: ask your IT department to whitelist the project directory, OR run start.bat from an elevated terminal where execution policy is unrestricted.

Linux — Capture records empty event streams (Wayland)

Symptom: sharing_on record runs, produces a session folder, but events.db is empty or near-empty. Dashboard works.

Cause: pynput requires X11. Ubuntu 22.04+ and Fedora Workstation default to Wayland.

Fix: log out and select an X11/Xorg session at the login screen (gear icon next to the password field). Daemon, dashboard, and tool execution work fine on Wayland — only capture is affected.

Linux — Missing capture deps (xdotool / xclip)

Symptom: capture produces some events but clipboard/keyboard events are empty.

Fix:

sudo apt install xdotool xclip      # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install xdotool xclip      # Fedora

install.py warns about these at install time but doesn't auto-install (sudo prompt would block the installer).

Stale SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_SCROLLS in .env after upgrade

Symptom: you set SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_SCROLLS=true expecting non-interactive mode; the daemon prompts you anyway.

Cause: the env var was renamed to SYSTEMU_NON_INTERACTIVE in v0.6.1. Hard cut, no alias.

Fix: edit .env, replace SYSTEMU_AUTO_APPROVE_SCROLLS with SYSTEMU_NON_INTERACTIVE, restart the daemon.

install.py and the daemon both emit warnings when the old key is detected.

Daemon crashes with OperationalError: no such column

Symptom: dashboard loads but every page returns 500; logs/daemon.log shows sqlalchemy.exc.OperationalError: no such column: ....

Cause: DB schema is behind the code. Happens when you git pull a release with a new migration but skip re-running install.py.

Fix: start.bat / start.sh (v0.6.1+) auto-runs alembic upgrade head on every start. If you're on an older start script:

python scripts/upgrade_db.py

Or just re-run install.bat / ./install.sh — it migrates as part of setup.

macOS — capture silently records empty events

Symptom: install completes, daemon runs, but sharing_on session captures contain empty event streams.

Cause: macOS requires explicit Accessibility (for pynput keyboard/clipboard) and Screen Recording (for screenshots) grants.

Fix:

1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → click +, add Terminal (or whichever app runs ./start.sh)
2. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording → click +, add Terminal
3. Restart the daemon: ./stop.sh && ./start.sh

install.py (v0.6.3+) prints this guide automatically on macOS; the daemon does not detect the missing grant at runtime.

Python 3.10+ required on Debian 11 / older systems

Symptom: install.py exits with Python 3.10+ required (you have 3.9).

Cause: Debian 11 ships 3.9 by default; Python 3.10+ is required.

Fix: install 3.11 from the system package manager:

sudo apt install python3.11 python3.11-venv       # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install python3.11                       # Fedora / RHEL
brew install python@3.11                          # macOS
winget install Python.Python.3.11                 # Windows

Then re-run with the new interpreter: python3.11 install.py. v0.6.3+ prints these hints automatically.

Invalid key (HTTP 401 from OpenRouter) during install

Symptom: install.py rejects the OpenRouter key with a 401 message and re-prompts.

Cause: the key was mistyped, revoked, or doesn't have model access enabled.

Fix: generate a fresh key at https://openrouter.ai/keys — the installer (v0.6.3+) probe-validates it before writing to .env. After 3 attempts the installer stores the key anyway; correct it manually in .env later, then restart the daemon.

Behind a corporate proxy

Symptom: install hangs at Upgrading pip …, Installing dependencies …, or Validating OpenRouter key ….

Cause: pip, Playwright, and the OpenRouter validator all need HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY env vars set.

Fix: export the vars before running install.py:

export HTTPS_PROXY=http://user:[e-mail]:3128
export HTTP_PROXY=http://user:[e-mail]:3128
python install.py

# Windows PowerShell
$env:HTTPS_PROXY = "http://user:[e-mail]:3128"
$env:HTTP_PROXY = "http://user:[e-mail]:3128"
python install.py

install.py (v0.6.3+) echoes the detected proxy URL (with password masked) at the top of the install log. If no proxy line appears, the vars weren't exported into the shell that ran install.py.

Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4) — install or Playwright errors

Symptom: install or Playwright fails with architecture-mismatch errors on an M-series Mac.

Cause: some PyObjC-using deps or Chromium binaries lag the ARM64 build cycle.

Fix: re-run install under Rosetta:

arch -x86_64 python install.py

install.py (v0.6.4+) prints an info banner on Apple Silicon listing this and other known caveats. Most installs complete natively without intervention.

Docker mode — captured scroll never appears on dashboard (v0.6.6+)

Symptom: sharing_on record completes, you see intent.json + instructions.md in the capture directory, but no scroll lands on /scrolls.

Cause: the host's analyze cannot reach the container's Postgres.

Fix: confirm SYSTEMU_DB_BIND is set in .env:

• docker-local (default): SYSTEMU_DB_BIND=127.0.0.1:5432 — loopback-only binding. Pre-v0.6.6 installs and operators who manually edited .env may have this missing. Re-run install.py --mode docker-local to refresh.
• docker-enterprise: not published by default. To enable for development, set SYSTEMU_DB_BIND=127.0.0.1:5432 AND add a ports: block to the postgres service via a docker-compose.override.yml. Not recommended for production.

After editing: docker compose down && docker compose --profile <local|enterprise> up -d.

Docker mode — dashboard shows different scrolls than the worker writes (pre-v0.6.6 only)

Symptom: dashboard /scrolls lists fewer scrolls than psql shows in Postgres. Activities in the database are not visible in the dashboard's activity feed.

Cause: pre-v0.6.6 dashboard fell back to FileVault when SYSTEMU_REDIS_URL was missing (docker-local intentionally has no Redis). Dashboard wrote to /data/vault/*.json while the worker wrote to Postgres. Split-brain.

Fix: upgrade to v0.6.6+ via ./update.sh (or update.bat). The AppState fix (commit v0.6.6-c) gates the Redis URL requirement on SYSTEMU_QUEUE_BROKER=redis (enterprise only).

Docker mode — elder/shadow memory disappears after docker compose down -v (pre-v0.6.6 only)

Symptom: every container rebuild loses all consolidated learnings. ELDER_MEMORY.md and shadow_<id>/memory/ files are empty on the new container.

Cause: pre-v0.6.6 SqliteVault defaulted memory_dir to /tmp/systemu_memory for Postgres URLs. /tmp in a container is the writable layer, not a volume mount, so it's lost on rebuild.

Fix: upgrade to v0.6.6+. The new default is ${SYSTEMU_VAULT_DIR}/memory, which is volume-mounted and persistent.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.