// Get Started
Own your
infrastructure.
No cloud. No masters. No permission needed.
Local AI, mesh radio, and off-grid payments — one stack that runs entirely on your hardware. No servers. No accounts. No internet needed.
DARKNODE combines three powerful tools into one self-contained app. Commodity hardware. No cloud. No servers.
Runs a quantized LLM via llama.cpp entirely on your machine. No API keys, no cloud calls. Other mesh nodes query it over radio using @bot or !ask.
@bot · !ask · 0.5B–7B modelsBridges to any Meshtastic device over USB. Tracks all nodes, battery, GPS, and sensors in real-time. Range: 5–15 km per hop. No towers. No carriers.
Meshtastic-compatibleBuilt-in Bitcoin wallet + Cashu ecash. Tokens are plain text — send them over radio as messages. Economic activity over a mesh, zero internet required.
Bitcoin + CashuPlug in any Meshtastic-compatible LoRa device via USB. Auto-detected. No manual config.
From any device in range, send @bot question. Mesh routes it automatically.
llama.cpp runs inference fully on-device. Response is broadcast back over the mesh.
Cashu ecash tokens are plain text. Paste into a radio message — recipient redeems offline.
Any Meshtastic-compatible LoRa device works. No radio? AI and wallet still run fine.
Compact ESP32 with built-in OLED display. Best entry-point for new nodes.
Built-in GPS + battery management. Best for portable off-grid nodes.
Modular and configurable. Best for permanent, fixed installations.
Card-sized GPS tracker. Ultra portable with exceptional battery life.
No plugins. No configuration hell. Works on a fresh machine after two commands.
llama.cpp runs locally. No API keys. Choose 0.5B–7B models. Auto-downloaded on install.
Send @bot from any Meshtastic device. Mesh routes it, AI answers, response routes back.
Download, switch, or delete GGUF models via web UI. No terminal after first install.
Plug in your Meshtastic device and it works. Serial port auto-detection with reconnect UI.
Bearer tokens as plain text. Send over radio, hold offline, melt to Lightning when connected.
Everything in ./data/ — messages, nodes, wallet, proofs. No external databases. No telemetry.
Designed for zero internet. All dependencies bundled. Works completely disconnected.
Every line on GitHub. No closed binaries. No analytics. No backdoors. Fork it completely.
Each node acts as both AI host and mesh relay, extending range across the network.
Requires Node.js 18+ and Python 3.11+. The installer handles everything else.
| Feature | DARKNODE | ChatGPT / Claude | Ollama | LM Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works offline | ✓ Full | ✗ Never | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mesh radio bridge | ✓ Built-in | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Off-grid payments | ✓ BTC + Cashu | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| No account required | ✓ Zero signup | ✗ Required | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| No telemetry | ✓ Verified | ✗ Always on | ~ Optional | ~ Optional |
| Hardware cost | $25–60 one-time | $20+/mo forever | PC only | PC only |
| Works in disasters | ✓ Designed for it | ✗ Cloud = dead | ~ PC needed | ~ PC needed |
| Open source | ✓ 100% | ✗ Closed | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
"Set this up on a Raspberry Pi 4 during a 3-day grid-down drill. The mesh stayed up the entire time. AI answered questions about first aid without a single internet request."
"Finally an AI setup that doesn't phone home. Audited the source — no hidden calls, no telemetry. Runs my local LLM for code review without sending anything out."
"Deployed 4 nodes across our mountain trail network. Hikers can query trail conditions and emergency info from Meshtastic radios — no cell signal needed, ever."
No cloud. No masters. No permission needed.