Springtale ships as a single static daemon (springtaled) plus a CLI
(springtale). There are four supported ways to install it. Pick whichever
matches how you already run things — they all give you the same daemon.
| Method | Use when |
|---|---|
| From source | You want to read or modify the code. Default for contributors. |
| Docker / Compose | You're running on a server, in a container orchestrator, or you don't want Rust on your dev machine. |
| Nix | You're already a Nix user. The flake gives you a reproducible dev shell or a deployable derivation. |
| systemd / launchd | You're installing as a long-running daemon on Linux / macOS. |
There are no pre-built binaries yet. The single-static-binary story is real, we just haven't cut a release. When we do, downloads will appear on the GitHub Releases page.
Whichever method you pick:
- The vault file is written to
~/.local/share/springtale/by default. It contains your Ed25519 identity, your encrypted connector credentials, and your bot session memory. Back it up; if you lose it, you lose your bot. - The HTTP API binds
127.0.0.1:8080by default. Do not bind0.0.0.0without reading the security guide first — Springtale's API expects to be local-only. - The first time you run
springtale init, you set a vault passphrase. There is no recovery flow. Forget the passphrase, lose the vault. - Springtale makes zero outbound connections at idle by design. The only network traffic happens when a configured connector or rule fires.
Springtale's footprint is modest:
| Resource | Idle | Active (10 formations, 5 connectors) |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | ~30 MB | ~150 MB |
| CPU | <1% | ~5% sustained, bursty per tick |
| Disk | ~2 MB binary + vault size (typically <10 MB) | grows linearly with audit retention |
The Tauri desktop adds another ~150 MB (Chromium for the webview, Wasmtime
for any WASM connectors). The web dashboard adds nothing — springtaled
serves the SPA directly.
→ docs/QUICKSTART.md — first bot in 60 seconds
→ docs/guide/first-bot.md — first useful bot
→ docs/operations/ — running it long-term
If something goes wrong, every Springtale error has a stable ID. Run
springtale fix E001 (or whatever ID appears) for a runbook with
recovery steps. See docs/guide/fixing-errors.md.