Developer Guide¶
Off-the-shelf satellites cover a lot of ground — but sooner or later you'll want to build something that isn't in the box. A satellite of your own. A client tucked inside an app you're writing. A brand-new transport, a different brain, a policy that enforces your own rules. Maybe a clean-room implementation of the protocol in another language entirely. This is the section for that: writing code against HiveMind rather than just running it.
Not a developer? You can skip this whole section.
Running hivemind-core and connecting off-the-shelf satellites needs no code — see Quick Start and Satellites. Come back here when you want to build something new.
What's in this section¶
| Page | Use it when you want to… |
|---|---|
| Client Library | Connect to a hive from Python — send/receive messages, handle encryption, reconnect. |
| Protocol Specification | Implement HiveMind in another language, or understand the exact wire format byte-for-byte. |
| Writing Plugins | Add a new transport, agent backend, database, or permission policy. |
| Testing | Write end-to-end tests for satellites, hivemind-core, or whole mesh topologies. |
Which layer are you extending?¶
HiveMind is plugins all the way down. Match what you're building to its plugin family:
| You want to add… | Plugin family | Start at |
|---|---|---|
| A new way bytes travel (e.g. a custom socket) | Network protocol | Writing Plugins |
| A new AI backend that answers requests | Agent protocol | Writing Plugins · Plugin Architecture |
| A new place to store client credentials | Database | Writing Plugins |
| A new rule for who may do what | Policy | Security & Permissions |
| A handler for raw audio/binary streams | Binary protocol | Audio Binary Protocol |
For the concepts behind these families, read Plugin Architecture first.
Next: Client Library — the fastest way to talk to a hive from code.