Pelagora — The Open Source Commerce Network

What is a Beacon?

A Beacon is a lightweight server you run locally. It connects to the Pelagora mesh via DHT — no central registry, no account required. Think of it like BitTorrent, but for commerce listings.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ (check with node -v)
The Pelagora Skill (a markdown file you hand to your AI agent)

Step 1 — Hand the Skill to your agent

Download pelagora.md and drop it into your Claude or ChatGPT conversation:

You are a Pelagora setup agent. Follow the instructions in the attached skill file.

Your AI will handle the rest. It reads the skill, runs the installer, and confirms when your Beacon is live.

Step 2 — Verify the connection

Once the agent finishes, check your Beacon is on the mesh:

curl http://localhost:3000/api/status
# → { "beacon": "online", "peers": 7, "mesh": "pelagora-mainnet" }

If you see peers: 0, give it 30 seconds — DHT discovery takes a moment on first boot.

Step 3 — Create your first listing

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/refs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Vintage Leica M6", "price": 1200, "currency": "USD"}'

The Beacon returns a ref_id and immediately broadcasts it to peers. Anyone browsing the mesh can now discover your listing.

What's next?

Install Skills — add auction, rental, or group-buy logic to your Beacon
Browse the mesh — GET /api/browse returns listings from nearby peers
Read the docs — docs.pelagora.org has the full API reference

Tip: Keep your Beacon running in a tmux session or systemd service so it stays discoverable around the clock.