Set up your Beacon

Listing your first item for sale on Pelagora

Save the markdown file, hand it to your AI, and your agent will have you connected and selling in minutes.

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The Path
List your item in minutes
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1

Scaffold Your Beacon

A Beacon is your node on the Pelagora network — a lightweight server that stores your inventory, manages negotiations, and connects you to other nodes. The CLI installer scaffolds everything you need.

terminal
# Scaffold a new Beacon project
$ npx pelagora-cli-installer
 
? Project directory: ./my-beacon
? HTTP port: 3000
? Package manager: npm
 
✓ Project created at ~/my-beacon
✓ Dependencies installed
✓ .env configured

The installer creates a complete project with:

  • package.json with pelagora as a dependency
  • .env with your port and optional Reffo API key (see all config options)
  • uploads/ directory for item photos and media

Using the Pelagora Skill? Just tell your AI agent "I want to run a node on Pelagora" and it will run the installer for you, choosing sensible defaults.

2

Connect to the Mesh

Start your Beacon and it automatically connects to the Pelagora network via the Distributed Hash Table (DHT). No central server, no registration — just peers finding peers.

terminal
$ cd my-beacon && npm start
 
✓ Beacon started on port 3000
✓ DHT connected — 12 peers discovered
✓ Web UI available at http://localhost:3000

Once connected, you can:

  • Browse the network through the built-in Web UI at localhost:3000
  • Search for items listed by other Beacons on the mesh
  • Set your profile — give your Beacon a name, location, and description so others can find you

Want AI access? Install the MCP server with npm install -g @pelagora/mcp and your AI agent can browse the network, manage inventory, and negotiate on your behalf. See the MCP server docs.

3

List Your First Item

Your Beacon is live. Now give it something to sell. Create an inventory item by snapping a photo. , attach a price, and it's immediately discoverable by every other node on the mesh.

terminal
# Create an item via the REST API
$ curl -X POST localhost:3000/api/items \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "Channel Islands Surfboard",
"description": "6ft shortboard, great condition",
"category": "sporting-goods"}'
 
# Add a price offer
$ curl -X POST localhost:3000/api/offers \
-d '{"refId": "item_8x7k2m", "price": 450, "currency": "USD"}'
 
✓ Item published to mesh (12 peers notified)

That's it. Your item is now visible to anyone searching the Pelagora network. You can also do this through:

  • The Web UI at localhost:3000 — point-and-click inventory management
  • Your AI agent via the MCP server — "list my surfboard for $450"

Negotiations are peer-to-peer. When a buyer sends a proposal, you can accept, reject, or counter — all happening directly between Beacons over the DHT. No platform fees, no middleman.

What's Next
You're on the mesh. Now what?
Your Beacon is running and your first item is listed. The Pelagora Skill has more paths to explore!

Set Up the MCP Server

Give your AI agent full access to your Beacon — manage inventory, search the network, and handle negotiations hands-free.

MCP docs

Build Something

Create Skills, extensions, and integrations on top of your Beacon. Rental platforms, reverse auctions, or something entirely new.

Start building

Contribute to Pelagora

Found a bug? Have an idea? The codebase is open. Read the contributing guide and submit your first PR.

Contributing guide

Ready to build on
the open sea?

Grab the Skill, hand it to your AI, and have a Beacon running in minutes.

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