HivemindOS manual
Hivemind Sync
Hivemind Sync keeps the parts of your hive that should travel between machines available where you need them. It covers shared brain files, approved shared setup, and files deliberately handed from one machine or agent to another.
It does not make your machines public, upload every local file, or turn one computer’s unrestricted access into permission on another.
What Syncs
| What | Why it moves | What does not move with it |
|---|---|---|
| Hive Superbrain vault | Agents on trusted machines can work from the same notes, memories, skills, and work context. | Plaintext secrets and unrelated files outside the vault. |
| Shared Env | A provider or service can be set up once and reused by permitted agents on trusted machines. | Secret values are not written into Obsidian notes. |
| Handoff files | You or an agent can deliberately send an artifact or task package to another machine. | General folder mirroring and secret storage. |
Set Up Brain Sync
Open Brain and choose how the Obsidian vault should sync. Use one owner for continuous vault sync:
- your existing folder-sync provider;
- HivemindOS-managed Syncthing;
- or manual repair only.
If you already trust Obsidian Sync, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Git, or another folder-sync system for this vault, keep using it. HivemindOS does not need to replace it. If you choose built-in Syncthing, HivemindOS pairs trusted machines and monitors the shared vault connection for you.
Do not enable two continuous sync systems for the same vault unless you understand their conflict behavior. When a conflict copy appears, review it before allowing agents to rely on the affected note.
Share Setup Once
Shared Env is the setup-once layer for provider keys and service credentials. Add or import a value from More → Saved keys, choose whether it should be shared, and HivemindOS makes it available to permitted agents on trusted machines.
The Obsidian vault may store the variable name and whether it is configured so agents can discover that a capability exists. The plaintext value stays in the protected shared environment outside the vault.
When a machine is offline, the change waits and reconciles after that machine returns. Removing a shared value also syncs as a removal, so an old offline copy should not silently restore a retired credential.
Projects can still override a shared default with their own local configuration. This makes shared setup a fleet-wide fallback, not a rule that every project must use the same account.
See Shared Env for the full capability and safety model.
Send A File Or Task To Another Machine
Use a HivemindOS handoff when an artifact or task needs to move deliberately. Choose the target machine or agent, add the task context, and send it. The receiver can verify the transfer and acknowledge it after the vault sync reaches that machine.
Good handoff examples include:
- send a generated image to the computer that has the publishing project;
- move a build artifact to a stronger machine for testing;
- give another agent the files and instructions needed to continue a task.
Do not use handoffs for passwords, private keys, recovery phrases, or provider secrets. Use Shared Env or the relevant wallet/account setup instead.
Know When Sync Is Healthy
Fleet and Brain show whether trusted machines and the vault connection are healthy. HivemindOS attempts conservative repairs for common Syncthing problems before asking you to intervene.
If a machine has been offline, allow it time to reconnect and finish syncing before assuming data is missing. When one surface is stale:
- Check that the machine is online in Fleet.
- Check Brain sync health and the chosen vault sync owner.
- Check More → Saved keys separately if the missing item is a credential rather than a note.
- Review Troubleshooting if it still does not converge.
The guiding rule is simple: brain files use your chosen vault sync, secrets use Shared Env, and deliberate artifacts use handoffs.