{title}
+{text}
+
-
- Give your agents
-
-
- - - Open-source agentic deployment -
-
- Give your agents
-
- the access to
-
- follow through.
-
-
-
- Discover your applications, choose what to manage, and let your - agents help operate them. -
-- GroundControl is a self-hosted control plane for your VPS. It - gives agents controlled access through OAuth and MCP, so approved - work can move from a request to a verified result without repeated - access and credential handoffs. -
-
-
- Install GroundControl
-
-
- Already installed? Start here →
+
+
+
+
-
-
+
+
+ Put your
+
+
+ + + Open-source agentic deployment +
+
+ Put your
+
+ agents
+
+ to work.
+
+
+
- + Deploy and operate on infrastructure you own. +
++ Connect ChatGPT or a compatible MCP agent to your applications. + Give it the context and tools to deploy changes, inspect + workloads, and verify the result. You choose its + access. Your infrastructure stays yours. +
+
+
+ Install GroundControl
+
+
+ See agents in action
+
+
+
+ Already installed? Continue setup →
+
+ Self-hosted
+ MCP + OAuth
+ Open source
+
- Docker Compose
- Your VPS
- MCP + OAuth
+
+
+
-
+
- Connect your workloads. Put your agent to work.
+ The product today · actual interface
-
+
- A working connection to your infrastructure
+
+
-
+
+ 01 / From instruction to execution
+Give agents the context to act.
++ GroundControl connects your application’s source, containers, + configuration, and public address. Your agent works from that + shared context, with tools to carry an authorized request through + to a result you can inspect.
- Explore the product
+ {[
+ [
+ "01",
+ "Inspect real application state.",
+ "Ask your agent what is deployed, read the logs, and check service health. It works from your application’s state and deployment history.",
+ ],
+ [
+ "02",
+ "Let your agent take action.",
+ "Approve the capabilities and deployments it can use through OAuth. GroundControl executes supported deployment requests on your infrastructure while holding the credentials.",
+ ],
+ [
+ "03",
+ "Follow through to the result.",
+ "Get runtime checks and public endpoint evidence for the operation. A durable operation ID lets your agent return to the same work after a timeout or in a later conversation.",
+ ],
+ ].map(([number, title, text]) => (
+
+ {number}
+
+ ))}
+
+
+ Why GroundControl
+ Your infrastructure, connected to the agents you use.
+ + Read the story + +
-
You installed it.
Installation is the beginning
+02 / Start with what you have
You installed it.
@@ -69,30 +120,30 @@ export default function Home() {
- The local host is connected. GroundControl can now help you - understand what is running and bring one application into its - control plane. + Start on your computer or connect an existing Linux server. + Add the application you’re building, then decide where and how + its deployments run.
{[
[
"01",
- "Review what was found",
- "Confirm the server, Compose folders, containers and proxy. Correct scan paths when something is missing.",
- "discovery",
+ "Choose your starting point",
+ "Run the launcher on your computer. Choose local Docker or a remote Linux server and open your private setup link.",
+ "getting-started",
],
[
"02",
- "Choose your workload",
- "Enrol an existing application in place, or use Templates to create and enroll a new deployment.",
- "after-install#choose-path",
+ "Add your project",
+ "Pick a folder or a GitHub repository. Keep the source, context and deployments for your application together.",
+ "projects",
],
[
"03",
- "Establish its identity",
- "Check the source, runtime, configuration and public address. Understand tracking and management mode.",
- "first-deployment#management-mode",
+ "Connect or launch a deployment",
+ "Connect an app that already runs, or launch a new instance. Give each deployment its own environment and host.",
+ "projects#deployments",
],
[
"04",
@@ -116,21 +167,24 @@ export default function Home() {
+
= {
...journeyGuides,
- "getting-started": {
- title: "Install GroundControl and claim your instance",
- description:
- "Start on a Linux VPS, reach the private installer through an SSH tunnel, and create your administrator account.",
- outcome:
- "A claimed, healthy GroundControl instance with its local server enrolled.",
- sections: [
- {
- id: "before-you-start",
- title: "What you need",
- body: (
- <>
-
-
-
-
- ),
- },
- {
- id: "tunnel",
- title: "2. Open the private instance from your computer",
- body: (
- <>
-
-
-
- ),
- },
- {
- id: "claim",
- title: "3. Create the owner account",
- body: (
- <>
-
-
-
- ),
- },
- {
- id: "verify",
- title: "4. Verify the installation",
- body: (
- <>
-
- = {
<>
= {
],
},
"first-deployment": {
+ updated: "20 October 2026",
title: "Enrol an existing application",
description:
"Start with an existing Docker Compose application. Give GroundControl an explicit workload identity before granting an agent access.",
@@ -388,28 +224,12 @@ export const guides: Record
-
- Your application is
+ Your infrastructure.
-
- Engineering field notes
- The GroundControl approach
+03 / Autonomy without surrender
- Your application is
+ Your infrastructure.
- more than a container.
+ Your agents.
+
+ Your final say.
- GroundControl connects the source, runtime and public route to - one workload identity. Your team and your agents can work from - that shared context. + Bring a project from your computer or GitHub. Connect its + existing deployments or launch a new instance on your own + infrastructure. Keep your sources and environments together.
- You choose the scope. The control plane holds the infrastructure - credentials and records execution. Verification shows what - worked and what still needs attention. + MCP gives your agent the tools. OAuth defines its access. You + can work through the interface or your agent, using the same + application identity and recorded results. Review and revoke + access from the Agents workspace.
Read the philosophy and core concepts → @@ -142,17 +196,18 @@ export default function Home() {
-
- The work leaves
+ From GitHub push
Used on a real VPS
+04 / Evidence from a real VPS
- The work leaves
+ From GitHub push
- something you can inspect.
+ to agent insight.
- GroundControl deployed RentAWeekend from a GitHub push. ChatGPT - connected through MCP to inspect its health and read the operation - record. + For managed workloads with merge automation enabled, a signed + GitHub push starts a deployment your agent can follow. In this + recorded example, GroundControl deployed RentAWeekend, and ChatGPT + inspected its health and operation record through MCP.
@@ -185,18 +240,19 @@ export default function Home() {
Inspect the deployment record →
- GroundControl: open-source agentic deployment with OAuth and MCP. -
- - Read the article - - + +Where we’re goingProduct direction
+
+ From verified operations
+
From verified operations
to proactive recovery.
+ + Serendepify’s vision is a system that understands service relationships, + tests affected customer journeys, and helps recover from regressions + within an operator’s policy. This is the direction for Autopilot, + not a promise of unattended recovery in today’s release. +
+ Explore the Serendepify vision +
@@ -222,9 +278,9 @@ export default function Home() {
"philosophy",
],
[
- "Discovery & enrollment",
- "Where the scanner looks and what enrollment changes.",
- "discovery",
+ "Projects & deployments",
+ "Folder and GitHub imports, environments and running instances.",
+ "projects",
],
[
"Connect your agent",
@@ -252,13 +308,14 @@ export default function Home() {
- Make your infrastructure
+ Your infrastructure.
diff --git a/content/guide-index.ts b/content/guide-index.ts
index 49e2d9a..52557ec 100644
--- a/content/guide-index.ts
+++ b/content/guide-index.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ export const guideIndex = [
{
slug: "getting-started",
title: "Install & claim",
- short: "Start on your VPS",
+ short: "Start on your computer",
group: "Set up",
description:
- "Installation commands, SSH tunnel, ownership and host checks.",
- keywords: "linux VPS docker bootstrap install claim setup",
+ "Choose local Docker or a remote Linux server and open your private setup link.",
+ keywords: "linux macOS Windows WSL desktop VPS docker bootstrap install claim setup",
},
{
slug: "after-install",
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ export const guideIndex = [
"Review the host scan and follow a checklist for your first application.",
keywords: "next onboarding first steps dashboard workflow",
},
+ {
+ slug: "projects",
+ title: "Projects & deployments",
+ short: "Bring your application together",
+ group: "Set up",
+ description: "Pick a folder or GitHub repository, then connect or launch deployment instances.",
+ keywords: "project folder picker GitHub source import environment deployment local desktop",
+ },
{
slug: "publishing",
title: "Publish over HTTPS",
@@ -58,7 +66,7 @@ export const guideIndex = [
{
slug: "new-deployment",
title: "Deploy a new app",
- short: "Create with Templates",
+ short: "Launch a new instance",
group: "Set up",
description:
"Choose a template, verify source, review configuration and deploy.",
diff --git a/content/guides.tsx b/content/guides.tsx
index f89eeac..f8f62b7 100644
--- a/content/guides.tsx
+++ b/content/guides.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
import type { ReactNode } from "react";
import { Check, Note, Table } from "./guide-parts";
+import { setupGuides } from "./setup-guides";
import { journeyGuides } from "./journey-guides";
import Link from "next/link";
import CodeBlock from "@/app/components/CodeBlock";
import Capture from "@/app/components/Capture";
import EndpointBuilder from "@/app/docs/_components/EndpointBuilder";
export type Guide = {
+ updated?: string;
title: string;
description: string;
outcome: string;
@@ -15,176 +17,9 @@ const install =
"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/teckedd-code2save/groundcontrol/main/scripts/install";
export const guides: RecordStart with one host and one application
- Make your infrastructure
+ Your infrastructure.
- accessible to your agent.
+ Ready for your agent.
- Install privately, claim ownership, and choose the first - workload. + Install GroundControl, choose an application, and connect your + agent. Start with a health check, then explore the operations + your workload supports.
Follow the installation guide @@ -266,13 +323,13 @@ export default function Home() {
- Linux · Docker · root or sudo
+ Choose this computer or a remote Linux server.
- Read the installation guide for prerequisites and host access.
+ macOS / Linux · Windows through WSL · Docker for local installs.
- GroundControl is a privileged host operations tool. Its canonical
- Compose file mounts the Docker socket and host directories such as{" "}
- /opt, /etc and /var/www.
- Install it on a host you intend it to manage. The MCP grant later
- exposes a much narrower set of operations to an agent.
-
- SSH into your VPS, then run this there. The script downloads the
- published image, writes installation files under{" "}
- /opt/groundcontrol, creates persistent database
- storage and starts the container on 127.0.0.1:3003.
-
For an agent or script that needs structured output, use:
-
- Look for claim_required, healthy container checks,
- a claimUrl and its expiry. The claim is single-use
- and lasts 30 minutes by default. Keep its token private.
-
- In a second terminal on your own computer, open a tunnel. Replace{" "}
- YOUR_USER and YOUR_VPS_IP with the SSH
- account and address you normally use.
-
- Leave that terminal running. Open the installer’s full{" "}
- http://127.0.0.1:3003/claim#token=… URL in your
- computer’s browser. The URL reaches the VPS through your tunnel;
- it is not a public management endpoint.
-
- If local port 3003 is occupied, use{" "}
-
- ssh -N -L 13003:127.0.0.1:3003 YOUR_USER@YOUR_VPS_IP
- {" "}
- and change only the port in the claim URL to 13003.
-
- On Claim GroundControl, enter an administrator - username, a password and its confirmation. The password requires - at least 12 characters with upper and lower case letters, a number - and a symbol. The installing agent should not retain it. -
-- The claim code is read from the URL fragment. Submit the form to - establish ownership. If the claim expired before you used it, - rerun the installer on that still-unclaimed instance for a new - claim; an already-claimed instance uses its existing login. -
-- Onboarding opens after claim. The local host should already be - enrolled. You do not need to paste its SSH private key back into - GroundControl. Additional remote servers can be added separately - through Add server. -
-- Run these read-only checks on the VPS. Replace the port if you - changed it during installation. -
-- Continue with{" "} - After installation to - review the host scan and choose your first application. Remote - agents need{" "} - a reachable HTTPS address;{" "} - for a private evaluation, keep using the tunnel. -
- - ), - }, - ], - }, + ...setupGuides, publishing: { + updated: "20 October 2026", title: "Give your instance a stable HTTPS address", description: "Publish the control plane from onboarding, then verify the address your agent client will use for MCP and OAuth.", @@ -198,7 +33,7 @@ export const guides: RecordAfter claim, continue to the onboarding step titled{" "} - Publish this GroundControl instance. Choose a + Publish this GroundControl instance on a Linux server installation. Desktop installations remain local; this publishing flow is for servers. Choose a method appropriate for the host and DNS you control.
Local GroundControl manages Docker workloads. It does not manage native Mac or Windows services. On a server, GroundControl is a privileged host operations tool; install it on infrastructure you intend it to manage.
+ }, + { id: "install", title: "1. Run the launcher on your computer", body: <> +Choose this computer or a remote server when prompted. Local setup uses Docker. Remote setup connects through SSH, installs GroundControl on the server and opens the private tunnel for you.
+You can also choose the destination directly:
+The launcher prints a link on 127.0.0.1. A new instance opens setup; an instance you already own opens login. Local setup writes its configuration to .groundcontrol-desktop in the current folder by default. Retain that folder and the Docker database volume.
Open the complete link printed by the launcher in your browser on the same computer. Its one-time claim token establishes ownership; keep the link private.
+The remote server stays private unless you deliberately publish it. Rerunning the launcher reconnects to an existing installation; it does not upgrade it.
+ }, + { id: "claim", title: "3. Create your owner account", body: <> +On Claim GroundControl, enter an administrator username and a password with at least 12 characters, upper and lower case letters, a number and a symbol. This account belongs to your own instance.
+A claim link is single-use and expires after 30 minutes by default. Rerun the launcher for a fresh link if the unclaimed instance’s link expires. An already-claimed instance uses your existing login.
+The local Docker workspace or destination Linux host is connected automatically. Continue setup to review it; you do not need to add that same host a second time.
Use the private verification step, then review the onboarding summary. On a desktop, the Linux environment belongs to the container; it is not the operating system of your Mac or Windows PC.
+Open Projects → Add project. Pick a folder or a GitHub repository, then connect an existing deployment or launch a new one. Follow the projects and deployments guide.
+A local-only address is for you on this computer. Remote MCP clients need a reachable HTTPS endpoint. The server installation supports publishing over HTTPS; desktop onboarding stays private.
If you are already working in the destination server’s shell, use the canonical installer. Unlike the computer launcher, this command does not open an SSH tunnel on your computer.
+Add -s -- --json after bash for structured installer output. From your computer, forward the default management port with:
Open the server installer’s complete claim link through that tunnel. Server installations live under /opt/groundcontrol by default and use persistent Docker database storage. See upgrade and recovery for maintenance.
A project gives your application or product a home. Its source can be a local folder or a GitHub repository. Its deployments are instances of that application—for example, development on your computer and production on a Linux server.
+A project does not require a Compose file. Compose is one runtime method, alongside a standalone container. Registering source does not automatically build or start an application.
+ }, + { id: "sources", title: "1. Pick a folder or GitHub repository", body: <> +-
+
- Open Projects → Add project. +
- Choose Folder to browse the host’s available locations and select your project folder. You do not need to type a path. For a local desktop install, use the Home, Workspace or Drives locations offered by the picker. +
- Or choose GitHub, select a repository and confirm the project details. Public repositories can be found by owner; private repositories require a GitHub connection with access. GroundControl retains the repository’s default branch. +
- Review the name and source, then add the project. +
Adding source records the project’s identity. It does not move your files or restart existing deployments. Removing a source link does not delete the original folder or repository.
The picker browses the selected host. A remote server’s filesystem is different from your computer’s. If Docker Desktop cannot read a local folder, allow that location in Docker Desktop’s file-sharing settings and select a smaller accessible folder. Windows users browse locations available to WSL and Docker.
Open the project and select Add deployment. Choose the host, give the instance a useful name and set its environment.
+Multiple instances may share source while running in different environments. A source folder alone is not a deployment and is not offered as a running workload to agents.
+Follow existing app enrollment or new deployment setup for the remaining runtime-specific steps.
+ }, + { id: "discovery", title: "3. Keep discovery useful", body: <> +Discovery suggests workloads on the selected host. Compose services from the same stack appear together, and GroundControl excludes its own helper containers.
+Use Dismiss to hide a suggestion you do not want. Undo or Restore hidden brings it back. Dismissing a suggestion does not stop or remove the underlying workload.
+Projects without Compose can still be added through the folder or GitHub flow. Their runtime becomes a deployment only when you explicitly connect or launch an instance.
+ }, + { id: "operate", title: "4. Work from a known deployment", body: <> +Confirm the instance’s host, environment, services and public URL before operating it. Existing deployments, their configuration and their recorded history remain available when you organize them into projects.
+For an external agent, authorize OAuth access to the specific deployments and capabilities it needs. Adding a project or connecting a runtime does not grant external-agent access on its own.
+ }, + ], + }, +}; diff --git a/public/proof/project-deployments-2026-10-20.png b/public/proof/project-deployments-2026-10-20.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5b95702 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/proof/project-deployments-2026-10-20.png differ diff --git a/public/proof/project-import-2026-10-20.png b/public/proof/project-import-2026-10-20.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf8784a Binary files /dev/null and b/public/proof/project-import-2026-10-20.png differ