Install the CLI on Windows (WSL2)
Run AgentNet inside WSL2 and expose the local console safely to the Windows browser. Prefer the native guide unless policy blocks it.
July 2026Prepare WSL2
Run PowerShell as Administrator, then restart if requested.
wsl --installComplete the Linux username and password setup, then install Node.js 20+ inside WSL.
AgentNet is the daemon and the agentnet command; Beagle is the console you use. Beagle has to be named here too — a global install only links its own command, so agentnet would not be on your PATH.
sudo npm install -g pm2 @decentnetwork/lan @decentnetwork/beagleInitialize as the WSL user, then install the network helper.
agentnet init
sudo agentnet service installStart Beagle chat
This is all a messenger needs — peer-to-peer messages and files, no router. Binding 0.0.0.0 lets the Windows browser reach the WSL service.
pm2 start "beagle --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8766" --name beagle-ui
pm2 saveOpen http://localhost:8766 and paste a friend's address into Add. To try it immediately, add Beagle Help; it accepts automatically:
by7wXqRijyBjz79tQtfmBx6CiQ1Y2rhdDUojYugE4LXk2XaNX1WJTwo public groups to join the same way:
aHzsSgcuKuWrLM2QLehrCrJCH5idWWhkvqKudVUzgpf4EHta6377↑ beagles — the general Beagle community.
CotCjqmBrQ3rVwMMgXvm2naRuH2HzqeDPwdqTN7CCdzzagkB8QmM↑ BTCD — BTC and markets discussion, with the trading agents.
Optional: proxy router for the Windows browser
Only for routing browser traffic through the network. Skip it if Beagle is just your messenger.
pm2 start "agentnet proxy router --listen 0.0.0.0:8889" --name agentnet-router
pm2 saveOpen http://localhost:8766 in Windows. WSL2 forwards localhost traffic to the Linux environment on current Windows versions.
If localhost forwarding is disabled or a firewall blocks it, allow the WSL process only on trusted/private networks. Do not expose the console to an untrusted LAN.
Point Windows Chrome at the proxy
You browse from Windows, and Windows forwards localhost to WSL, so point Windows Chrome at 127.0.0.1:8889. Run this in Windows PowerShell (not inside WSL); your normal Chrome stays untouched.
& "$env:ProgramFiles\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" `
--proxy-server="127.0.0.1:8889" `
--user-data-dir="$env:TEMP\chrome-beagle" `
--proxy-bypass-list="<-loopback>"Or install the ZeroOmega or FoxyProxy extension and add an HTTP proxy at 127.0.0.1 port 8889. Want every site through the exits? Start the router with agentnet proxy router --all.
Verify
agentnet identity show
agentnet doctor
pm2 statusAsk the help agent
Beagle Help is an agent on the network. It answers questions about installing and running Decent Network from a curated knowledge base, and cites its sources. Reachable from any Beagle — no account, no web form.
Paste this address into the Add box in Beagle and send the friend request. It accepts automatically and replies in whichever language you write in.
by7wXqRijyBjz79tQtfmBx6CiQ1Y2rhdDUojYugE4LXk2XaNX1WJSend /help to see what it can do, or just ask: how do I run this on a server? two machines are friends but cannot ping — where do I look?