Partner

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Getting started ​

This page walks you through your first connection and then how to manage your machines with an account. If Partner is not installed yet, start with the install guide for your operating system.

1. First run — connect without an account ​

As soon as the Partner service is running, your machine has everything it needs to be reached. There is no sign-up step to get started.

Run the status command on the host machine:

bash
partnerd status

You will see two things:

  • Machine ID — a stable identifier for this machine. It stays the same across restarts and reboots.
  • Connection code — a short-lived credential that lets someone start a session with this machine.

To let someone connect, share the machine ID and the current connection code with them. They enter those in their Partner controller to reach your machine.

The connection code rotates

The connection code is deliberately short-lived. It changes when the host restarts and after it is used, and it expires after a few minutes of being idle. This is the same "rotating password" idea TeamViewer uses — if a code has expired, just run partnerd status again (or rotate it manually) to get a fresh one:

bash
partnerd rotate

That's it — the machine is reachable. You can stop here if all you need is occasional, code-based access.

2. Sign in and claim a device ​

If you manage more than one machine, signing in lets you keep a named device list instead of juggling machine IDs.

  1. Sign in. Open the Partner controller app and sign in. Partner uses a standard hosted login.

  2. Claim a device. With a host running, choose Claim for it. The machine is added to your account's device list and bound to you as the owner.

    A machine can be owned by only one account at a time. If a host is already claimed by someone else, the owner must revoke it first before you can claim it.

3. Rename a device ​

Once a machine is claimed, give it a friendly name so you can tell your devices apart:

  1. Select the device in your list.
  2. Choose Rename and enter a name (for example, "Office Desktop").

The name persists across restarts of the host and is visible only to you (and any authorized members of your account).

4. Connect and control ​

From your controller, pick the device you want and start a session:

  • From your device list (signed in): select the named machine and connect.
  • By code (accountless): enter the machine ID and the current connection code.

Once connected, you can view and control the remote desktop. Sessions are peer-to-peer where possible, so your screen data travels directly between the two machines.

5. Revoke a device ​

To remove a machine from your account (for example, before handing the computer to someone else), choose Revoke. The machine drops off your device list and returns to the accountless state — it stays installed and reachable by code, just no longer tied to your account.

Next steps ​

Partner — self-hosted remote desktop.

Install only the signed Partner package. Nothing else is required.