salts-tools

Everyday use

The salts-tools screen, the commands you will use day to day, and what to do when something stops working.

Once salts-tools is installed, it mostly looks after itself. It checks on every tool every 30 seconds, restarts anything that has stopped, and reconnects your agents if your computer goes to sleep or changes network. This page covers the few things you might want to do yourself.

The salts-tools screen

Run npx salts-tools in a terminal to open a screen that shows what is running on your computer and lets you choose what each agent gets. It has four tabs:

Tab	What it shows
1 Services	Each tool and whether it is `live` (an agent uses it), `live · not in use` or `error`. Every tool your computer can run is always on. Press Enter on a tool for its address, its log and where its files live.
2 Agents	The agents you have added to this computer, and the tools on for each. Press a to add an agent by its ID or its link. Press Enter on an agent to switch its tools on or off, fix anything marked to do, or unregister it, which turns off its tools and removes it from the list.
3 Settings	Whether the computer is connected, whether salts-tools starts at login, and where its files live. disconnect unpairs this computer.
4 Log	What salts-tools has been doing, newest at the bottom.

Tab

1 Services

What it shows

Each tool and whether it is live (an agent uses it), live · not in use or error. Every tool your computer can run is always on. Press Enter on a tool for its address, its log and where its files live.

Tab

2 Agents

What it shows

The agents you have added to this computer, and the tools on for each. Press a to add an agent by its ID or its link. Press Enter on an agent to switch its tools on or off, fix anything marked to do, or unregister it, which turns off its tools and removes it from the list.

Tab

3 Settings

What it shows

Whether the computer is connected, whether salts-tools starts at login, and where its files live. disconnect unpairs this computer.

Tab

4 Log

What it shows

What salts-tools has been doing, newest at the bottom.

Use the arrow keys or the numbers 1 to 4 to move around, Esc to go back, and q to quit. When something is wrong, the line under the list tells you what to do about it. Quitting the screen leaves your tools running.

Everyday commands

Command	What it does
`npx salts-tools`	Starts salts-tools if it is not running (connecting your computer the first time), then opens the salts-tools screen.
`npx salts-tools start`	Starts salts-tools without opening the screen.
`npx salts-tools stop`	Stops everything. The next `npx salts-tools start` brings back the same tools.
`npx salts-tools restart`	Gets a fresh address. Your agents follow it on their own.
`npx salts-tools autostart on`	Starts salts-tools when you log in. Use `off` to turn this off.
`npx salts-tools disconnect`	Unpairs this computer and takes its tools off every agent. Run `npx salts-tools` to pair it again.
`npx salts-tools reset`	Disconnects this computer, takes its tools off every agent and forgets everything, so you can start again from scratch. The matchmaker's people and jobs and the analyst's files are kept.

Command

npx salts-tools

What it does

Starts salts-tools if it is not running (connecting your computer the first time), then opens the salts-tools screen.

Command

npx salts-tools start

What it does

Starts salts-tools without opening the screen.

Command

npx salts-tools stop

What it does

Stops everything. The next npx salts-tools start brings back the same tools.

Command

npx salts-tools restart

What it does

Gets a fresh address. Your agents follow it on their own.

Command

npx salts-tools autostart on

What it does

Starts salts-tools when you log in. Use off to turn this off.

Command

npx salts-tools disconnect

What it does

Unpairs this computer and takes its tools off every agent. Run npx salts-tools to pair it again.

Command

npx salts-tools reset

What it does

Disconnects this computer, takes its tools off every agent and forgets everything, so you can start again from scratch. The matchmaker's people and jobs and the analyst's files are kept.

Footnotes

If your agent stops using a tool, check that your computer is awake and online, then run npx salts-tools restart.
If the screen says disconnected, the computer was unpaired. Run npx salts-tools to connect it again.
If a tool says error, the line under the list says why, for example what to install.
If a tool stays on starting for a long time, look at the 4 Log tab to see what it is waiting for.