---
title: "Run the connector"
description: "The CLI and background process that connect your machine to Noket."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.noket.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run the connector

The Noket connector is the part that runs on the machine with your models. It ships as two binaries:

- `noket` — the command-line client: log in, manage upstreams, start and stop the tunnel, and inspect
  what is happening.
- `noketd` — the background process that keeps the tunnel open, probes upstreams, and forwards
  inference requests to them.

You need the connector only if Noket should reach a model on your hardware or network. Sharing a public
API you already have credentials for does not need it.

## The path

1. [Install Noket](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/install/) — binaries, `PATH`, completions, and the login item.
2. [Log in](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/login/) — approve the CLI in the browser and store the token on this machine.
3. [Add and manage upstreams](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/upstreams/) — describe each LLM API the connector can reach.
4. Run `noket up` and create a model in the [console](https://docs.noket.dev/console/models/add-model/) bound to this node.

If you already have a server running, the [local model guides](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/local-models/) cover Ollama,
vLLM, LM Studio, and Anthropic-compatible servers.

## How the pieces relate

A **node** is one machine running the connector. Its node id is created on the first start and stays with
the machine. An **upstream** is an LLM API reachable from that machine. A **model** in the console can
be bound to one upstream model id on one node; the tunnel connects the two.

The connector holds the upstream keys in [`config.toml`](https://docs.noket.dev/reference/files/) on that machine. Noket stores
them encrypted for external models and never sends a tunnel model's upstream credentials to the
browser.

## Everyday commands

| Command | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| `noket status` | Account, node, connector state, and log path. |
| `noket up` / `noket down` | Start or stop `noketd` in the background. |
| `noket upstream list` | Upstreams, their protocols, addresses, and models. |
| `noket upstream test NAME` | Probe one upstream and list what it serves. |
| `noket tui` | The same work in a full-screen terminal interface. |

The [CLI reference](https://docs.noket.dev/reference/cli/) documents every command and flag.

## Keeping it running

The installers enable the connector at login, so it starts when you sign in and restarts if it fails. If
you install with `--no-autostart`, you can still run `noket up` yourself or set up supervision later;
see [Run as a service](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/run-as-service/).

## Next

- [Use the terminal UI](https://docs.noket.dev/connector/tui/)
- [How the tunnel works](https://docs.noket.dev/concepts/how-the-tunnel-works/)
- [Security and privacy](https://docs.noket.dev/concepts/security-and-privacy/)

Source: https://docs.noket.dev/connector/index.mdx