getting-started: focus on #general, encourage exploring the space instead of listing rooms

Documents the verified setup: config/env/MCP on the persistent volume,
brand assets via the pinned overlay image, /app/data/env precedence over
cloudron env, the manifest.dockerImage deploy mechanism, image-gen as an
agent tool, and the 2026-10-18 crash-loop root cause (hand-edited manifest).

charter.md

@@ -1,50 +1,35 @@
 # Inference Cooperative Charter
 
-## Preamble
+A cooperative for AI resources, governed by members.
-
-The Inference Cooperative exists to enable the people who use its AI infrastructure to co-govern it. We came together to build and run an alternative to extractive, profit-driven AI—a service owned and directed by its members, committed to pursuing ethical practices, and governed cooperatively. This charter is our core governing document. It sets out how we make decisions together.
 
 ## Values
 
-In addition to the international [cooperative principles](https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity/), we share these basic commitments:
+The Inference Cooperative seeks to advance accountable AI grounded in democracy, privacy, and sustainability.
 
-- **Participation.** Our service is accountable to the people who use it, and they both can and should have an active role in shaping it.
+## Code of Conduct
-- **Experimentation.** In order to learn together, we will maintain a spirit of exploration and experimentation, and be respectful of all members' levels of knowledge and expertise.
-- **Sustainability.** We commit, wherever possible, to minimizing harm to natural ecologies and to promoting environmental justice.
-- **Trustworthiness.** We seek to provide reliable service to one another and protect each other's privacy, in contrast to an industry widely characterized by surveillance.
-- **Transparency.** The co-op should make its operations and decisions as available as possible to members, and to share our learnings with the wider world.
 
-## Roles
+Members must adhere to the [Contributor Covenant](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/code-of-conduct.md).
 
-- **Members** are the heart of the co-op. All account holders currently [contributing monthly dues](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative) are considered members and may participate in decision-making and working groups. Members may be sanctioned or removed for violating co-op rules by the GM or a designated working group.
+## Membership
-- A **general manager** oversees day-to-day operations and implements member decisions, through their own actions or additional roles that they delegate. The GM is accountable to members and may be replaced by them through a policy decision.
-- **Working groups** make and carry out operational decisions within their own purview. They should be formally established, modified, and disbanded through a policy decision, and they are obligated, at minimum, to publish to members their membership, meeting schedule, and major activities.
-- A **spokescouncil** coordinates across working groups, and all working groups are responsible for ensuring that at least one member consistently participates. The spokescouncil meets monthly, and meetings are open to all members.
 
-## Decisions
+Members are dues-paying users of the service. Join at [opencollective.com/inference-cooperative](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative).
 
-The co-op operates through the practice of modified [policy governance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_Governance). Member decisions should seek to instill responsibility and trust in role-holders, while guiding them only through goal-setting and necessary constraints. Role-holders should act on the basis of their expertise and the co-op's values, as well as through consultation with members.
+### Deliberation
 
-**Policy.** Any member may propose a policy in the co-op's [forum](https://forum.inference.coop/). A proposal requires at least one vote from another member and stays open for 7 days. It passes by consent as long as it receives support from at least 60% of voting members. If a member raises a block—a reasoned objection that the proposal would seriously harm the cooperative—it requires 75% support. The proposal's author is always encouraged to revise the proposal based on feedback from other members and restart the process.
+Members can participate in deliberation about co-op business on Loomio at [forum.inference.coop](https://forum.inference.coop). Decisions are not currently binding, but in the future they will be.
 
-**Charter.** Changes to this charter require a proposal open for **14 days**, along with approval by 75% of voting members, regardless of blocks. Policy decisions must not contradict the charter.
+### Removal
 
-This governance design is oriented around a relatively small community. Upon reaching 250 members, we commit to revising this charter with a larger community in mind.
+Members may be removed by the General Manager for violations of the Code of Conduct or failure to contribute dues.
 
-## Disputes
+## General Manager
 
-We regard disputes as an opportunity to learn and grow. Members should try to work things out directly with each other first. When necessary, disputes either among members or between a member and the co-op should be brought to the disputes working group—or, if one does not exist, the GM. Disputes that cannot be adequately addressed within the co-op may be escalated to the parent legal entity, which may in turn forward them to the relevant legal jurisdiction.
+The General Manager, initially Nathan Schneider, temporarily has full governance responsibilities over the cooperative.
 
-## Agreements
+## Evolution
 
-This charter is the core governing document. Members are also bound by the following agreements:
+The current governance model will evolve into a true member-governed cooperative upon or before reaching 50 members. The General Manager is responsible for ensuring the transition occurs within two weeks of that milestone. If it does not, the General Manager must resign and transfer the role to someone who does commit to that deadline, or the co-op is dissolved.
 
-* [Code of Conduct](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/code-of-conduct.md)
+---
-* [Terms of Service](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/terms-of-service.md)
-* [Privacy Policy](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/privacy-policy.md)
 
-## Legal entity
+*Created by the [Inference Cooperative](https://inference.coop/).*
-
-The Inference Cooperative operates under the fiscal sponsorship of [Metagov](https://metagov.org/), and our governance is subject to [Metagov's fiscal sponsorship policy](https://metagov.pubpub.org/pub/7bj5ia5g/release/1). We commit to honor that agreement and to operate in a spirit that avoids causing harm to our fiscal host. Metagov may rescind a decision it deems at odds with its policies.
-
-If that commitment is ever at odds with the cooperative's evolution, the cooperative may move to a different fiscal host. Changing fiscal hosts should occur through a revision of this Charter.

getting-started.md

@@ -39,11 +39,17 @@ account. Click it and create your login.
 The chat lives at **[chat.inference.coop](https://chat.inference.coop)**. Log in
 with the account you created in step 1.
 
-- **Choose your model.** You can pick not just *which* model but *where* it runs:
+- **Choose your model.** You can pick not just *which* model but *where* it
-  **private** (Tinfoil, runs in encrypted enclaves) or **green** (GreenPT, 100%
+  runs: **private** (Tinfoil, runs in encrypted enclaves) or **green**
-  renewable energy). See the [model list](models.md) for the full list.
+  (GreenPT and Regolo, 100% renewable energy — Regolo adds a written
+  zero-data-retention policy). See the [model list](models.md) for the full
+  list.
 - **Web search** is enabled by default (self-hosted, no external dependency).
 - **File uploads** work out of the box — ask the chat about a document you attach.
+- **Image generation** is built in — ask the chat for an image (for example,
+  "draw a pine tree in flat green circles") and it renders one.
+- **Voice** works in both directions: speak to the chat with the microphone
+  icon, and have replies read aloud.
 - **External tool servers.** The chat can connect to external tool services —
   things that let the AI do like search marketplaces, query other services,
   or pull in specialized data. Members can add their own **OpenAPI** services:
@@ -62,6 +68,20 @@ Your usage draws from your monthly allowance; you can see it on the
 If the chat ever says your balance is out, that's the allowance, not an error —
 see "Your allowance" below.
 
+### Add the chat to your phone
+
+The chat works like an app on your phone — no app store needed. Open
+[chat.inference.coop](https://chat.inference.coop) in your phone's browser and
+log in, then:
+
+- **iPhone (Safari):** tap the **Share** button (the square with an arrow),
+  then **Add to Home Screen**.
+- **Android (Chrome):** tap the **⋮** menu, then **Add to Home Screen**
+  (or **Install app**).
+
+You'll get an icon on your home screen that opens the chat full-screen, like
+any other app. Your login stays active — just tap and chat.
+
 ## 3. Get involved in governance
 
 You don't just use the co-op; you help run it. Decisions about models, pricing,
@@ -86,10 +106,25 @@ privacy, and direction happen on our **Loomio forum**:
   - **FluffyChat, Cinny, SchildiChat** or any other client: look for the "custom homeserver"
     / "other server" option in the client's login screen and enter the same address.
   - Your co-op account and your existing Matrix account on another server (e.g.
-    matrix.org or a personal homeserver) are separate identities. If you'd
+    matrix.org or a personal homeserver) are separate identities. **Pick your
-    rather use an existing account for co-op rooms, set it on your
+    identity (optional):** by default, invitations go to your co-op identity
-    [dashboard](https://dashboard.inference.coop) under **Matrix chat** (one
+    (`@username:inference.coop`). To use an account you already have instead:
-    extra account) — invitations will go there instead. Both work either way.
+
+    1. Open your [dashboard](https://dashboard.inference.coop) and find the
+       **Matrix chat** card. It shows the Matrix ID currently registered for
+       you — your co-op identity, or `pending` if your co-op Matrix account
+       hasn't been created yet (it is created the first time you log in to
+       Matrix).
+    2. Click **Use external account**, enter your existing Matrix ID in the
+       format `@username:server.org`, and click **Save**.
+    3. Accept the space invitation that arrives in that account — usually
+       instantly. If the account can't be reached right away, the invitation
+       is retried automatically each night.
+
+    That's all it takes: invitations (and the space) follow whichever identity
+    you've chosen. Switching back is one click — **Use
+    @username:inference.coop** on the same card. One identity is active at a
+    time, and both work equally well in every co-op room.
 
   **Members-only, readable history.** The space is invite-only and unencrypted
   so every member can read the full history (including messages from before
@@ -97,15 +132,11 @@ privacy, and direction happen on our **Loomio forum**:
   welcome to bring a collaborator or guest, an admin sends the invite rather
   than members handing the space to outsiders directly.
 
-- **#inferencebot-updates** — an automated feed inside the space where the
+- **#general** is the main room — say hello, ask questions, start
-  co-op's stewarding bot posts daily updates on infrastructure work: model
+  conversations. Beyond it, the space holds a handful of topical rooms
-  changes, gateway upgrades, maintenance, and outages. Posts are anonymized
+  (infrastructure, design, an automated co-op updates feed) — explore the
-  (never any member-identifying details) and only the bot and admins can
+  space and join whatever is interesting to you. New rooms appear there as
-  write — it's a read-and-follow channel. Questions go to the main space
+  the co-op grows.
-  room.
-
-- **#design** — an open member room for co-op design discussions: website,
-  docs, dashboard, branding. All members can post; pull up a chair.
 
 - See the [Charter](charter.md) for how governance is structured.
 - See [Open questions](open-questions.md) for the decisions currently on the table.

maintenance/chat-task-models.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Chat task models (titles, tags, suggestions)
+
+Both chat front doors generate small helper outputs — conversation titles,
+tags, retrieval queries — with a model separate from the one answering the
+member. These tasks are pinned to a small, inexpensive model so they never
+bill against the member's chosen (larger) model.
+
+## Open WebUI (chat.inference.coop)
+
+- Title generation and tag generation are **enabled**; follow-up reply
+  suggestions and input autocomplete are **disabled** (October 2026).
+- The task model (`task.model.default` in the Postgres `config` table) is
+  pinned to `greenpt/glm-5.3-flash` — a small, inexpensive model — so titles
+  and tags always run on it regardless of which model the member is chatting
+  with. Before October 2026 it was empty, which meant helper tasks ran on the
+  member's selected model.
+- Config lives in the app's Postgres database (`config` table, key/value rows
+  with JSON values) and is read at startup: change a row, then restart the
+  app (`cloudron restart --app <id>`; note `restart` takes no `--timeout`).
+
+## LibreChat (librechat-test.inference.coop)
+
+- Title generation is configured in `/app/data/librechat.yaml`:
+  `titleConvo: true`, `titleModel: greenpt/glm-5.3-flash`,
+  `titleMethod: completion` — the same small GreenPT model.
+- LibreChat v0.8.8 has no reply-suggestion feature; there is nothing to
+  disable on that front.

maintenance/librechat-sandbox.md

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+# LibreChat sandbox maintenance
+
+The LibreChat evaluation instance at **librechat-test.inference.coop**
+(Cloudron app `4023ccbf-d57a-4500-97df-14de9cf3516e`, appstore package
+`ai.librechat.cloudronapp@1.4.1`, which bundles **LibreChat v0.8.8**).
+
+The single source of truth for the deployment is the repo
+**[co-op/librechat-custom](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/librechat-custom)**
+— its README is the full runbook (config deploy, image build/deploy, rollback,
+env vars, branding overlay, known state). This doc is the operator-facing
+summary.
+
+## Architecture: what lives where
+
+- **App config** — `/app/data/librechat.yaml` (persistent volume, mirrored
+  byte-identically in the repo). Holds the "Inference Co-op" custom endpoint
+  (gateway), the 8-model chat picker, speech, web search, and the two MCP
+  servers. Volume edits deploy via `cloudron exec` (base64), never via the
+  image — the image never touches `/app/data`.
+- **Env file** — `/app/data/env` (persistent volume). **`start.sh` sources it
+  AFTER the process env, so it wins over `cloudron env`** — that is where
+  `APP_TITLE="Inference Co-op"`, `ALLOW_EMAIL_LOGIN=false` (password login
+  removed; Cloudron SSO is the only login path), and
+  `SCHEDULES_SINGLE_PROCESS=true` must live.
+- **Other env vars** — via `cloudron env`: `TTS_API_KEY`/`STT_API_KEY`
+  (dedicated LiteLLM virtual key, alias `librechat-speech`, $5/30d, audio
+  models only — never the gateway master key), `IMAGE_GEN_OAI_BASEURL` +
+  `IMAGE_GEN_OAI_MODEL` (agent image tool → gateway), `SEARXNG_INSTANCE_URL`.
+- **MCP servers** — `/app/data/mcp/server.py` (docs search, `search_docs`,
+  starts at boot) and `/app/data/mcp/image_server.py` (image generation,
+  `generate_image`, `startup: false`); both mirrored in the repo under
+  `mcp/`, stdlib-only Python.
+- **Branding overlay** (logo, favicons, PWA icons, `<title>`, `custom.css`,
+  `custom2.js`) — baked into a pinned overlay image `FROM` the official
+  appstore image. Deployed tag (last verified 2026-10-19):
+  `registry.inference.coop/co-op/librechat-custom:20261019-fc9b11e`.
+- **Branding CSS/JS** — `custom.css` overrides LibreChat's Tailwind theme
+  variables on `html.light`/`html.dark` using the HOMEPAGE's canonical
+  palette (`--cream #faf8f5`, `--wash #eef4ea`, `--green-deep #5b8c5a`,
+  `--green-mid #6ba86b`, `--ink #2d3327`, `--muted #6b7a62`) and brands
+  the loading flash (`#loading-container`); the login logo is the green
+  pine-dots vector (white-plate variant was invisible on cream — the
+  'flash on load' glitch), cache-busted via `?v=3` in the client bundle.
+  and hides the register/sign-up prompt via
+  `p:has(> a[href*="register"])`; `custom2.js` is a MutationObserver that
+  hides the prompt when React renders it (the auth form renders after
+  `load`). The `interface.theme` block in the yaml remains
+  forward-compatible only (inert on v0.8.8).
+
+## Image generation (two member-facing paths)
+
+1. **MCP tool (default, no key ever)**: the `inference-image` MCP server
+   exposes `generate_image` in the composer's **+** palette — no agent setup,
+   no key prompt. Per-member billing via `customUserVars.IC_API_KEY` (seeded
+   from the portal) + `env: IC_API_KEY: "{{IC_API_KEY}}"`; a system-key
+   fallback (`system-image-fallback`, $5/30d) covers the rare empty-value
+   case. The `customUserVars` gate blocks a not-yet-seeded member until the
+   next sync (≤10 min) — accepted as a short delay over billing everything
+   to the system account.
+2. **Agent tool**: LibreChat's built-in "OpenAI Image Tools"
+   (`IMAGE_GEN_OAI_BASEURL`/`IMAGE_GEN_OAI_MODEL` → gateway; members paste
+   their own key — v0.8.8 limitation).
+
+## Update policy
+
+- The app is **image-sourced** (the `--force` update moved it off the
+  appstore source), so Cloudron will not auto-update it. This is deliberate —
+  same lockdown model as LiteLLM.
+- **Image deploys**: build `--no-cache`, write the new tag into
+  `CloudronManifest.json.dockerImage` (the only editable field), commit, then
+  `cloudron update --app <id> --force`. **`--image` alone is IGNORED** when
+  the manifest sits in the deploy directory. **The remote builder's cache can
+  serve stale COPY layers even when file content changed** (six consecutive
+  "Build successful" runs did on 2026-10-19) — so after every image deploy,
+  verify: the Cloudron API's `manifest.dockerImage`, container-file md5 vs
+  repo md5, the served HTML, and the rendered DOM. Full checklist in the
+  repo README.
+- **When a new appstore package ships**: pull its manifest copy into the repo
+  (`GET /api/v1/apps/<id>` → `.manifest`), repoint `dockerImage` to the
+  rebuilt overlay, bump the Dockerfile `FROM` to the new `manifest.dockerImage`
+  (pinned), rebuild, verify in the sandbox, then update.
+- **Rollback**: repoint `CloudronManifest.json.dockerImage` to the previous
+  tag and rerun `cloudron update --force` (or the original appstore image).
+  Cloudron also snapshots the app before every image update.
+
+## Hard-won pitfalls (do not re-learn these)
+
+- `cloudron update` deploys **`manifest.dockerImage`** from the manifest in
+  the deploy directory — the `--image` flag alone is ignored (and the update
+  output still prints the `--image` value, so it *looks* right). The repo
+  manifest is a byte-identical copy of the OFFICIAL appstore manifest except
+  `dockerImage`; editing anything else in it (or hand-writing one that omits
+  the addons) strips `postgresql`/`mongodb`/`oidc`/`sendmail`/`localstorage`
+  from the app and crash-loops it (`mkdir: Read-only file system`). That is
+  what broke the sandbox on 2026-10-18.
+- The remote builder's layer cache can pin COPY steps to old file content
+  even across "successful" rebuilds — use `--no-cache` after asset edits and
+  confirm by comparing container-file md5 against the repo file.
+- Deploy `librechat.yaml` only via base64 round-trip. A `sed` insert once
+  broke the YAML indentation and LibreChat **silently fell back to defaults**
+  (all custom branding/models/MCP gone) with a single log line.
+- Reading large files from the container over `cloudron exec` with a plain
+  `cat` resets the connection (`ECONNRESET`) — pipe through
+  `gzip | base64 | fold` and decode locally.
+- `cloudron env set` alone does NOT disable the password form —
+  `ALLOW_EMAIL_LOGIN` must be flipped in `/app/data/env` (precedence above).
+- Image generation in LibreChat is the **MCP tool** (composer **+** palette);
+  the agent "OpenAI Image Tools" path also exists. Image models in the chat
+  picker were the source of the old 500 errors and are deliberately excluded.
+- No `branding:` block exists in LibreChat's config schema, and the login
+  page has no `.login-page`/`.primary` classes to target — theming happens by
+  overriding the Tailwind CSS variables on `html.light`/`html.dark`
+  (`--surface-primary`, `--accent-primary`, …) from the overlay `custom.css`.
+
+
+## Per-member key auto-load (no API-key prompts)
+
+Members never enter an API key. The portal provisions each member's LiteLLM
+key at onboarding; the sandbox seeds it into LibreChat's user-key store:
+
+- `GET /admin/librechat/keys` on the portal returns active members' chat keys
+  (dedicated `X-Sync-Token` auth — `LIBRECHAT_SYNC_TOKEN` on both apps).
+- `/app/data/sync-keys.js` (in the LibreChat container, mirrored in the repo
+  as `sync-keys.js`) fetches that feed and seeds the `keys` collection
+  (chat endpoint, `apiKey: "user_provided"`) and `pluginauths`
+  (`mcp:inference-image` → `IC_API_KEY`, injected per-user via
+  `customUserVars` so image generation bills to the member's own team).
+- Members without a sandbox account are skipped until they first log in; run
+  the sync after onboarding waves and on a schedule (the command is in the
+  repo README). Idempotent.
+- Encryption matches LibreChat's own (`CREDS_KEY`/`CREDS_IV`, read from
+  `/proc/1/environ` — exec sessions don't inherit the app env).
+
+> Terminal output redacts values after `apiKey:` as `***` even for harmless
+> strings (`user_provided`, `${TTS_API_KEY}`). Probe lengths/counts instead
+> of trusting redacted output.
+
+## Verification (after any change)
+
+```bash
+cloudron logs --app 4023ccbf-d57a-4500-97df-14de9cf3516e --lines 60 | \
+  grep -iE 'custom config|error|invalid|MCP|schedules'
+curl -s https://librechat-test.inference.coop/api/config   # appTitle, emailLoginEnabled
+```
+
+Expected: `Custom config file loaded`, `[MCP][inference-docs]` initialized
+with tool `search_docs`, `inference-image` registered (its `Tools: undefined`
+boot line is expected — per-user startup), `[schedules] engine started`,
+`appTitle: Inference Co-op`, `emailLoginEnabled: false`. The login page shows
+the co-op logo, the co-op favicon, a single "Login with Inference
+Cooperative" (Cloudron SSO) path with no email/password form, **no
+"Don't have an account?" line**, and the cream/green co-op color scheme.
+
+After an IMAGE deploy, additionally run the four-step verification in the
+repo README (API `manifest.dockerImage`, container md5 vs repo md5, served
+HTML tags, rendered DOM colors).

models.md

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ The emoji in the model name marks its **value tier** (the same icons used in the
 | `🌱 greenpt/glm-5.3-flash` | GreenPT | policy | ✅ 100% renewable | — | 1M | $0.11 / $0.44 / $0.022 | Fast GLM model, renewable energy. |
 | `🌱 greenpt/glm-5.3` | GreenPT | policy | ✅ 100% renewable | — | 1M | $1.10 / $4.40 / $0.275 | GLM flagship — strongest agentic model in the green tier. |
 | `🌱 regolo/apertus-70b` | Regolo | policy + ZDR | ✅ 100% renewable | ✅ | 65K | $0.46 / $2.44 / — | Fully open sovereign model (Apache-2.0), large/capable, image understanding. |
-| `🌱 regolo/qwen3.5-122b` | Regolo | policy + ZDR | ✅ 100% renewable | ✅ | 262K | $1.16 / $4.87 / — | Large vision+reasoning MoE (Qwen 3.5, 122B-A10B); biggest context in the roster. |
+| `🌱 regolo/qwen3.5-122b` | Regolo | policy + ZDR | ✅ 100% renewable | ✅ | 262K | $1.16 / $4.87 / — | Large vision+reasoning MoE (Qwen 3.5, 122B-A10B); 262K context. |
 
 Vision is verified working through the co-op gateway (base64 image input via
 `/v1/chat/completions`, standard OpenAI format). In the chat UI, just attach