From c223f4c05f54130c7530dfd8442fd9065f7fec31 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alex Godoroja Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:36:58 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] docs: clarify vital vs optional binaries in install section MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Name the three vital binaries the core depends on — pilot-daemon (the node), pilotctl (the CLI), and pilot-updater (the background auto-updater, present when automatic updates are enabled) — and mark pilot-gateway as optional (extras-only; release tarballs ship daemon/pilotctl/updater only; the core runs without it). Correct the installer bullet that implied pilot-gateway always ships, and note the SDKs are libraries over the libpilot C FFI, not a standalone binary. Verified against install.sh and cmd/. --- README.md | 10 +++++++++- 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index ca418668..ac75422f 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ curl -fsSL https://pilotprotocol.network/install.sh | PILOT_EMAIL=user@example.c - Detects your platform (linux/darwin, amd64/arm64) - Downloads pre-built binaries from the latest release (falls back to building from source if Go is available) -- Installs `pilot-daemon`, `pilotctl`, `pilot-gateway`, and `pilot-updater` to `~/.pilot/bin` +- Installs the core binaries `pilot-daemon`, `pilotctl`, and `pilot-updater` to `~/.pilot/bin` (plus the optional `pilot-gateway` when it's present in the build) - Adds `~/.pilot/bin` to your PATH - Writes `~/.pilot/config.json` with the public rendezvous server pre-configured - Sets up system services (**Linux**: systemd, **macOS**: launchd) for daemon and auto-updater @@ -294,6 +294,14 @@ curl -fsSL https://pilotprotocol.network/install.sh | PILOT_EMAIL=user@example.c +**Binaries.** Three are vital — the protocol's core functionality depends on +them: `pilot-daemon` (the node itself), `pilotctl` (the CLI you drive it with), +and `pilot-updater` (the background auto-updater, installed when automatic +updates are enabled). `pilot-gateway` is **optional**: it powers the TCP/HTTP +gateway extras, ships only when built (release tarballs carry daemon/pilotctl/updater +only), and the core runs fine without it. The language SDKs are libraries +(npm / PyPI / Swift) over the `libpilot` C FFI — not a standalone binary. + --- ## Testing