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Fased on Raspberry Pi

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Goal

Run a persistent, always-on Fased Gateway on a Raspberry Pi. Perfect for:
  • 24/7 Fased Agent host
  • Home automation hub
  • Low-power, always-available Telegram/WhatsApp bot

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Hardware requirements

Pi modelRAMFitNotes
Pi 54GB/8GBBestFastest path
Pi 44GBGoodPractical for most users
Pi 42GBOKWorks with swap
Pi 41GBTightMinimal config only
Pi 3B+1GBSlowWorks but sluggish
Pi Zero 2 W512MBToo smallNot a good Gateway host
Minimum specs: 1GB RAM, 1 core, 500MB disk
Recommended: 2GB+ RAM, 64-bit OS, 16GB+ SD card (or USB SSD)

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What You’ll Need

  • Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (2GB+ recommended)
  • MicroSD card (16GB+) or USB SSD (better performance)
  • Power supply (official Pi PSU recommended)
  • Network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
  • ~30 minutes

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1) Flash the OS

Use Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) — no desktop needed for a headless server.
  1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager
  2. Choose OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
  3. Click the gear icon (⚙️) to pre-configure:
    • Set hostname: gateway-host
    • Enable SSH
    • Set username/password
    • Configure WiFi (if not using Ethernet)
  4. Flash to your SD card / USB drive
  5. Insert and boot the Pi

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2) Connect via SSH

ssh user@gateway-host
# or use the IP address
ssh [email protected]

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3) System Setup

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install essential packages
sudo apt install -y git curl build-essential

# Set timezone (important for cron/reminders)
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago  # Change to your timezone

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4) Install Node.js 24 (ARM64)

# Install Node.js via NodeSource
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

# Verify
node --version  # Should show v24.x, or at least v22.14.x
node -e 'require("node:sqlite"); console.log("node:sqlite ok")'
npm --version

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5) Add Swap (Important for 2GB or less)

Swap prevents out-of-memory crashes: 
# Create 2GB swap file
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

# Make permanent
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

# Optimize for low RAM (reduce swappiness)
echo 'vm.swappiness=10' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p

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6) Install Fased

git clone https://github.com/fased-ai/fased.git fased
cd fased
./install.sh --no-onboard

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Option B: Hackable Install (For tinkering)

git clone https://github.com/fased-ai/fased.git fased
cd fased
pnpm install
pnpm build:app
./install.sh --no-onboard
The hackable install gives you direct access to logs and code while still installing the normal fased command — useful for debugging ARM-specific issues.

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7) Join Tailscale before onboarding

For a headless always-on Pi, put the device on your tailnet before onboarding so ongoing access stays private. 
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=fased-pi

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8) Run Onboarding

fased onboard --install-daemon
Follow the wizard:
  1. Gateway mode: Hosting
  2. Gateway auth: token/password as prompted
  3. Wallet/mining: optional; skip unless you are setting up wallet policy or SAT mining
  4. Hosting security: keep access private through Tailscale
  5. Daemon: Yes (systemd)
After the Gateway is online, use the browser Control UI from the selected Agent: Agent > Models for API keys/OAuth and model roles, Agent > Channels for Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord routing, Agent > Services for web/search and API connectors, and Agent > Skills for skill setup.

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9) Verify Installation

# Check status
fased status

# Check service
fased gateway status

# View logs
journalctl --user -u fased-gateway.service -f

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10) Access the Control UI

Since the Pi is headless, use an SSH tunnel: 
# From your laptop/desktop
ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 user@gateway-host

# Then open in browser
open http://localhost:18789
Use Dashboard for overview, Chat to test the Agent, Agents for models, channels, skills, tools, memory, services, and tasks, and Advanced > Nodes for paired device status. Or use Tailscale Serve for always-on private access: 
sudo tailscale serve --bg 443 http://127.0.0.1:18789
This keeps the Gateway loopback-only and gives you HTTPS on your tailnet identity.

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Performance Optimizations

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Use a USB SSD

SD cards are slow and wear out. A USB SSD improves performance and durability: 
# Check if booting from USB
lsblk
See Pi USB boot guide for setup.

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Reduce Memory Usage

# Disable GPU memory allocation (headless)
echo 'gpu_mem=16' | sudo tee -a /boot/config.txt

# Disable Bluetooth if not needed
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth

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Monitor Resources

# Check memory
free -h

# Check CPU temperature
vcgencmd measure_temp

# Live monitoring
htop

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ARM-Specific Notes

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Binary Compatibility

Most Fased features work on ARM64, but some external binaries may need ARM builds:
ToolARM64 StatusNotes
Node.js✅Works great
WhatsApp channel✅Pure JS, no issues
Telegram✅Pure JS, no issues
gog (Gmail CLI)⚠️Check for ARM release
Chromium (browser)✅sudo apt install chromium-browser
If a skill fails, check if its binary has an ARM build. Many Go/Rust tools do; some don’t.

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32-bit vs 64-bit

Always use 64-bit OS. Node.js and many modern tools require it. Check with: 
uname -m
# Should show: aarch64 (64-bit) not armv7l (32-bit)
Since the Pi is just the Gateway (models run in the cloud), use API-based models. Configure this in Agent > Models. If you need a raw config example: 
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "openai/gpt-5.5",
        "fallbacks": ["openai/gpt-5.4-mini"]
      }
    }
  }
}
Use API-based models for the Pi. Local LLMs are usually too slow for a small always-on Gateway host.

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Auto-Start on Boot

Onboarding with --install-daemon sets this up, but to verify: 
# Check service is enabled
systemctl --user is-enabled fased-gateway.service

# Enable if not
systemctl --user enable fased-gateway.service

# Start on boot
systemctl --user start fased-gateway.service

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Troubleshooting

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Out of Memory (OOM)

# Check memory
free -h

# Add more swap (see Step 5)
# Or reduce services running on the Pi

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Slow Performance

  • Use USB SSD instead of SD card
  • Disable unused services: sudo systemctl disable cups bluetooth avahi-daemon
  • Check CPU throttling: vcgencmd get_throttled (should return 0x0)

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Service Won’t Start

# Check logs
journalctl --user -u fased-gateway.service --no-pager -n 100

# Common fix: rebuild
cd ~/fased  # if using hackable install
pnpm build:app
systemctl --user restart fased-gateway.service

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ARM Binary Issues

If a skill fails with “exec format error”:
  1. Check if the binary has an ARM64 build
  2. Try building from source
  3. Or use a Docker container with ARM support

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WiFi Drops

For headless Pis on WiFi: 
# Disable WiFi power management
sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off

# Make permanent
echo 'wireless-power off' | sudo tee -a /etc/network/interfaces

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Cost planning

Actual cost depends on hardware, storage, power, and whether you already own the device. Compare current Pi kit prices against a small VPS before buying hardware only for Fased.

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See Also