Connect a Mac running Train at Home to the subnera hub, step by step

This guide walks through the one procedure that links a Mac to subnera hub: creating an account, getting a one-time token, and pasting it into the menu bar app. For what the hub offers once you are connected, see the fleet hub overview. subnera is unofficial and not affiliated with IOTA, Macrocosmos or Bittensor.

You need subnera already running on the Mac. If it is not installed yet, start with the install guide.

1. Create an account

1. Open app.subnera.com↗ and choose Create account.
2. Enter an email address, a password and the password confirmation, then submit.
3. Optional: later, on the account page, use Add passkey to sign in with your fingerprint, face or device PIN. Your password keeps working.

Sign-up is open by default, but an operator can close it on a given hub. In that case the page says "Sign-up is closed on this hub."

2. Pick or create a pool

A pool is the group of Macs you see together on one dashboard. Creating your account also creates a pool named Personal, so you can skip this step. To make another, go to New pool, type a Pool name and press Create pool. Roles and sharing are covered in the pools and roles guide.

3. Generate the install token

1. Open the pool's page. The dashboard opens on your preferred pool.
2. Press + Add machine. A panel shows the hub URL and a token starting with tok_.
3. Copy both. Keep the panel open until the Mac is connected.

The token is valid for one hour (the panel shows its expiry time) and works once. Whoever holds it can add a Mac to that pool, so do not post it. The button only appears if your role in the pool lets you manage machines (admin or owner). If you close the panel and lose the token, generate another.

4. Paste it into the menu bar app

1. On the Mac, click the subnera menu bar icon and choose Remote Dashboard Settings….
2. In Hub URL, enter the address shown in the panel. It must start with https:// (plain http:// is accepted only for localhost).
3. In Install token, paste the token.
4. Press Connect.

The status line changes to "Connected as m_…", and the Mac appears in the fleet grid, normally within seconds. The fields are then locked until you press Disconnect.

What the Mac stores and reports

Enrolling gives the Mac a private key, which subnera keeps in the macOS Keychain on that device only. The hub URL and machine identifier are kept in the app's preferences. Until you enroll, the app sends nothing to the hub.

Once connected, the app sends a report roughly every 10 seconds over HTTPS. A report contains:

• host facts: machine name, Mac model, macOS version and uptime;
• the subnera and official app versions, and the public hotkey;
• whether the official app is running, whether orphan workers exist and whether the watchdog is on;
• the state the app already tracks: phase, queue position, layer, tokens and passes per hour, speed tests and update status.

Log lines are sent only while you request a live log stream from the hub. Wallet private keys are never read or sent. A machine counts as online while its last report is less than 90 seconds old.

Optional: Allow remote control

In the same window, Allow remote control (start / stop / restart / watchdog) is off after every enrollment, and you can only tick it once the Mac is connected. Until you do, the Mac ignores commands from the hub. Untick it at any moment; it takes effect without reconnecting. More in the remote control consent guide.

Manage a machine from the hub

Open the machine from the grid. At the bottom of its page:

• Rename: edit Machine name (up to 60 characters) and press Rename. This needs the admin or owner role.
• Move to pool: choose a pool and press Move. You need to manage machines in both pools. A lent Mac can go back with Back to lender.
• Revoke: after a confirmation, the Mac stops reporting immediately and its key is invalidated.

Disconnect or revoke

From the Mac, open Remote Dashboard Settings… and press Disconnect. This removes the key from the Keychain, forgets the machine and switches remote control off, without needing the hub. The machine stays listed on the hub, as offline, until someone revokes it there.

From the hub, press Revoke. The Mac's menu then shows "Remote: revoked — reconnect in Remote Dashboard Settings…". To bring it back, generate a new token and connect again.

Common enrollment failures

Message on the Mac	Cause and fix
Enter an https:// URL.	The Hub URL is empty or not HTTPS. Copy it from the Add machine panel.
Paste the install token.	The token field is empty.
Token invalid, already used or expired.	Tokens last one hour and work once. Generate a new one and paste it without extra characters.
Too many attempts — wait a minute and try again.	The hub limits enrollment attempts. Wait, then retry.
Could not store the key in the Keychain.	macOS refused the write. Unlock the login keychain, allow access and press Connect again.
This hub requires a newer version of subnera. Please update.	The hub speaks a newer protocol than your app. Update the app.
Failed: Hub returned an unexpected error (HTTP 409).	The hub answers 409 when the account has reached its machine limit. Revoke a Mac you no longer use, then retry the same token if it has not expired.
Failed: followed by a network error	Check the Mac's connection and the hub URL. The app does not follow redirects, so use the exact address shown by the hub.

If the Mac connects but the menu shows "Keychain access denied", relaunch the app and allow access, or press Disconnect and enroll again with a new token. For a Mac that is connected but looks stuck, see the registration states guide and the troubleshooting guide.