hack-house/README.MD

hack-house

encrypted collaborative terminal sessions with a summoned sandbox

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hack-house is a multi-user, end-to-end-encrypted terminal session. A small crew shares an encrypted chat room and, when summoned, a disposable sandboxed Linux box they drive together — with real Linux users, an owner who delegates the keys, and file transfer in between.

The server never sees plaintext. Messages, files, and terminal output are all relayed as opaque ciphertext. Close the window and the house empties — nothing is written to disk on the server.

hack-house is the evolution of cmd-chat. The Python (Sanic) server is the same proven zero-knowledge relay; the flagship client is now a Rust ratatui TUI. SRP + HKDF→Fernet are byte-for-byte compatible across both, so the original Python client still interoperates.

Features

• End-to-end encrypted — Fernet (AES-128-CBC + HMAC), encrypted client-side before anything leaves your machine
• SRP authentication — the password is never sent over the network (zero-knowledge proof)
• Zero-knowledge server — relays only ciphertext; cannot read messages, files, or terminal output
• RAM only — nothing persisted on the server; close it and history is gone
• Shared sandbox — summon a disposable local / docker / multipass box the whole room can watch and drive
• Real permissions — the sandbox owner grants/revokes drive (keyboard) and sudo (VM superuser) per user
• Encrypted file transfer — /send → /accept with SHA-256 verification
• TLS — self-signed by default, or bring your own cert; --no-tls for local/Tailscale use
• Themes — switchable "vestments" (church · neon · crypt)

Layout

Path	What
hh/	The Rust ratatui client (the flagship)
cmd_chat/, cmd_chat.py	The Python (Sanic) server + legacy Python client
hh/lets-hack.sh	Spin up a local test "clergy" in tmux (server + N client panes)
hh/direnv-autostart/	cd into a directory to auto-launch a session (direnv)

Quick start

1. Build the client + start a server (one command)

The fastest way to see it working is the tmux harness, which builds the client, boots a fresh --no-tls server on 127.0.0.1:4173, and opens a pane per user:

cd hh
./lets-hack.sh                  # alice + bob, tiled in tmux
./lets-hack.sh neo trinity      # custom users
./lets-hack.sh --theme neon     # pick vestments
./lets-hack.sh --kill           # tear it all down

2. Manual setup

Server (Python):

pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 cmd_chat.py serve 0.0.0.0 3000 --password <room-password>

Client (Rust):

cd hh
cargo build --release
./target/release/hack-house connect <server_ip> 3000 <yourname> \
    --password <room-password> --insecure

Flag	Purpose
--password	Room password (required)
--no-tls	Connect without TLS (local / trusted tunnel)
--insecure	Skip TLS cert verification (self-signed certs)
--theme <path>	Load a vestments TOML (see hh/themes/)

3. Autostart with direnv (optional)

cd hh/direnv-autostart
./setup.sh           # installs direnv, hooks your shell, allows this dir

After that, cd into the directory launches a single session for the logged-in user with a freshly minted in-memory room password (revealed in-app with /pw). Nothing is written to disk.

Using it

Type to chat. Slash commands and keys:

Command / key	Action
<text> ↵	Send an encrypted chat message
/help · F1	Help overlay
/pw	Show this room's password (local only — never broadcast)
/theme [name]	Switch vestments, or list them
/send <path>	Offer a file (or directory) to the room
/accept · /reject	Respond to a pending file offer
/sbx launch [local|docker|multipass] [image]	Summon the shared sandbox
/sbx stop	Tear down the sandbox you host
/drive · F2	Take the shared shell (Esc releases)
/grant <user> · /revoke <user>	Owner: delegate/withdraw drive
/sudo <user> · /unsudo <user>	Owner: delegate/withdraw VM superuser
Ctrl+C · Ctrl+Q	Quit gracefully
Ctrl+C (while driving)	Interrupt the running command
Ctrl+R	Reconnect after a drop
↑/↓ · PgUp/PgDn · mouse wheel	Scroll chat / sandbox scrollback

File transfers are chunked (64 KB), encrypted with the room key, relayed as ciphertext, and SHA-256 verified on arrival. Files land in ./downloads/.

Securing your connection

• Tailscale (recommended) — both parties join a tailnet; traffic rides an encrypted WireGuard tunnel, no port forwarding. Connect with --no-tls over the trusted tunnel, or keep TLS on.
• LAN — use your local IP; both devices on the same network.
• Public internet — forward the port and use a real cert (--cert/--key on the server).

Share the room password out-of-band (in person, a disappearing Signal message, or a one-time-secret link) — never over an unencrypted channel.

How it works

CLIENT                              SERVER                         CLIENT
  │── POST /srp/init {A} ──────────►│                               │
  │◄── {B, salt, room_salt} ────────│                               │
  │  derive room_key = HKDF(password, room_salt)                    │
  │── POST /srp/verify {M} ────────►│                               │
  │◄── {H_AMK, ws_token} ───────────│                               │
  │══ WSS /ws/chat?ws_token ═══════►│◄══════════════════════════════│
  │  encrypt(msg, room_key) ───────►│──── ciphertext ──────────────►│
  │                                  │        decrypt(ct, room_key)  │
  │  server stores ONLY ciphertext — it cannot read messages        │

• SRP — both sides prove they know the password without transmitting it.
• Room key — each client derives HKDF(password, room_salt) independently; the server never holds it.
• Sandbox — the host runs a PTY locally and relays its output as encrypted _sbx frames; drivers' keystrokes flow back the same way. Permissions are enforced both at the app layer (drive ACL) and in the VM (real unix users / sudo).

Crypto parity

cd hh
cargo run -- selftest                              # offline: Rust SRP ≡ Python golden vectors
cargo run -- handshake <ip> <port> <name> --password <pw> --no-tls

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Security reports: see SECURITY.md.

License

MIT · hack the planet