Overview

Homebutler consolidates your homelab operations into one cross‑platform binary. You can monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage across multiple servers via SSH, manage Docker containers on any host, wake devices with Wake-on-LAN, perform port scans and network discovery, and receive resource alerts through a beautiful TUI dashboard. All of this runs without external dependencies, making it ideal for self-hosted environments and AI-assisted workflows.

How This Skill Works

Homebutler runs as a single self-contained binary with built‑in SSH, Docker API interactions, Wake-on-LAN, port scanning, and network discovery modules. You connect to your remote hosts over SSH to fetch CPU/memory/disk metrics and issue Docker commands (start/stop/restart/logs). Network discovery finds devices and open ports, while resource alerts monitor configurable thresholds and surface notifications in the CLI or TUI. The tool exposes a unified CLI and AI-assisted interface, plus optional OpenClaw integration for conversational control via your preferred assistant.

When to Use It

• When you manage multiple homelab servers and want centralized visibility from the terminal.
• When you need to start, stop, or restart Docker containers across hosts without juggling multiple tools.
• When you want to wake up remote servers using Wake-on-LAN to perform maintenance windows.
• When you need ongoing network visibility—port scanning and device discovery—to keep your homelab secure and mapped.
• When you require proactive resource alerts (CPU, memory, disk) with configurable thresholds and clear alerts.

Quick Start

1. Install Homebutler (macOS, Linux, Windows) via brew: brew install Higangssh/tap/homebutler
2. Or download the latest binary from the GitHub Releases page and place it in your PATH
3. Run an initial setup to define hosts, SSH keys, and Docker endpoints (for example: homebutler init or homebutler configure)
4. Start using: homebutler status to see a consolidated view, homebutler docker ls to list containers, or ask your AI assistant (e.g., 'Check my server status' or 'Restart the nginx container').
5. Optionally connect OpenClaw: clawhub install homeserver and use natural language queries like 'Check my server status'.

Best Practices

• Use SSH keys with key-based authentication and disable password logins for security.
• Define per-host credentials and separate Docker endpoints to avoid cross‑host side effects.
• Tune alert thresholds to balance visibility with noise; start with conservative defaults and tighten over time.
• Regularly update to the latest binary to benefit from new diagnostics and security fixes.
• Pin critical commands (e.g., restart scripts) to your TUI dashboard for quick access and auditing.

Example Use Cases

• Monitor a 4‑node homelab (2 Linux servers, 1 NAS, 1 VM) from a single pane with CPU/memory/disk metrics and alerts.
• Manage cross-host Docker workloads: start/stop/restart nginx and database containers from any host via a unified CLI.
• Wake on LAN maintenance window: power on a headless server, run updates, then shut it down again according to policy.
• Perform a quick network sweep: discover devices on a 192.168.1.0/24 subnet and identify open ports to verify new devices.
• AI-assisted checks: ask the assistant to 'Check my server status' and receive a summarized health report with actionable items.

Frequently Asked Questions