Daemon Setup

Each project in Launchpad HQ runs a daemon process that reports state back to the central HQ server.

Starting a Daemon

Start a daemon for a project using the --daemon flag:

npx launchpad-hq --daemon

Run this from within the project directory (or devcontainer).

How It Works

The daemon:

1. Connects outbound to HQ via WebSocket (/ws/daemon)
2. Completes an auth handshake using gh auth token
3. Begins reporting project state, Copilot sessions, and terminal output
4. Listens for HQ commands (prompt injection, session attach, etc.)

HQ never reaches into daemons — all connections are initiated by the daemon.

Runtime Targets

When adding a project, you specify how the daemon runs:

Target	Description
WSL + Devcontainer	Daemon runs inside the devcontainer
WSL only	Daemon runs in WSL without a devcontainer
Local folder	Daemon runs directly on the local filesystem

Daemon Lifecycle

Daemons are started explicitly — they are not auto-spawned by HQ.

State	Meaning
Online	Connected and reporting to HQ
Offline	Not connected (stopped or unreachable)

Self-Registration

On first connection, the daemon self-registers with HQ, providing:

• Project repository information
• Runtime target details
• Available capabilities (Copilot SDK, terminal PTY, etc.)