What is HearthNet?
HearthNet is a protocol and reference implementation for coordinating multiple AI agents that manage smart-home devices. It uses Git as an append-only audit log and MQTT for real-time inter-agent communication, ensuring every actuation is authorized, conflict-free, and recoverable — all running on commodity edge hardware.
The Agents
Rupert
Receives user intent, decomposes it into subtasks, issues leases to worker agents, and arbitrates conflicts. The single authority for policy decisions.
Jeeves
Controls lights, speakers, and climate via the Home Assistant REST API. Must hold a valid lease from Rupert before actuating any device.
Darcy
Controls phone settings (DND, focus timers) via ADB. Like Jeeves, requires a lease before making any changes.
Dewey
Maintains the Git ground-truth repository. Validates leases, detects conflicting state changes, enforces freshness, and ensures every event is committed as an auditable record.
Reading the Trace
The demo replays a pre-recorded Git trace from a live prototype run. Each row in the timeline is one Git commit representing a protocol event. Here are the event types you will see:
A new task issued by Rupert to a worker agent.
An agent's reply after completing (or failing) a task.
A lease request, grant, or denial for device access.
An agent actuating a device (lights, speakers, DND, etc.).
Dewey detected conflicting state changes from two agents.
Rupert's arbitration decision on a detected conflict.
Key Properties
| Property | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Authorized Actuation | Lease system — agents must hold a valid lease before actuating any device |
| Conflict Resolution | Dewey detects conflicting state changes; Rupert arbitrates using the Git timeline |
| Freshness Verification | Every lease is bound to a base_commit; stale commits are rejected |
| Full Auditability | Every event (task, response, lease, execution, conflict, resolution) is a Git commit |
| Crash Recovery | Agents re-sync from Git HEAD; expired leases cannot be replayed |
Hardware
The prototype runs entirely on commodity edge hardware: a Mac mini M4 (root agent + MQTT broker), two Intel NUC 11 nodes (x64, 8 GB RAM, Ubuntu 24.04) — one running Home Assistant (Jeeves), one running the Librarian (Dewey) — an Android phone (mobile agent via ADB), and Philips Hue lights. Total cost: ~£400. Networking is via a Tailscale mesh (WireGuard).