Connect your first machine
Install the observer on a machine you are authorized to administer. You need Node.js 24 or newer and a Phigon workspace.
1. Install
npm install --global @phigon/observer
The npm package is @phigon/observer; the terminal command is phigon-observer.
Windows, macOS, and Linux releases include their Guardian runner.
2. Choose what to collect
In your workspace, select Connect machine. Choose a profile before generating a one-time pairing code:
| Profile | What appears in Phigon |
|---|---|
| Metadata | Agent presence, state, health, and activity types; no message or tool content |
| Full activity | Supported prompts, replies, commands, tool outputs, and past conversations |
The machine owner reviews the exact scope locally and must accept it. Generating a code does not grant consent. Full activity remains subject to workspace policy and mandatory local secret redaction.
3. Pair and start
Copy the commands from the connection dialog. For metadata:
phigon-observer pair --code YOUR-CODE --consent-profile metadata
phigon-observer run --profile metadata
For full activity, use --consent-profile full when pairing and
--profile full when running. Use the same profile in both commands.
Leave the observer running, or use your organization's managed-service setup. The dashboard can be closed: collection continues in the observer process.
4. Check your machine
phigon-observer doctor --json
Confirm that your machine appears in Phigon and reports a recent connection. Open an agent to inspect its activity and conversations. Coverage indicators show which sources are available, limited, or missing.
With full activity consent, the observer automatically scans supported past conversations and imports permitted source content into the server database. It resumes progress after a restart while live collection continues. Importing history cannot recover content that the source no longer retains or that policy does not permit. Private provider-encrypted reasoning is not decoded.
Updating an existing installation
If you installed the previous phigon-observer npm package, stop its process or
managed service, then switch packages:
npm uninstall --global phigon-observer
npm install --global @phigon/observer
phigon-observer doctor --json
Keep your existing Phigon data directory and restart with the same profile.
Package replacement preserves existing pairing and checkpoints. Update any
managed-service executable path that points directly inside the old package.
Future updates use npm install --global @phigon/observer@latest.