Tutorial
AI For My
Family
Setting up Spacebot — a self-hosted AI platform — for personal and family use on a $5/month VPS
Based on artlu's Bear Blog · May 2026
01 — Overview

The Setup in Four Steps

  1. 1
    Create a VPS — ~$4/month
    Contabo, OVH, Hetzner, or Digital Ocean
  2. 2
    Create two non-root users
    Main user with sudo + dedicated service user
  3. 3
    Install Tailscale, Cloudflared, Spacebot
    Networking + the AI platform binary
  4. 4
    Configure Spacebot
    LLM providers → Agent personas → Messaging → Exposure
Time Estimate
~30 min
for initial setup, then weeks of refinement
02 — Infrastructure

Create a VPS

  • Open an account with a VPS provider (Contabo, OVH, Hetzner, Digital Ocean, Vultr)
  • Recommended specs: 2 cores, 4 GB RAM, 300 GB SSD — $3.96/mo at Contabo
  • Wait 30 seconds – 5 minutes for provisioning
  • Add the default provider firewall
First Login
ssh root@[nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn] apt update apt upgrade reboot
Upgrade Option
4 cores / 8 GB RAM / NVMe — $4.32/mo
03 — Security

Create Non-Root Users

  • Ask an LLM: "how to harden Ubuntu VPS"
  • Create a non-root user with sudo rights
  • Disable root SSH login; enforce SSH key authentication
  • Set up UFW firewall and enable automatic security updates
Defense in Depth
Use two non-root users:
  • A Main user for general logins (with sudo)
  • B spacebot user — no root access whatsoever
04 — Networking & Platform

Install Tailscale, Cloudflared & Spacebot

Tailscale — Mesh VPN
Zero-config mesh VPN with a generous free plan. Server is only accessible from devices on your private tailnet — not the public internet.
Cloudflared — Secure Tunnel
Encrypted, outbound-only connector. Proxies traffic through Cloudflare's network. Assign a subdomain on your DNS and create access policies via CF Zero Trust.
Use one or both for resilience. No Caddy, nginx, or Traefik needed.
Spacebot — AI Platform
  • Standalone Rust binary — download pre-compiled or build from source
  • Creates its own vector DB, tabular DB, KV store, and web UI
  • Use systemd for auto-restart on reboot
  • Install chrome and opencode on the VPS
05 — Configuration

Set Up Spacebot — LLM Providers

  • Run ./spacebot and follow the CLI onboarding
  • Configure 2–3 LLM providers: a private inference provider as default (Venice.ai, Fireworks), plus cheaper options for less-sensitive tasks
  • Bootstrap on a public provider first, then swap to private — prevents context leakage
Model Tiering
  • EXPENSIVE channel branch worker
  • CHEAP cortex compactor
Philosophy
Use defaults until pain points guide you to tweak. Start simple, refine as you learn your usage patterns.
06 — Agents

Set Up Spacebot — Personalized Agents

  1. 1
    Run Spacebot's agent creation wizard
    Generates standard agent personas out of the box
  2. 2
    Customize each persona via your LLM
    Ask the LLM to refine personalities for distinctive, personalized interactions
  3. 3
    Iterate over days and weeks
    Experimentation cements agents into daily and weekly rhythm
Example Use Cases
  • Personal trainer / dietitian agent
  • Financial advisor agent
  • Tutor / homework helper for kids
  • Coding copilot (senior or junior)
07 — Connect & Expose

Set Up Spacebot — Messaging & Access

Messaging (Optional)
  • Private Discord server + web UI
  • Alternatives: Telegram, WhatsApp
Safely Expose to the Internet
  • Expose port 19898 via Tailscale (private tailnet only)
  • Expose via Cloudflare Tunnel (anyone permitted through CF Zero Trust)
  • Use both for resilience
That's it — your family's AI infrastructure is live.