Zero-configuration AI on local networks
This website is obviously AI generated, but it has been fact checked and still provides useful information. Hopefully with this website, I could provide a brief overview of the history of my project, the moon's knowledge-based system I built for writing my thesis, and an interactive cognitive walkthrough that goes through the process of setting up Saturn versus traditional API keys.
This website is designed to get a high level idea that could hopefully provide some context to what I've been working on, but I would be more than happy to discuss any questions beyond this point. On my GitHub Saturn-Thesis, you could find the Generative AI Acknowledgement and the Appendix section that is 100% human-written that describes how I used AI in the process of my thesis. Additionally, the Saturn code could be found on its own respective GitHub.
Interactive thesis visualizations
Force-directed graph of every concept, claim, and paper. Drag, search, and filter nodes.
moons.html →Ten-rung walkthrough from "what is streaming?" to Saturn's full architecture.
concept-ladder.html →Side-by-side usability comparison of Saturn vs. traditional streaming setups.
cognitive-walkthrough.html →The project timeline begins below — scroll to follow the path from idea to thesis.
Oct 9, 2025
Joey is paying $100/month for AI services and realizes most people can't afford that. The question: "Why not provide AI at the network level — like WiFi or printers — instead of individual subscriptions?"
Oct 22, 2025
mDNS + DNS-SD chosen. _zeroconfai._tcp.local resolves to IP:port pairs.
Health, models, chat endpoints standardized. Any language with mDNS + HTTP can participate.
Nov 19, 2025
Project renamed from ZeroconfAI to Saturn
(service type becomes _saturn._tcp.local).
VLC extension demonstrated: "Chat with Saturn" menu option
that roasts your media taste using discovered AI.
Nov 26, 2025
Saturn function for OWUI discovers models on launch. Community posts on Reddit surface comparisons to LiteLLM and Requesty — routing-focused, not discovery-focused.
Dec 12, 2025
Ephemeral credential distribution via mDNS TXT records. Keys expire in 10 minutes, rotate every 5 minutes. Like Kerberos tickets for AI access.
Jan 13, 2026
Saturn on a GL-MT300N-V2: 580MHz MIPS processor, cross-compiled Rust binary (2.3MB). Ephemeral key rotation working. Clients discover beacon from router hardware.
Jan 20, 2026
Tested on UCSC networks. Eduroam and UCSC-guest block multicast (AP isolation). mDNS name resolution fails — IT-level deployment needed, not end-user. OpenRouter beacon worked on Mango router's LAN.
Jan 27, 2026
Web admin interface on the router: configure name, priority, backends, API keys, beacon mode. Saturn lives on commodity hardware.
Jan 31, 2026
Forked Open Code (coding agent) to discover AI via Saturn. A developer's IDE finds models on the LAN — no API keys, no config files. First non-chat integration of Saturn into a real dev tool.
Feb 2026
Built a structured knowledge graph (35+ nodes, typed edges) to organize every concept, claim, paper, and component. Transparent argument scaffolding — readers trace how claims connect to evidence.
Feb 2026
1. Zero-config feasibility — 5 mDNS libraries, 3 languages, 7 implementations.
2. Config reduction — sysadmin centralizes; app devs drop 19→4 steps, end users 7→0.
3. Security trade-offs — ephemeral keys mitigate eavesdropping; deliberate divergence from zero-trust.
Mar 2026
Claude (Anthropic) served as iterative thesis advisor — knowledge graph authoring, argument coherence, evaluation design. Fully documented methodology. Every recommendation evaluated and refined by human judgment.
Now
Three interactive tools built to make the thesis explorable: a force-directed knowledge graph, a 10-rung concept ladder, and a cognitive walkthrough comparing Saturn to traditional setups.