Web Deployment

Deploy the OHMind CLI as a web application for remote access

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Quick Start
• Configuration Options
• Network Configuration
• Security Considerations
• Troubleshooting
• See Also

Overview

The OHMind CLI can be deployed as a web application using textual-serve, allowing remote access through a web browser. This is useful for:

• Sharing OHMind with team members
• Accessing OHMind from different machines
• Running OHMind on a server with remote access
• Demonstrating OHMind capabilities

How It Works

textual-serve creates a web server that:

1. Runs the Textual TUI application on the server
2. Streams the terminal output to web browsers via WebSocket
3. Captures keyboard input from the browser
4. Provides a terminal-like experience in the browser

Quick Start

Deploy Command

# Deploy with default settings
python -m OHMind_cli deploy

# Deploy with custom host and port
python -m OHMind_cli deploy --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Access the Application

After starting, access the application at:

• Local: http://localhost:8000
• Network: http://<your-ip>:8000

Configuration Options

Command Line Arguments

Argument	Default	Description
--host	0.0.0.0	Host address to bind
--port, -p	8000	Port number
--title	HEM Design Multi-Agent System — PolyAI Team, CIAC	Browser title
--public-url	http://localhost:<port>	Public URL for WebSocket
--debug, -d	false	Enable debug logging

Examples

# Local development
python -m OHMind_cli deploy --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3000

# Network access
python -m OHMind_cli deploy --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

# With custom title
python -m OHMind_cli deploy --title "OHMind Research Server"

# Behind reverse proxy
python -m OHMind_cli deploy --public-url https://ohmind.example.com

Network Configuration

Binding to All Interfaces

Use --host 0.0.0.0 to accept connections from any network interface:

python -m OHMind_cli deploy --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

This allows access from:

• localhost (local machine)
• LAN IP address (other machines on network)
• Public IP (if port is forwarded)

Localhost Only

For local-only access, bind to 127.0.0.1:

python -m OHMind_cli deploy --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

Behind a Reverse Proxy

When running behind nginx, Apache, or another reverse proxy:

python -m OHMind_cli deploy \
    --host 127.0.0.1 \
    --port 8000 \
    --public-url https://ohmind.example.com

The --public-url is important for WebSocket connections to work correctly.

Nginx Configuration Example

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name ohmind.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_read_timeout 86400;
    }
}

Security Considerations

Authentication

The web deployment does not include built-in authentication. Consider:

1. Reverse proxy authentication: Use nginx or Apache basic auth
2. VPN access: Restrict to VPN users only
3. Firewall rules: Limit access by IP address

Example: Basic Auth with Nginx

location / {
    auth_basic "OHMind Access";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
    
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
    # ... other proxy settings
}

Network Security

• Avoid exposing directly to the internet without authentication
• Use HTTPS when deploying publicly
• Consider rate limiting for public deployments
• Monitor access logs for suspicious activity

Resource Limits

Each connected user runs a separate instance of the CLI. Consider:

• Memory usage per connection
• CPU usage during agent operations
• MCP server connection limits

Environment Setup

Required Environment Variables

Ensure these are set before deploying:

# LLM Configuration
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key"

# Workspace
export OHMind_workspace="/path/to/workspace"

# External Software (if using)
export OHMind_ORCA="/path/to/orca"
export MULTIWFN_PATH="/path/to/Multiwfn"

PYTHONPATH

The deploy command automatically sets PYTHONPATH to include the OHMind root directory.

Startup Output

When deploying, you’ll see:

🌐 Starting OHMind web server...
   Host: 0.0.0.0
   Port: 8000
   Public URL: http://localhost:8000
   Command: /path/to/python -m OHMind_cli

   Access the app at:
   - Local: http://localhost:8000
   - Network: http://<your-ip>:8000

   Note: The app may take a moment to initialize.
   If you see a loading screen, wait a few seconds for the app to start.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Problem: Browser shows “Connection refused”

Solutions:

• Verify the server is running
• Check firewall allows the port
• Ensure correct host binding (0.0.0.0 for network access)

WebSocket Errors

Problem: Application loads but doesn’t respond

Solutions:

• Check --public-url matches actual access URL
• Verify WebSocket upgrade is allowed by proxy
• Check browser console for WebSocket errors

Slow Performance

Problem: Application feels sluggish

Solutions:

• Check network latency
• Reduce terminal size in browser
• Consider running closer to users geographically

MCP Server Issues

Problem: MCP tools not available

Solutions:

• Ensure MCP servers are started before deploying
• Check environment variables are set
• Verify MCP server ports are accessible

Memory Issues

Problem: Server runs out of memory with multiple users

Solutions:

• Limit concurrent connections
• Increase server memory
• Use process manager with memory limits

Production Deployment

Using systemd

Create /etc/systemd/system/ohmind-web.service:

[Unit]
Description=OHMind Web Interface
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=ohmind
WorkingDirectory=/opt/ohmind
Environment="OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key"
Environment="OHMind_workspace=/opt/ohmind/workspace"
ExecStart=/opt/ohmind/venv/bin/python -m OHMind_cli deploy --port 8000
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable ohmind-web
sudo systemctl start ohmind-web

Using Docker

FROM python:3.11-slim

WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN pip install -e .

EXPOSE 8000

CMD ["python", "-m", "OHMind_cli", "deploy", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]

See Also

• CLI Overview - Getting started with the CLI
• Configuration - Environment configuration
• Troubleshooting - Common issues

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*Last updated: 2025-12-23

OHMind v1.0.0*