Local network example

Chat Between Two IP Addresses

Start Alice as the listening node on 192.168.1.20, then start Bob as the connecting client from 192.168.1.30. After the handshake, both sides can send encrypted messages over the same peer session.

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Example Network

Replace these addresses with the real LAN IP addresses from your two computers.

Alice: listening node

Machine IP192.168.1.20
Listen on0.0.0.0:7443
Reachable as192.168.1.20:7443
Data dir./alice

Bob: connecting client

Machine IP192.168.1.30
Listen on0.0.0.0:7444
Connects to192.168.1.20:7443
Data dir./bob

Use 0.0.0.0 only for the local listening address. Use the other machine's real LAN IP address with --connect. Do not use 127.0.0.1 to reach a different computer.

1. Create Identities

Run one terminal on each machine. Each person creates a local encrypted identity and chooses a passphrase.

Alice terminal

pqcove init --name Alice --data-dir ./alice --insecure-dev-mode

Bob terminal

pqcove init --name Bob --data-dir ./bob --insecure-dev-mode

2. Start the Clients

Alice listens first. Bob starts the same client and initiates the connection to Alice's reachable address.

Alice starts the listening client

pqcove client --listen 0.0.0.0:7443 --data-dir ./alice --insecure-dev-mode

Bob starts the connecting client

pqcove client --listen 0.0.0.0:7444 --connect 192.168.1.20:7443 --data-dir ./bob --insecure-dev-mode

Each PQCove client is also a node. "Connecting client" means Bob's client initiates the outbound connection to Alice's listening address. You can also run /lazy inside the client to walk through Alice/Bob, IP, Node/Client, PIN verification, and peer selection.

3. Pair and Verify

After connection, both peers derive the same 9-digit pairing PIN in XXX-XXX-XXX format. Compare it out of band before trusting the peer.

Show peer IDs

pqcove> /peers

Show pairing PIN

pqcove> /pin <peer-id>

Verify inside the shell

pqcove> /verify <peer-id>

Verify from a terminal

pqcove verify <peer-id> --sas --data-dir ./alice

4. Send Messages

Use /use to select an active peer, or send a direct message with /msg.

Bob sends to Alice

pqcove> /use <alice-peer-id>
pqcove> Hello Alice from 192.168.1.30

Alice replies to Bob

pqcove> /msg <bob-peer-id> Hello Bob from 192.168.1.20

Connect Later

If both nodes are already running, either side can connect from the interactive shell.

Alice connects to Bob

pqcove> /connect 192.168.1.30:7444

Bob connects to Alice

pqcove> /connect 192.168.1.20:7443

Finding IP addresses: use ipconfig on Windows, ip addr on Linux, or ifconfig / System Settings on macOS.

Connection checklist: both machines must be on the same LAN, and the firewall must allow inbound TCP on the listening ports, such as 7443 and 7444.