We documented the boundary between local-first and always-offline

Disclosure: I work with the LynavoDrive team.

We open-sourced the local core of a computer-first file tool, then wrote down the product boundary we kept seeing shortened in discussions:

- initial setup needs internet and the first connection happens on the same LAN;

- after setup, LAN file access can work without public internet;

- the computer must stay online, with the desktop client running and signed in;

- the phone must remain authorized;

- cross-network access is optional and paid, and may use an encrypted relay;

- file access is not full two-way sync or disaster recovery.

The repository contains the local core. Official account, relay, subscription, billing, cross-network access, and update services remain outside it.

For people building local-first products: which boundary is hardest to explain clearly—local vs offline, open-source code vs hosted services, or file access vs sync?

Technical write-up: https://drive.lynavo.io/blog/remote-access-computer-files.html