Portal Documentation

Portal is a local-first file transfer CLI for people who want to move files between devices without introducing a hosted relay into the workflow. The current architecture is intentionally staged: CLI to CLI is the production path today, and browser clients are being built against the same transfer model.

What Portal is good at right now

Portal already covers the part that matters most for a transfer tool: getting files from one machine to another with as little ceremony as possible.

• Use discovery mode when both devices are on the same network and you want receiver identity confirmation.
• Use direct IP mode when you already know the target address and want the shortest path.
• Send files or folders recursively from the terminal.
• Keep a local history of transfers and export it when you need a record.

Read docs by task

If you are installing Portal for the first time, start here:

• Install Portal
• CLI to CLI flow

If you already have it installed and want command guidance:

• Usage guide
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ

How the current workflow actually feels

A normal Portal session looks like this:

1. The receiver runs portal receive and waits.
2. The sender targets that receiver by username in discovery mode, or by address and port in direct IP mode.
3. Portal transfers the payload directly between the two machines.
4. Both sides can inspect the resulting record in transfer history.

Roadmap Context

Browser support is the next expansion, but architecture documentation stays tied to shipped behavior. Current scope:

• CLI to Browser is in active roadmap scope.
• Browser to CLI is in active roadmap scope.
• CLI workflow remains the stable documented path.

Current capabilities snapshot

• Hierarchical config
• Download directory selection
• Two-stage handshake
• Multiple file support
• Folder recursive sending
• Progress bars
• Logging system
• Transfer history
• History export
• No-compression mode
• Polling and retry logic
• TUI progress header
• Browser transfer flows