TekForge Commons
A small, private space where the conversation can start at the actual topic. Not an audience. Not a following. Just people who build things, think about systems, and have something to say.
What this is
TekForge Commons exists because some conversations don't have a natural home. The ideas that sit at the intersection of homelab infrastructure, tabletop campaigns, systems thinking, and whatever you were working on at 11pm -- those don't fit neatly into a subreddit or someone else's Discord.
This is hand-picked and deliberately small. Not because the bar is high, but because small is better. A space where you actually know who you're talking to, where threads go somewhere, and where nobody is performing for an algorithm.
The goal isn't growth. It's signal. If any of that sounds like the kind of place you've been looking for, the door is real and the entry process is simple.
What's inside
Eight channels. Starting lean -- more can grow from here.
How to get in
No open registration. No link that anyone can grab. Entry is by request, reviewed manually.
Send a request to Keryx
Keryx is the herald at the gate -- the intake route for Commons requests. Use the request page to introduce yourself: who you are, what you're building or working on, and how you found your way here. That's it. One short form, no account, no application maze, no hoops.
If it's a fit, you'll get a single-use invite link back along with a brief rundown of what to expect inside. If the timing isn't right or the mix isn't there yet, you'll hear that too.
No rush. No quota. No guarantee. The list is short by design, not by gatekeeping -- the right size is whatever lets the conversation stay good.
What's expected
Short list. Plain language. Not a legal document.
- Share what you know. This is a commons, not a stage. Knowledge moves in both directions.
- Disagree like an adult. Strong opinions are welcome. Bad faith isn't.
- Stay on the right side of the obvious lines. No harassment, no bad actors, no content that would make a reasonable person uncomfortable to be associated with.
- The invite is yours, not transferable. Don't share it. If someone you know should be here, send them to keryx.
- This is a real place run by a real person. If something's wrong, say so.
About the platform
TekForge Commons runs on Revolt, a self-hosted, open-source chat platform. No third-party company owns your conversation history. No algorithm decides what you see. No ads.
The server runs on TekForge infrastructure -- the same stack this site runs on. That means when something breaks, the person responsible is the same person who built it and the same person in the server with you.
Revolt has a web client at thecommons.tekforge.dev -- no installation required. Desktop and mobile apps are available and can be pointed at a custom server. The web client is the most reliable path for now.