Guest servers

Connect directly to a private test or self-hosted FinderMode server without Patreon.

Guest access is a Finder Mode server setting. It is not a FileDOM option, and a client cannot use it to get around somebody else’s server. It is off by default.

Configure a private server

Set this exact server-side value:

FINDER_MODE_GUEST_ACCESS=true

For local Wrangler development in the Finder Mode repository, put it in apps/game-server/.dev.vars alongside your BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, BETTER_AUTH_URL, and ACTOR_KIT_SECRET. Keep secrets out of version control. This mode needs no Patreon OAuth credentials.

Apply the database migrations in apps/game-server/migrations before starting the server. Guest accounts need 0005_lethal_kinsey_walden.sql or later.

pnpm --filter server db:migrate:local

To self-host, provision your own Worker, D1 database, Durable Object namespaces, and origin, and set the flag in that deployment’s bindings. Do not deploy the repository’s hosted Alchemy stack unchanged, because it names Method Actor’s production resources. The local migration command above does not migrate a remote deployment.

Connect from the app

In Finder Mode, choose your server URL and click Connect to server. The app reads /api/access: a guest-enabled server connects directly, and any other server uses the normal Patreon flow. This needs an app build that includes the direct guest connection flow; updating the server alone is not enough.

Only the exact value true enables guests, and missing Patreon secrets never enable it. On a server with guest access on, the flag overrides both the Patreon campaign check and the pre-release access-token check.

What stays protected

Each guest gets a separate Better Auth user and an expiring session, stored in the app’s server-scoped Keychain entry. Connections, acceptance, blocks, and invitations work as usual, and a guest cannot choose another user’s identity.

Turning the flag off rejects guest sessions for People and gated games.

Before opening a server to the internet

Anyone can create guest identities on an open guest server. Per-account limits do not replace network admission or IP-level abuse controls. Use a private deployment for testing, and do not use this flag as a way to recover production accounts.

See People & invitations for the social features and the repository setup notes for the implementation checklist.