Create the required farmer account
Create a farmer account first. A provider account is mandatory, even when you already own a suitable Mac. It links the machine to you and gives you the portal for node management, rental earnings and payout requests. The renter account serves a different purpose.
Verify your email, then complete the Partner Agreement. In the farmer Compute page, use Create compute agent key. The reviewed portal requests account:read and compute:supply scopes for this key. Copy it into the installer's hidden prompt; keep it private. The signup client gates protected pages on email verification. Provider documentation
An installed node also needs supplier approval before listing. The documentation says the team reviews the measured tier and a signed, countersigned Partner Agreement. Account creation, model readiness and approval are separate steps.
Check the Mac before downloading
The current agent requires Apple Silicon, at least 24 GB of memory, macOS 14 or later, native arm64 Node.js 18 or later and native arm64 Python 3.10 or later. Use a supported Node.js release that meets the minimum. A Node or Python installation running through Rosetta can fail the architecture checks. Agent source, Node.js releases
Allow at least 26 GB of free disk space for the smallest setup. Its catalog model is approximately 16 GB; the installer reserves working space as well. Larger configurations need more disk and memory. Check the model catalog and Apple Silicon hardware guide for the assigned model.
Keep the Mac plugged in, awake and connected during a rental. The service starts at user login; launchd does not prevent lid-close sleep. Restarting macOS or signing out deserves an availability check before you assume that the node is serving again.
Install the agent and its managed runtime
The September 11 review covers agent version 0.3.1. Its installer creates a private Python environment at ~/.proxies-compute/runtime-0.31.3; you do not need the older manual MLX installation sequence. The source pins MLX LM 0.31.3, MLX 0.31.2 and Transformers 5.4.0. These are reviewed installer versions, not a claim that they are the latest upstream packages. Installer source
node --version
node -p 'process.arch'
python3 --version
python3 -c 'import platform; print(platform.machine())'
curl --fail --show-error --location --output compute-agent.js https://agents.proxies.sx/compute/compute-agent.js
# Read the downloaded source before installing it.
node compute-agent.js --install
The installer asks for your compute supply key without echoing it, saves the key in ~/.proxies-compute/config.json with mode 600 and copies the agent into ~/.proxies-compute. Moving the original download should therefore leave the installed copy in place. It creates the sx.proxies.compute launchd service. Python's virtual environment documentation explains how a private environment separates packages from system Python.
These commands document the current installer. No provider installation was performed for this guide. Use troubleshooting if a prerequisite or download fails.
Complete verification and supplier approval
Run the installed copy's status command:
node ~/.proxies-compute/compute-agent.js --status
Then open Compute in the farmer portal. The agent selects a catalog model that fits the machine, downloads its pinned revision and serves it locally. Check each stage before proceeding.
| Stage | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Account | Verified email, Partner Agreement and compute supply key. |
| Agent | Installed service and a recent heartbeat in the portal. |
| Model | The assigned catalog model reaches ready state. |
| Verification | The platform has measured the node with its benchmark. |
| Supplier approval | The platform has approved the node and countersigned agreement. |
| Pricing | Review the locked rental price, platform percentage and your remaining share in Compute. |
| Listing | Enable List for rent in the Compute dashboard. |
The provider documentation describes another benchmark after seven days when the node is free. More installed RAM alone does not guarantee a higher rental tier. Verification and admission
Manage income and costs in the farmer portal
Admin locks the rental price and platform percentage for your node. Your share is the remainder, visible in Compute. You can submit one pending price proposal per node with a reason. Approval changes the effective price for future purchases and renewals; rejection leaves it unchanged and shows the review note. Accepted rental terms keep their agreed price and split. Pricing reference
Successful paid rentals accrue your approved share. Listing alone and free test allocations produce no rental earnings. Accrued earnings, settled ledger entries and completed payouts are separate states. The September 11 facts snapshot reports settlement in shadow mode: admin review and settlement are required before payout. Check current status in the dashboard. Earnings and payment facts
Use Earnings to review income and Payouts to manage payout requests. The provider calculator accepts your approved price and share alongside unrented time, electricity and other costs.
Compute nodes serve inference and are excluded from proxy routing. The Peer Network is the separate bandwidth product. Do not add a second bandwidth revenue stream to a compute forecast without a separately supported arrangement. Provider product scope
Before updating or removing an actively rented node, arrange the interruption through the portal or support. Reinstallation restarts the service. The documented uninstall command is node ~/.proxies-compute/compute-agent.js --uninstall; model caches can remain afterward. Inspect individual snapshots before deleting files another local application may share.
Sources and references
Reviewed September 11, 2026. Product statements come from public APIs, provider documentation and published application code. Technical references explain the evaluation methods. Authenticated rental and payout behavior has not been tested.
- Dated compute product facts. PROXIES.SX.
- Compute operation and pricing reference. PROXIES.SX.
- Compute provider documentation. PROXIES.SX.
- Compute agent source. PROXIES.SX.
- Python virtual environments. Python Software Foundation.
- Node.js release schedule. Node.js project.