Tobias GesellchenandClaude Sonnet 4.6
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The docs framework renders frontmatter title: as the page heading. Every file that also had a matching # Heading as the first content line displayed the title twice. Removed the redundant H1 and its following blank line from all 91 affected files. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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| AfterTouch Deployment Overview |
AfterTouch replaces the Bose SoundTouch cloud, which shut down on 2026-05-06. There are three ways to run it — pick the one that fits your situation.
Which deployment is right for me?
| Local network host | Cloud / VPS | On-device | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it means | AfterTouch runs on a Raspberry Pi, NAS, or PC on your home LAN. | AfterTouch runs on a remote server you own (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Coolify, …). | AfterTouch runs directly on the SoundTouch speaker itself. |
| Extra hardware | Yes — an always-on machine at home | No — uses a server you already have | No |
| Multiple speakers | Easy — one instance for all LAN speakers | Yes — one instance, managed remotely | One install may serve multiple speakers if port 8000 is LAN-accessible (firmware-dependent; older devices may bind loopback only) |
| Speaker migration | Via the AfterTouch web UI | Via soundtouch-cli on your local machine |
Via SSH into the speaker |
| HTTPS needed | No — HTTP on the LAN is fine | Yes — speakers require a valid certificate | No |
| Updates | Update the host once | Update the server once | SSH into each speaker |
| Good for | Most households; want a central dashboard | No always-on home machine; already have a VPS | Single-speaker; no extra hardware at all |
Option A — Local network host (Raspberry Pi, NAS, PC)
Run AfterTouch on a machine already on your home network. The speaker is pointed at it via a simple URL change — nothing else on the speaker is modified.
| Link | |
|---|---|
| User-friendly walkthrough | External Host Walkthrough — install → discover → migrate → presets |
| Raspberry Pi quick-install | Raspberry Pi Guide — one-command installer, systemd integration |
| Technical reference | Deployment Guide — Docker, Kubernetes, systemd unit, configuration |
Option B — Cloud / VPS
Run AfterTouch on a public server. Because the server can't reach your LAN via mDNS,
speaker migration is done with soundtouch-cli from your local machine, and HTTPS with
a real certificate is required. Read the security notes in the walkthrough before
exposing AfterTouch to the internet.
| Link | |
|---|---|
| User-friendly walkthrough | Cloud Deploy Walkthrough — VPS setup, CLI migration, TuneIn gotcha |
| Technical reference | Deployment Guide — Docker Compose, environment variables, reverse proxy |
| Community field report | discussion #295 — Hetzner + Coolify setup by wimdeblauwe |
Option C — On-device (AfterTouch on the speaker)
AfterTouch runs on the SoundTouch speaker itself. Requires one SSH session to install; after that, the speaker self-hosts its own AfterTouch. Delivers the complete AfterTouch feature set without any extra hardware.
| Link | |
|---|---|
| User-friendly walkthrough | On-Device Install Walkthrough — SSH connection through verified radio preset playback |
| Installer reference | On-Device Installer README — flags, paths, VERSION override, update/rollback |
After choosing a deployment path
Once AfterTouch is running and your speaker is migrated, the next steps are the same regardless of which deployment you chose:
- Health tab — open the AfterTouch UI → Health, and run any QuickFixes shown (especially "empty margeAccountUUID" if present).
- Music sources — the Health tab also shows whether Internet Radio, TuneIn, and Radio Browser are active.
- Presets — use the AfterTouch web UI or
soundtouch-cli preset store-currentto program the physical preset buttons.
For troubleshooting any deployment see TROUBLESHOOTING.md.
Architecture and planning documents
If you're a contributor or interested in the technical design decisions (install patterns, user journeys, Gio/Wails tradeoffs, mini-build discussion), see docs/architecture/DEVICE-LOCAL-INSTALL.md.