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BunkerAI Setup

BunkerM is the free, open-source, self-hosted MQTT management platform. BunkerAI is the optional cloud AI layer that plugs into BunkerM and adds natural language control, automated agents, and multi-channel messaging. This guide explains both, how they relate, and how to connect them.

BunkerM vs BunkerAI

BunkerM

BunkerM is the core product. It runs entirely on your own hardware as a single Docker container and includes:

  • Eclipse Mosquitto MQTT broker
  • Web dashboard for client, role, and group management
  • Real-time monitoring and logs
  • Smart anomaly detection (Z-score, EWMA, spike, silence)
  • MQTT Browser for live topic inspection
  • REST API for all management operations

BunkerM is fully functional without any cloud connection. Your data stays on your infrastructure.

BunkerAI Cloud

BunkerAI Cloud is an optional hosted service that adds AI capabilities on top of BunkerM. It connects to your BunkerM instance via an API key and provides:

  • AI chat assistant - natural language control of your broker ("create a client", "show me all connected devices")
  • Watcher agents - condition-based automations that trigger when MQTT topic values meet criteria you define
  • Scheduler agents - cron-based jobs that run automated broker actions on a schedule
  • Multi-channel messaging - interact with your broker via Telegram, Slack, or the built-in Web Chat
  • Topic annotations - label topics so the AI understands your data in plain language
  • Shared memory - the AI remembers context across sessions

How They Connect

BunkerM runs locally (in your Docker container). BunkerAI Cloud runs as a hosted service. The connector agent inside BunkerM establishes an outbound connection to BunkerAI Cloud using your API key. No inbound ports need to be opened on your network.

The connection is read/write - BunkerAI can query your broker's status, manage clients and ACL, and subscribe to topics (for agents and anomaly analysis), all via the BunkerM internal API.

Getting Connected

  1. Sign up for a BunkerAI account at bunkeriot.com.
  2. Copy your API Key from the BunkerAI account portal.
  3. In your BunkerM dashboard, go to Settings > Integrations.
  4. Paste your API key into the BunkerAI Cloud field.
  5. Click Connect.

Once connected, the AI features appear in the sidebar: Web Chat, Agents, Anomalies, Annotations, and Subscriptions.

What You Unlock After Connecting

  • Web Chat - built-in browser chat interface for natural-language broker control
  • Telegram bot - chat with your broker on Telegram (requires additional Telegram setup)
  • Slack bot - bring BunkerAI into your Slack workspace (requires OAuth authorization)
  • Watcher agents - condition-triggered automations based on MQTT topic values
  • Scheduler agents - cron-based automated jobs
  • Anomaly alerts via messaging - get notified on Telegram or Slack when anomalies are detected

Community Plan

The Community plan is free and gives you a starter credit allocation to try BunkerAI features. It includes up to 2 agents and standard rate limits. Paid plans with higher credit allowances and more agents are available at bunkeriot.com.

All BunkerM core features (broker management, monitoring, anomaly detection, MQTT Browser) remain fully available regardless of your BunkerAI plan or credit balance.

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