TGC Business Utility System — BUS Core

A local-first inventory and manufacturing core for small shops that need durable control.

No cloud dependency. No accounts. No forced lock-in.
Your data stays on your machine, and the system remains usable offline.

What Is BUS Core?

BUS Core is the sovereign local system of record for workshops that build real things in small batches.

It is meant to be boring in the right ways: stable, predictable, reviewable, and fully usable on its own.

Core owns the canonical business logic, local data model, and operator-safe base workflows. Any Pro or companion tooling is additive around Core, not a prerequisite for using it.

It replaces:

• Spreadsheets
• Paper logs
• Ad-hoc tracking systems
• Expensive SaaS platforms

With:

• One local database
• Real production costing
• Full audit history
• Complete data ownership

It is built for operators who want control and continuity, not SaaS dependency.

Who BUS Core Is For

• Small manufacturing shops
• Makerspaces
• Custom fabricators
• Repair and prototyping shops
• Solo operators

If you build physical products and want local authority over inventory, costing, and operating records, BUS Core is for you.

What It Tracks

• Materials & Consumables
  Track stock by unit (grams, millimeters, milliliters, each), with batch numbers, cost, and purchase dates.

• Recipes
  Define how materials become products. Costs are calculated using FIFO from real purchase batches.

• Assemblies & Products
  Build items from blueprints, set prices, and compare real costs to sales.

• Vendors
  Track supplier pricing and purchasing history over time.

BUS Core focuses on operations and production costing.
It is not a full accounting system—and is not trying to be.

Key Features

• Open Source Core — AGPLv3-licensed local infrastructure
• Precision Inventory — FIFO batch valuation with metric units
• Manufacturing Engine — Recipe-based builds with atomic commits
• Ledger & Audit Trail — Complete movement history
• Local & Private — SQLite database with encrypted backups
• Windows Native, Docker Optional — Native Windows runtime, container support for other environments

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Windows (primary support)
• Linux / macOS (supported via Docker)

Installation (Windows)

1. Download the latest release.
2. Run the .exe file.
3. No installer required.

Note: Windows Defender or SmartScreen may warn on first run. This repo does not currently guarantee automated code-signing for every Windows release.

The application runs in the system tray.
Double-click the tray icon to open the dashboard.

Development Mode

Enable development features by setting:

BUS_ENV=dev

This enables:

• Console output
• Debug endpoints
• Smoke tests (scripts/smoke.ps1)

Development scripts are included in the source tree.

Architecture

See SOT.md for the canonical Source of Truth and system architecture.

Interface Gallery

Dashboard	Inventory

Manufacturing	Recipes

Logs	Settings

Run with Docker

docker pull ghcr.io/true-good-craft/tgc-bus-core:latest

docker run -p 8765:8765 ghcr.io/true-good-craft/tgc-bus-core:latest

(Docker is optional. Native Windows builds are supported.)

Auto-Open Scripts

Windows

scripts\up.ps1

macOS / Linux

./scripts/up.sh

Health Check

curl http://localhost:8765/health

UI:

http://localhost:8765/ui/shell.html

Stop

docker compose down
# or
docker rm -f bus-core

Run Natively (Windows)

Docker is optional.

pip install -r requirements.txt

python launcher.py
# or
.\Run Core.bat

launcher.py is the canonical native entry. It boots the canonical HTTP runtime from core.api.http:create_app() and opens /ui/shell.html.

UI:

http://localhost:8765/ui/shell.html

Data & Persistence

• All data is stored locally in SQLite.
• Docker deployments persist data in /data.
• Default database path:

BUS_DB=/data/app.db

Backups can be encrypted using AES-GCM.

Philosophy

BUS Core is built on three principles:

1. Local-first by default
2. Predictable, operator-safe behavior
3. User owns their data and operating continuity

Software for small shops should preserve trust, not manufacture dependency.

Security & Release Verification

BUS Core runs locally and does not require network access for normal use.

• Windows release builds are produced from scripts/build_core.ps1 and BUS-Core.spec.
• scripts/build_core.ps1 prints optional manual signtool commands, but this repo does not currently guarantee automated code-signing for every release.
• The update check path validates manifest URL, JSON shape, payload size, and strict SemVer only.
• The app does not currently verify artifact checksum or signature before surfacing a release download_url.
• Builds remain reproducible from source.

Note: Windows Defender or SmartScreen warnings may appear for new releases, especially when a binary is unsigned or has not yet built reputation.

License

BUS Core is licensed under the GNU AGPLv3.

You are free to use, modify, and self-host it.
If you offer it as a network service, you must provide source access.

See LICENSE for details.

https://buscore.ca

Maintained by True Good Craft (Canada)