This guide shows how to join an existing Pirate Face torrent, verify the model files, and keep the torrent running as a seed.

You do not need a GPU or a machine that can run the model. You need disk space, a maintained torrent client, and an internet connection you are willing to use for uploads.

The public workflow starts from an existing Pirate Face magnet. Public users can join those magnets. Creating and registering a new Pirate Face torrent requires private infrastructure credentials and is not part of this guide. Do not use SEEDER_API_KEY.

One model, five checks
1Choose→2Download→3Recheck→4SHA-256→5Seed

A live example

Open sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2 on Pirate Face to see an active model page. When this draft was checked, the page had an active Magnet action. The Hugging Face repository lists the license as Apache-2.0.

Magnet availability and swarm state can change. Check the live page before you start. If Pirate Face says No magnet yet, there is no Pirate Face swarm to join for that model.

Example model
EMBEDDINGSsentence-transformers/
all-MiniLM-L6-v2
License
Apache-2.0
Pirate Face
● Magnet active
Upstream
Hugging Face

What you will use:

  • the Pirate Face page for the magnet and checksum information;
  • the Hugging Face page for the model card, files, revision, and license;
  • your torrent client to download and verify torrent pieces;
  • your computer as a seed once it has a complete copy and stays available.

What the checks prove

A model torrent uses two verification layers.

The torrent metadata contains piece hashes. Your client checks every piece as it arrives. A failed piece is rejected and downloaded again.

Pirate Face also displays the official Hugging Face SHA-256 checksums for model weight files. Use those checksums to compare your completed files with the upstream source record.

Torrent force recheck      SHA-256 file check
---------------------      -----------------
Checks torrent pieces      Checks completed model files
Uses torrent metadata      Uses the upstream checksum record
Finds missing/corrupt data Confirms byte-for-byte identity

A matching checksum proves that the bytes match. It does not prove that the model is safe, accurate, or suitable for a particular use.

1. Choose a model to seed

Open Pirate Face Models and pick a page with an active Magnet action.

Check these items before downloading:

Preflight
LicenseApache-2.0 or MIT
MagnetActive on the model page
DiskModel size plus headroom
PathPersistent, never auto-cleaned
NetworkBitTorrent allowed
UploadA limit you can sustain

A single-file GGUF torrent is usually easier to manage than a large multi-file repository. Current single-file torrents can use the Hugging Face file directly as a BEP-19 web seed. Full Hugging Face web-seeding for multi-file directory layouts still requires Pirate Face's planned resolver.

Pick a model whose storage and upload needs fit your machine and connection.

2. Prepare the machine

You can seed from a desktop, home server, NAS, or VPS. Stable storage and uptime matter more than the operating system.

Before starting:

  • update your torrent client;
  • confirm the destination drive has enough free space;
  • check upload caps and hosting-provider rules;
  • decide whether the machine may sleep;
  • confirm BitTorrent is allowed on the network;
  • keep remote-control interfaces on localhost or a trusted private network.

Peers in a BitTorrent swarm can generally see one another's public IP addresses. Torrent traffic is not anonymous. A VPN may change the address visible to peers, but it is not a general privacy or legal guarantee.

What the swarm can see
Your client
public IP visiblePeerPeerTracker / DHT

BitTorrent provides integrity and distribution. It does not provide anonymity.

Transmission and qBittorrent are common maintained clients. Download software from the client's official project site or a trusted operating-system repository.

3. Add the exact magnet

Select Magnet on the Pirate Face model page and let the browser open your torrent client.

Before confirming the transfer:

1. Review the model name, total size, and file list.

2. Select the persistent storage path you prepared.

3. Leave the magnet's trackers, web seeds, and torrent identity unchanged.

4. Confirm that the drive has enough free space.

5. Start the transfer.

The magnet should begin with an info hash and may also contain tracker or web-seed parameters:

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:
       &dn=
       &tr=
       &ws=

Do not trim parameters to make the magnet look cleaner. They help the client find the torrent and its available sources.

Pieces may arrive from a Hugging Face web seed, Pirate Face-operated infrastructure, or another peer. Your client checks them against the same torrent metadata regardless of the source.

4. Verify the completed files

Wait until the torrent reaches 100 percent. Then run the client's force recheck command. The client rereads the files from disk and verifies every torrent piece.

Open Verify on the Pirate Face model page and use its SHA-256 manifest for the same model revision and file selection.

On Linux or another system with sha256sum:

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS

On macOS:

shasum -a 256 model.safetensors

On Windows PowerShell:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\model.safetensors

Compare the full digest, not a shortened prefix. If a checksum fails, stop seeding the suspect data. Confirm the revision and selected files, force-recheck again, and redownload damaged pieces.

5. Keep the seed healthy

A completed download becomes a seed when the client keeps it active and available to peers.

Healthy seed
torrent client
AI model weights● SEEDING100%Recheck: passedDHT: working

Checklist:

  • torrent progress is 100 percent;
  • force recheck completed without an error;
  • the client reports Seeding or Uploading;
  • tracker or DHT status has no persistent error;
  • the storage remains mounted at the same path;
  • the model files have not been renamed, edited, or deleted;
  • the upload limit is sustainable for the connection.

Zero current upload does not mean the seed is broken. It may mean that no peer needs a piece at that moment.

The seeder count on Pirate Face also does not prove that your individual client has been identified. Public Proof of Seed attribution is not live yet. Your torrent client's verified state is the authoritative check for your machine.

If you move the files, use the client's move-data or set-location feature. Run another force recheck after the move.

Let your agent prepare the setup

The agent should inspect the machine first, explain the proposed changes, and ask before it installs software, changes network settings, or starts a large download.

Use the copy button above, or download the plain-text prompt and advanced skill.

You can also download the Pirate Face Seeder skill for agents that support installable skill folders. The skill follows the same public boundary: it joins existing magnets and never requests Pirate Face infrastructure credentials.

The finished state

You are done when the torrent is complete, has passed a force recheck, matches the published SHA-256 checksums where available, and remains active in a seeding state.

Keep the storage path stable. Use an upload limit you can maintain. Check the client now and then for tracker, DHT, disk, or permission errors.