meeting notes sig-client #26

sig-clients/meetings/026-2026-04-21.md

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+# Akash Network - Client Special Interest Group (SIG) - Meeting #26
+
+## Agenda
+
+* Akash Console User Experience Improvements
+* Onboarding Flow Redesign
+* Reverse Auction & Provider Selection Improvements
+* Akash ML Updates
+* Home Node Beta Program Updates
+* Client Ecosystem Contributions and Feedback
+* Open Discussion and Community Feedback
+
+
+## Meeting Details
+
+* **Date:** April 21, 2026
+* **Time:** 10:00 AM PDT
+* **Recording:** Coming Soon
+* **[Transcript](#transcript)**
+
+
+## Participants
+
+* Tyler Wright
+* Joshua Meyer
+* Jannick Haus
+* Joao Luna
+* Rodri R
+* Joshua Meyer
+
+# Meeting Notes
+
+## Opening Remarks & SIG Clients Overview
+
+* Tyler Wright opened the SIG Clients bi-monthly meeting and welcomed all participants
+* Explained that SIG Clients focuses on:
+  * Akash Console
+  * Client applications built on Akash
+  * User experience improvements
+  * Open-source and closed-source ecosystem tooling
+* Highlighted that historically the meeting primarily covered Akash Console updates from the Overclock Labs core team
+* Noted that the ecosystem now includes multiple teams actively building products and clients on top of Akash Network
+* Encouraged builders to:
+  * Demo products
+  * Share updates
+  * Request feedback
+  * Discuss challenges and ideas
+* Mentioned active ecosystem efforts around:
+  * [AI agents](https://agents.akash.network/)
+  * Abstraction layers
+  * Additional client tooling
+
+---
+
+## Akash Console & User Experience Improvements
+
+* Tyler Wright handed discussion over to Joshua Meyer from the core product and design team
+* Joshua Meyer shared updates regarding major improvements currently being designed for Akash Console
+
+### Onboarding Flow Redesign
+
+* Product and design teams actively redesigning the Akash onboarding experience
+* Team using an analytics-driven approach to identify major user drop-off points
+* Existing onboarding flow being reworked to:
+  * Reduce friction
+  * Simplify onboarding
+  * Improve intuitiveness
+  * Improve account security
+  * Reduce free trial abuse
+* Design and product teams currently finalizing:
+  * User flows
+  * Copywriting
+  * Interaction details
+* Development expected to begin shortly after internal review completion
+* Team expressed strong confidence in the new onboarding direction
+
+---
+
+## Reverse Auction & Provider Selection Improvements
+
+* Joshua Meyer shared updates regarding redesign of the deployment and provider selection experience
+* Current reverse auction workflow identified as an area requiring usability improvements
+* Product and engineering teams collaborating on technical implementation plans
+
+### Planned Improvements
+
+* Users will be able to preview potential providers while configuring deployment requirements
+* Goal is to create a more familiar marketplace-style experience
+* Improvements intended to:
+  * Help users make more informed deployment decisions
+  * Improve provider visibility
+  * Reduce failed deployment attempts
+  * Reduce confusion during provider selection
+* Current issue identified where users:
+  * Build SDLs
+  * Submit deployments
+  * Reach provider selection stage
+  * Receive few or no bids
+* Planned redesign aims to significantly reduce this friction
+
+### Deployment Experience Optimization
+
+* Team also focused on reducing the amount of time between:
+  * Deployment creation
+  * Provider selection
+  * Deployment execution
+* Additional work still required around:
+  * Technical implementation
+  * UX refinement
+  * Marketplace interaction flows
+* Development expected to begin once revisions are finalized
+
+---
+
+## Console Repository & Community Feedback
+
+* Tyler Wright reminded contributors that feature requests and issues can be submitted through the Console repository
+* Encouraged community members to:
+  * Submit detailed bug reports
+  * Request features
+  * Participate in SIG discussions
+* Mentioned that SIG Support meetings remain available for:
+  * Technical troubleshooting
+  * Product feedback
+  * Ecosystem discussions
+
+---
+
+## Akash ML Updates
+
+* Tyler Wright invited Jannick Haus to provide updates regarding Akash ML
+* Jannick Haus shared upcoming plans for Akash ML improvements
+
+### Upcoming Akash ML Features
+
+* Additional AI models planned for future release
+* Team working on introducing image generation functionality
+* Image generation expected to be added during the same week as the meeting
+* Continued focus on improving usability and accessibility of Akash ML Playground
+
+### User Support & Feedback
+
+* Users experiencing issues with:
+  * Navigation
+  * Playground functionality
+  * Akash ML tooling
+  were encouraged to contact support
+* Community feedback encouraged to improve overall ML experience
+
+---
+
+## Home Node Beta Program Updates
+
+* Tyler Wright shared updates regarding [Akash Home Node](https://homenode.akash.network/)
+* Home Node discussed as a client-focused initiative designed to simplify provider onboarding
+
+### Home Node Early Access Beta
+
+* Active beta currently available for users with:
+  * NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPUs
+  * NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs
+* Home Node designed to allow individuals to:
+  * Join provider clusters
+  * Contribute compute resources
+  * Earn rewards through Akash Network
+* Goal is to abstract away complexity involved in becoming an Akash provider
+
+### Accessibility & Simplified Provider Onboarding
+
+* Home Node intended to simplify the provider onboarding process for less technical users
+* Traditional provider setup recognized as:
+  * Structured
+  * Well-documented
+  * Potentially intimidating for newer participants
+* Home Node provides a simplified ISO-based onboarding experience
+* Additional GPU support expected in future releases
+
+### Community Participation
+
+* Community members encouraged to:
+  * Join the beta
+  * Test Home Node
+  * Provide feedback
+  * Participate in ecosystem discussions
+* Tyler directed interested users to:
+  * `homenode.akash.network`
+  * Early access beta signup resources
+
+---
+
+## Ecosystem Clients & Open Source Contributions
+
+* Tyler Wright highlighted that multiple open-source and closed-source clients are actively being developed within the Akash ecosystem
+* Encouraged ecosystem builders to:
+  * Participate in SIG Clients meetings
+  * Share demos and updates
+  * Collaborate with other contributors
+  * Use Discord channels for asynchronous discussions
+* Mentioned growing ecosystem activity around:
+  * AI agents
+  * Client abstraction layers
+  * Deployment tooling
+
+---
+
+## Closing Remarks
+
+* Tyler Wright thanked Joshua Meyer and Jannick Haus for providing ecosystem updates
+* Reminded contributors that:
+  * SIG Providers would occur the following week
+  * SIG Support and Steering Committee meetings were scheduled soon after
+* Encouraged community members to continue participating across:
+  * SIG meetings
+  * Working groups
+  * Discord discussions
+  * GitHub repositories
+* Meeting concluded with appreciation for ecosystem contributors and participants
+
+---
+
+## Action Items
+
+### Core Product & Design Team
+
+* Finalize redesigned onboarding flow for Akash Console
+* Begin development of onboarding improvements
+* Continue refinement of reverse auction and provider selection workflows
+* Improve deployment creation and provider visibility experience
+
+
+### Engineering Team
+
+* Continue implementation planning for provider selection redesign
+* Improve deployment flow performance and usability
+* Support onboarding security and anti-abuse improvements
+
+
+### Akash ML Team
+
+* Add new AI models to Akash ML
+* Launch image generation functionality
+* Continue improving ML Playground usability
+* Respond to user support requests and feedback
+
+
+### Home Node Team
+
+* Continue testing and refinement of Home Node beta
+* Expand GPU compatibility beyond 4090 and 5090 GPUs
+* Improve onboarding experience for new providers
+
+
+### Community Members & Contributors
+
+* Submit feedback and feature requests through appropriate repositories
+* Participate in SIG discussions and ecosystem feedback loops
+* Test Home Node beta and provide usability feedback
+* Continue contributing to ecosystem tooling and clients
+
+
+## Transcript
+
+
+Tyler Wright: All right, we'll wait another minute or so. see if anyone's trickles in and then we'll get started. Again, the recording's already begun. thank you to those that are watching later. but we'll just wait another 30 seconds to a minute or so. and then we will jump to updates.
+
+Tyler Wright: All right, for the sake of everyone's time in the recording, I'm just going to get started. again, welcome everybody to SIG clients bimonthly meeting. This is a special interest group for clients built on the Akash network. This meeting happened every two months. Historically, this meeting has really been an update meeting from the Overclock Labs core team about all things related to Akash console. but there are a number of other teams that are actively building on top of the Akash network. there are additional teams as a part of the core team from overclock labs and there are other closed and open source projects that are building on top of the Akash network.
+
+Tyler Wright: Again those folks that are building on top of Akash and have various clients. This is an open invitation to talk about those clients, demo those clients, get feedback from other people that are building clients. give updates, get again as mentioned, give feedback. but again only going to have those that join and participate today as a part of the agenda. there's a couple things that I wanted to make sure get discussed. Josh is from the core team is on the call. product design lead and there's a number of updates that I will hand over to him to talk about as it pertains to Akash console user experience as well as other items that Josh is working on.
+
+Tyler Wright: Bann here on the call is one half of a duo that is a hos brothers. but there are a number of other people that are actively working on the AkashML. but again Yannik is one of two lead developers on that project. one half of the  Haus brother team. and then again, if anybody has any other updates across products that they may be interested or that they're working on or want to talk about, please feel free to drop them in. I know there's some community efforts happening, across various agents. there's some work happening here. I'll drop that in the chat for some additional again abstraction layers. but again, if anybody has any additional agenda items, feel free to drop them in the chat.
+
+Tyler Wright: Otherwise, I'm just going to hand it over to Josh to see what he feels like discussing.
+
+Tyler Wright: I know there's a lot of work. Maybe some of that's not public yet. but just some of the efforts going on as it pertains to user experience improvements across console and additional efforts.
+
+Joshua Meyer: Yeah. thanks Ty.
+
+Joshua Meyer: So the two major things we're working on and you mentioned this a little bit in the sig  DC design but updating our current onboarding flow. U taking a really analytically driven approach to this. we've noticed a of few e drop off points and we went back to the drawing board to try to address these. we feel we've come up with a really positive design here and a direction that we want to move forward with. So we're just internally finalizing a few last bits of things like copy and such.
+
+
+### 00:05:00
+
+Joshua Meyer: But the general idea is with this new concept we're looking to add we're able to shorten the overall process make it more intuitive and then ultimately address some of the issues around security and free trial abuse and things. So we're really positive about this effort and I think development should be able to start on this very very shortly. keep on the lookout. the other big thing that is currently in revision right now we've made a lot of great progress on is to ion the whole create de reverse auction provider selection process. through a lot of work with the engineering team on how we would be able to implement that from a technical perspective.
+
+Joshua Meyer: But the overall idea and what we really wanted to do for the user is mean in general just simplify again that process make it a little bit more of a common experience that you might find in other marketplaces whereas a user is updating their deployment requirements they're able to kind of see or get a snapshot of the potential providers that would be available so that they're able to make a more informed decision as they modify the criteria around their specific deployment and the potential opportunities for bids that they might see.
+
+Joshua Meyer: The idea being in this we can eliminate or significantly reduce a situation where a user builds their SDL, they create the deployment, they land on the bid provider selection screen and maybe don't receive any bids or not the number that they were hoping for. and then overall in doing so, the other thing we'll be able to do is significantly reduce the amount of time between that kind of create deployment step and then the ultimate provider selection stage. So really excited about that.
+
+Joshua Meyer: We've got a little more work to do to iron out some of the technical and user experience details, but we've got a pretty clear vision on how we think we want to be able to implement that across both fronts and then hopefully should be able to start development on that very very quickly. I think those are the two major updates from kind of a console experience standpoint design that are on the near horizon. so I figure I'll throw it back over to you, …
+
+Tyler Wright: Yeah.
+
+Joshua Meyer: if we want to hand it over to the awesome house bros, we can shift over to ML.
+
+Tyler Wright: Just before I hand it over to the Haus  Bros, just want to remind folks again there is some time carved out during sick support as well. If anybody has any issues related to feature additions etc there's always the ability to drop in an issue with as much detail as possible please in the console repo and then again member of the core team or again further discussion can be had at a special interest group meeting if not async. Cool.
+
+Tyler Wright: Yanek, I just want to see if there's anything specific that you wanted to call out as it pertains to Akash ML at this time.
+
+Jannick Haus: Nothing specific, but yeah, we will just list and update some models in the future and hopefully add image generation this week. And in general, if any user got some problems navigating the playground or anything related to Akashml, they can reach out via email support.com. Awesome. Thank you.
+
+Tyler Wright: Thank All continuing along again, the team be behind home node usually gives updates as it pertains to all things during the sick providers call. and I know that they're working on a number of items. The one thing that I will call out to this client's group and those listening in later, there is an active beta that is open to anybody that has 4090 or 5090 Nvidia GPUs.
+
+Tyler Wright: Again, Akash home node is a tool that really allows again folks with one or two to be added to a cluster and then again be deployed on the Kosh network and earn some extra funds for again those 409s or 5090s. If anybody wants to get more involved or learn more information, please go to the home node.ac.network link. there is a early access beta link where you can sign up, get some more information. and go from there. But I know again right now it's in the beta and very much a testing phases. and this is again a client design to really abstract away some of the complexity for some that may be a little bit less technical. They're trying to bring on a provider onto the network instead of again having to go through the steps that are pretty well structured and laid out but it may be a challenge for some may be daunting.
+
+
+### 00:10:00
+
+Tyler Wright: it allows via ISO an easy way to just add to a home note cluster for 4090s 5090s right now but again there should be more GPUs that will be added in the future any other client related topics of discussion that anybody wants to make sure get discussed if not then we can keep this meeting short. again, SIG providers will be next week as well as steering commit SIG support and s providers are tomorrow. so we'll have continued discussion around home node.
+
+Tyler Wright: Again if anybody has any issues related to u the kosh network blockchain the provider experience please drop them in the appropriate repo 6 support if it's related to node or support rep provider repo again if it's console related you can drop in the console repo if you have any issues related to a mail again dropped in an email to send those messages to and there's also a channel on discord If anybody else has any closed or open-source clients that are being built on Akash network, again I know there's a number of folks out there. always feel free to join this call or leave any feedback questions in the SIG clients discord channel for async conversation between All right, see you all in not next month but the month after for our next clients meeting.
+
+Tyler Wright: I appreciate Josh and Yanik for the updates and look forward to seeing you all at other SIGs and working groups and in the future at S client meetings.
+
+Joshua Meyer: Take care everybody.
+
+Jannick Haus: Bye-bye.
+
+Tyler Wright: Thank you all. Have a good day.
+
+
+### Meeting ended after 00:12:58 👋
+
+