Operate the node, not a pile of unrelated device dialogs.

1. Understand the two processes

openastrolink-node owns the equipment. OpenAstroSuite is the reference GUI and can be local or remote. Stellarium can connect independently to the telescope bridge.

2. First setup

1. Start the node, then the GUI.
2. Refresh/discover devices and assign camera/mount/focuser roles.
3. Configure observing site and optical train.
4. Test short supervised motion/exposure before automation.

3. Capture and Live View

Capture FPS and preview FPS are independent. Planetary SER is written before droppable preview work. Monitor captureFps, previewFps, recordFps, previewDropped and recordDropped.

4. Mount and navigation

Use GOTO, tracking, park/home, sync, abort, manual motion, Stellarium or the built-in Sky Map. Do not manually reinterpret direct-MC axis geometry; the proven v9 profile is node-side and HIL-qualified.

5. Autofocus, exposure and Scheduler

Scene/star AF, sparse-scene auto exposure, DSO scheduling, planetary SER, mosaic and Polar Alignment are implemented at different qualification levels. The current checklist is the authority for what is HIL-qualified versus pending.

6. Remote and safety

Use a trusted LAN/VPN. Current pre-1.0 ports are not intended for direct public Internet exposure. The nearest Beta is supervised; unattended weather/roof/power safety remains 1.0 work.

Troubleshooting

Check node startup, driver registry, device discovery, then interactive device operation before Scheduler. For video issues, distinguish capture rate from preview transport and identify whether WebRTC or /video fallback is active.

Canonical guide: docs/USER_GUIDE.md