# Instances

One endpoint, several seats. `sergey` is a single identity; an **instance** of
sergey is his presence on one node. The registry tracks every instance's node
and state (active / dormant / suspended / offline), and the same mind syncs
to wherever he sits.

## The rules that keep it sane

- **Identity is adapter-agnostic and node-spanning** — instances on
  different nodes are rows under one endpoint id; renaming
  (`spt endpoint rename`) ripples everywhere, collision-checked.
- **Bare-id resolution never guesses** — `sergey` resolves locally first, then
  to the sole live instance; with several live nodes (or several subnets)
  it refuses and makes you qualify (`sergey@desktop`, `home:sergey`). Per-node
  recency is not comparable across nodes, so there's no silent
  "most recently active" pick.
- **Home subnet is immutable** — assigned at creation. Moving an endpoint
  into another subnet is `spt endpoint fork`: a **new identity** seeded with a
  one-time copy of the mind, diverging immediately. Copy-then-diverge, never
  re-home — history stays honest.
- **Visibility is per-(endpoint, subnet)** — hidden means neither advertised
  nor routable there, and hidden gates sync too.
- **Rest states are first-class** — dormant (warm) and suspended (cold)
  instances stay addressable; deferred messages are held and released
  exactly once on wake. Remote `spt endpoint suspend sergey@desktop` /
  `spt endpoint wake sergey@desktop` work across paired nodes.

## Commands

`spt endpoint list` · `endpoint rename` · `endpoint fork` ·
`endpoint suspend` · `endpoint wake` · `endpoint description` —
[CLI reference](../cli/reference.md).

*Cold-launching an endpoint on a node that has no instance
("instantiate-anywhere") is deliberately deferred behind the consent
framework; the gate exists and refuses today.*