Add Skylark beside the receiver you already run

What the forwarder does

Skylark's documented Python forwarder reads a compatible local JSON snapshot. It does not install a decoder, take ownership of your SDR or require an inbound port. It is an additional destination for your own direct observations, not a replacement for your existing network feeds. [1]

Open the receiver network for the currently available registration flow. Access and publication are different stages. The repository documentation describes approval before observations become public; this edition has not independently tested the live registration service.

Check compatibility before transmitting

The documented intake expects direct adsb_icao observations, explicit position age and the snapshot-generation timestamp. Older decoder outputs that omit required fields may not work. Do not fabricate those fields to make a check pass.

Use the local file produced by your own receiver. Do not point the forwarder at a network aggregate, and do not strip MLAT or TIS-B labels to disguise a derived position as direct reception. The JSON inspector offers preliminary checks, not a substitute for the actual forwarder's validation.

Obtain the forwarder and private configuration through the receiver setup instructions. Save recovery details privately. Run the documented check mode before enabling uploads. Use the paths for the files you actually downloaded, rather than assuming a repository path exists on your receiver.

What a successful setup should demonstrate

1. Your existing decoder and other feeds still work.
2. The forwarder's check validates the chosen local snapshot without transmitting it.
3. Production uploads use HTTPS and the intended private configuration.
4. The dashboard distinguishes a connection heartbeat from recent accepted observations.
5. You understand any pending-publication state and can pause the contribution.

The repository's source for these expectations is docs/FEEDER.md at revision 6cfa123, reviewed on 19 September 2026. The guide does not claim that a successful private test automatically opens a public feed.

Your station should remain yours

Check the current dashboard's location and attribution controls before publishing. The documented design keeps exact antenna coordinates private and offers optional coarse public markers. Keep ingest keys and recovery keys out of URLs, commits, logs and screenshots.

Use the documented pause and key-replacement controls when needed. If an old tutorial sends you to /api/feed, stop and use the current receiver-network instructions instead. That legacy interface is not the new onboarding path.

Skylark earns a place on your receiver by being useful and understandable. Keeping the other feeds is part of that arrangement.