Getting started
Signing in to Frigate
Connect Chismoso to your Frigate server on port 8971 or 5000, and trust Frigate's own certificate safely.
When Chismoso starts, it asks for your Frigate address and account. There are two ways in, the same two that Frigate's own web page offers.
Choose a port
| Address | Username | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
https://your-frigate:8971 |
Your Frigate user | The normal choice. Encrypted and needs a login. |
http://your-frigate:5000 |
Leave empty | Frigate's internal port, with no login. Only on a network you fully trust. |
You can type the address with or without https://: an address ending in :8971 is treated as HTTPS, anything else as plain HTTP. A trailing /api is ignored.
Heads up
Port 5000 has no password and no encryption: anyone who can reach it can watch your cameras and change Frigate's settings. Don't expose it beyond your home network.
Frigate's own certificate
Out of the box, Frigate on port 8971 uses a self-signed certificate: one it made itself, which no certificate authority vouches for. Browsers show a warning for it, and so does Chismoso, but it gives you a safe way through:
- Press Connect. Chismoso says the server uses its own certificate and offers Trust and connect.
- Chismoso remembers that exact certificate (its SHA-256 fingerprint). This is called pinning.
- Every later connection must present the same certificate. If it ever changes, Chismoso stops and warns you instead of connecting.
A changed certificate is expected if you reinstalled Frigate or renewed its certificate; choose Trust the new certificate. If you didn't change anything, don't trust it: someone on the network may be intercepting the connection.
If your Frigate has a certificate from a real authority (for example Let's Encrypt behind a reverse proxy), there's nothing to trust: it's checked against your system's trusted certificates, like a browser would, and you go straight in.
Admins and viewers
Frigate accounts have a role, and Chismoso follows it:
- Admin accounts can do everything, including the camera switches (detect, record, snapshots) and editing
config.yml. - Viewer accounts can watch live, play recordings, and make clips and timelapses. Admin-only controls are shown but disabled.
What's remembered
Chismoso remembers the address, username, the "trust this certificate" choice and the pinned fingerprint, so next time you only type your password. Your password is never stored. See Privacy & security for the full list.
When your Frigate session expires, Chismoso takes you back to the sign-in screen with the details filled in.
To switch servers or sign out, open the server menu (the server's name at the top right) and choose Disconnect.
If it doesn't connect
Chismoso says in plain words what went wrong: the name doesn't resolve, the server refused the connection, it didn't answer in time, or the certificate changed. Troubleshooting explains each message.