SparkBox Ultimate: complete app-by-app setup and support guide
Posted by Chris
SparkBox Ultimate: complete app-by-app setup and support guide Ultimate is a one-time bundle that supports Tom's work and includes several separate products. You can use the hosted and desktop apps without owning a SparkBox server. The SparkBox server itself and its ordinary app modules remain free; Ultimate adds Legend benefits and the separate app entitlements described here. This guide is your starting map. It explains which key goes where, which products need an account, where your data lives and how to verify that each setup worked. Start with one app you will actually use today, then claim the others at your own pace. 1. Keep the right purchase information Save the Ultimate confirmation email and your existing SparkBox key. If you upgraded from Legend using the same checkout email, your existing key can become Ultimate without changing its characters. Do not create a new SparkBox installation merely to obtain another key. SparkFlow, TSNotes and hosted Hearth have their own fulfillment flows. The SparkBox key is not a universal replacement for every license email. Check spam and the email used at checkout before asking support to resend a missing item. Never put a full license, receipt email or recovery key in a public Demox post. 2. The bundle at a glance | Product | Start here | Ultimate benefit | Data and account model | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SparkBox | Your dashboard → Settings → License | Legend features | Server on your hardware; local services | | SparkFlow | Official Windows download and license email | Lifetime desktop license | Local speech models and history; optional AI provider | | TSNotes / TomSparkNotes | Download and license email | Full desktop app | Local notes; optional per-note encryption | | Hearth | Hosted invitation or SparkBox Apps | First hosted year | Encrypted shared chat; hosting or your box | | Recessionist Intel | Official redemption page | Economic console access | Separate signed-in account; no financial-account connection required | | EmuDoctor | Early-access release instructions | Supporter unlock and 20-fix pack | Local repair workflow; build-dependent AI options | | SparkMacro | Browser tracker → Connect Ultimate | Hosted AI estimates within limits | Local journal; optional encrypted backup | | TomSparkCal | Calendar → Hosted with SparkBox Ultimate | Encrypted hosted account sync | Local, own-box or hosted choice | RGB Ultimate flair on Demox and eligible fleet cosmetics are additional benefits, not separate data-storage services. Check the current backer page for the offering and checkout price. Only hosted Hearth has the described optional annual renewal after its included year; included AI services still have usage limits. 3. Activate SparkBox and establish a baseline If you already run SparkBox, open your dashboard, go to Settings → License, paste the key and activate it. Confirm the displayed tier. If you have not installed SparkBox, begin with the website's installation guide and complete its storage and network setup before installing a collection of apps. Use Apps to install one module, wait for it to become healthy, then open it. For private remote access use the existing Access controls rather than exposing arbitrary container ports. Make a backup of your configuration once you have a working baseline. Ultimate does not turn every module into the same account system. An app may have its own first-login credentials, invitation, storage path or access requirements. Follow that app's guide instead of reusing your SparkBox dashboard password everywhere. 4. SparkFlow: install, activate, dictate Download SparkFlow from tomsparkflow.com, finish the microphone and speech-model setup, then activate the SparkFlow key from its fulfillment email in Settings → About. The public desktop release is Windows-first; check current release notices for other platforms. Test ordinary Ctrl+Space dictation in a text editor before trying optional AI cleanup. Speech transcription runs on your machine after the model is downloaded. Cloud cleanup is a separate opt-in configuration and can send text to your selected provider. Read the complete SparkFlow guide for model choices, shortcuts and troubleshooting. 5. TSNotes: keep notes and backups on your computer Use the TSNotes download and key email, choose the correct platform build, and activate the app with that product's license. Create a test note, reopen the app and check it survived. Export a backup before moving to another machine. The app stores notes in its existing paper-notes data directory. A rebrand does not require renaming that folder. Optional note encryption uses a separate passphrase that support cannot recreate. If you also use SparkFlow, rebind the conflicting Ctrl+Shift+Space shortcut in one app. Follow the TSNotes setup guide. 6. Hearth: choose hosted convenience or your own box For the included hosted year, use the Hearth fulfillment invitation to provision or claim your chat, then share the chat's guest invitation with your family. Test messages and a phone notification before relying on it for the group. For self-hosting, install Hearth from SparkBox Apps and use Access to configure its HTTPS address. Tailscale guests need access to the private network as well as the chat invitation. Public-domain guests can use a browser, but the private chat invitation still controls membership. Keep the owner claim and guest invitation separate. Hosted Hearth is listed at $29.99 per year after the included year; self-hosted Hearth remains free. Use the hosted guide or SparkBox installation guide for the route you chose. 7. Recessionist Intel: redeem against your account Go to recessionistpro.com/redeem, sign in or create the account you intend to keep, and redeem your existing Ultimate key. Open the console after access is granted. The service does not need a bank, brokerage or portfolio connection for this workflow. Read dates, forecast horizons and methodology before interpreting a model output. A forecast is context rather than a guaranteed financial outcome. The Recessionist guide covers redemption, reading the console and access troubleshooting. 8. EmuDoctor: claim early access and test one repair Follow d/emudoctor for the released builds available to your platform. Ultimate includes the Supporter unlock and a 20-fix pack; claim it through the build's Ultimate flow using your existing SparkBox key when access is available. Prepare one reproducible emulator problem, preserve saves and configuration, inspect the proposed before/after change, then approve and test it. Do not assume a successful file edit proves the original gameplay symptom is fixed. Undo a regression before stacking more changes. The EmuDoctor guide explains the full early-access workflow and its limits. 9. SparkMacro: one recap, then protect your journal Open macro.tomsparkbox.com, enter the tracker and choose Connect Ultimate. Set an estimated plan or your own targets, describe meals and movement, choose Add to today, review estimates and finish with Done for today. Cloud AI estimates have current limits of six attempts per minute and 60 per UTC day per license, plus shared service limits. Only the submitted entry goes to the estimation provider, but personal details typed into that entry go with it. Your journal stays in the browser. Export a JSON backup and optionally enable encrypted cloud backup after saving its recovery key. Cloud backup restores a snapshot; it does not automatically merge concurrent journals. Read the SparkMacro guide. The browser app works on phones now; the native mobile app is coming soon. 10. TomSparkCal: choose local, own-box or hosted Open the browser app linked in d/tomsparkcal. Local use needs no account. For included hosted sync, choose Hosted with SparkBox Ultimate, create an account with your license and save its recovery key. Sign in with the same username and key on your own second device. For your own server, update SparkBox to 1.6.689+, install TomSparkCal in Apps, configure HTTPS through Access and open it. Self-hosting syncs Together plans; Personal and Work stay local. Use a separate family invitation to share Together with your partner. Paste or dictate an appointment, check its date preview and save. The public package starts empty and contains no Tom Spark API key or personal data. Basic parsing is local; optional Haiku uses separately configured household credentials. Read the complete TomSparkCal guide for imports, backups, phone capture and the native features coming with the mobile app. 11. Recover safely when something is missing A license key, account password, recovery key and family invitation are different credentials. Recovering a purchase email does not decrypt a calendar backup or encrypted note. Keep recovery material outside the browser or app whose data it protects. Before reinstalling or clearing storage, export from any device that still has the data. Local app data is not restored just by activating the license again. For an account-based service, first confirm you signed into the original account. If an entitlement is missing, use private support with the checkout email and the product that failed. For ordinary setup questions, post in that app's community with your platform, version, chosen hosting mode and redacted error. Never post keys, private invitations, financial-account details or personal journals publicly. 12. A practical first-evening checklist Activate the one app you need today. Create a harmless test item, restart it, and confirm the item is still present. If it syncs, check both directions on a second device. If it notifies, test a locked phone. If it backs up, locate the exported file and keep recovery keys separately. Then move to the next app. This gives you a working setup you understand instead of eight half-configured products and no idea which email unlocks which one. The detailed app guides and their Demox communities remain the place to resolve a specific step. --- Updated September 14, 2026. Website guide. Please keep keys and personal data out of public replies.