PalExplorer alpha — private P2P file sharing with no central server

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I've been building PalExplorer solo to fix something that bothers me about "private" file sharing: almost every tool still routes your files through a central server. Even the ones that market themselves as secure have a company sitting in the middle of every transfer, holding your files and metadata, and able to be compelled to hand them over.

PalExplorer takes the middleman out. Files move directly peer-to-peer, encrypted end-to-end (ChaCha20-Poly1305), with no central server storing or relaying anything. There's nothing in the middle to trust, subpoena, or breach.

The part I'm most interested in feedback on: it's not just anonymous dumping — you get granular control over exactly who sees what. Share any file or folder publicly or with specific users, with per-item permissions. The goal is "private and controlled," not one or the other.

Where it's at: there's a desktop app (Mac and PC) and a CLI, so you can use it however you work — point-and-click or scripted into your own workflows. P2P discovery and transfer are functional, OAuth login is in. Mobile isn't in this wave yet, and some advanced pieces — forward secrecy, multi-device sync — are still in progress. Genuinely early, expect rough edges.

I'm opening a small alpha and looking for privacy-conscious users and anyone who's had to send files they'd rather not route through someone else's cloud. Most useful feedback: first-run onboarding, install friction, the P2P discovery/connection step, how the CLI feels, and anything confusing about how permissions work.

Question for this crowd: for those of you who care about not routing files through a central server — what's actually made you distrust a "private" sharing tool in the past? Trying to make sure I'm addressing the real concerns, not just the ones I assume.

If you want in, comment with your OS and whether you'd rather test the desktop app or the CLI, and I'll follow up.