How to Install God's Eye View (Pinokio or Terminal)

Getting God's Eye View running takes about five minutes and zero dollars. This guide covers both install methods — the one-click Pinokio route and the manual terminal route — plus the fixes for the problems people actually hit.

Before you start

You need a computer with a modern browser (Chrome or Edge recommended for the smoothest WebGL), a stable internet connection, and — for the manual route — Node.js version 24.14 or newer. Check yours with node --version in a terminal. If it's older, grab the current LTS from nodejs.org first. That's the single most common install failure: an old Node version.

Method 1: Pinokio (easiest)

Pinokio is a one-click installer for open-source apps. Install Pinokio, search for God's Eye View (it was featured there after the GitHub trending run), and hit install. Pinokio handles Node, dependencies, and launching. When it's done, it opens the app in your browser automatically. This is the route I'd recommend to anyone who doesn't live in a terminal.

Method 2: Terminal (three commands)

git clone https://github.com/bilawalsidhu/gods-eye-view.git
cd gods-eye-view
npm install && npm run dev

The last command starts a Vite dev server and prints a local URL, usually http://localhost:5173. Open it. You should see the 3D globe with live flights already moving — no keys needed. If the port is taken, Vite picks the next free one and tells you.

Adding your API keys

Inside the app, open settings and you'll find key fields. The two that matter most: a Google Maps API key with the Map Tiles API enabled unlocks photorealistic 3D cities, and an OpenAI API key enables the voice agent. Optional extras: AISStream for ship tracking, NASA FIRMS for wildfires, TomTom for richer traffic. Keys go through a hardened server-side proxy with per-provider budgets, so they stay out of your browser. Start keyless, add keys only when you want the upgrades — everything in our homepage overview about the keyless experience holds true from minute one.

Common problems

Blank globe or WebGL errors

Update your GPU drivers and make sure hardware acceleration is on in your browser settings. Integrated graphics work for the keyless Esri imagery; the Google 3D tiles want a real GPU.

npm install fails

Almost always an old Node version. Upgrade to 24.14+ or 26 and delete node_modules before retrying.

Feeds show nothing

Check your connection and any VPN or corporate firewall — the live feeds stream from public endpoints that some networks block. Try without the VPN first.

Port already in use

Vite auto-selects another port and prints it. Just open the URL it gives you.

What to do first

Once it's up: toggle the flights layer, click any aircraft, and hit the ride-along view. Then search for an airport and watch a takeoff from the runway. That two-minute tour sells the whole project — and from there, the layers guide shows you everything else the globe can do.