2.9.22
Released 28 October 2026
Official Southcode Desk website
Port scanner findings, reviewed before you act
Southcode Desk is a Windows AI agent that runs your own scanner on your own network, compares the output with a baseline file and writes a keep, close or check report. Version 2.9.22.
Scan 192.168.1.x with my scanner and compare the result with expected-ports.csv.
- read_file
expected-ports.csv9 lines - Shell
your scanner on 192.168.1.xexit 0 - grep
open scans/today.txt9 matches - read_file
scans/today.txt31 lines - write_file
reports/changes.md+18 lines - read_file
reports/changes.mddiff ready
Waiting for your OK before the next stepRejectAccept
Windows 10/11
64-bit (x64) only
About 34 MB
Portable .exe: about 25 MB
Your own
Or written permission only
None
No sign-up needed
Local
No telemetry in the app
Port scanner output, compared with your baseline
A port scanner lists which of a device's numbered ports, from 0 to 65535, accept connections, but it cannot say which ones should. Southcode Desk supplies that missing half. It runs your scanner on addresses you own, then compares every open port with the baseline file you keep. Anything new gets flagged.
Scan for open ports on your home network
You want to know what answers on your home network, so you give the agent your range, 192.168.1.x. Shell runs your scanner command and reports the real exit code, and that command saves its output to a text file. Then grep pulls out the lines that report open ports. Plan only comes first. It shows the commands without running any. Old printers and cameras can stumble when probed, so pick a quiet hour, then switch to Ask first to run the scan and read each command when it appears. Read the file yourself before trusting any summary.
Tool trace
read_file expected-ports.csv → 9 lines
Shell your scanner on 192.168.1.x → exit 0
grep open scans/today.txt → 9 matchesA weekly open ports check against a baseline
Your baseline is a CSV file that lists every host and port you expect to see. Cron repeats a saved prompt on a schedule. Each run, Shell starts your scanner, read_file loads expected-ports.csv, and the agent lists every row that is new or has vanished. Say port 3389 appears. That new row is a finding, while a missing row is a question. In Ask first mode the chat pauses before actions that change something, and write_file shows the report as a diff. You accept the report and decide yourself whether the baseline should change.
Tool trace
Cron weekly comparison prompt → scheduled
read_file expected-ports.csv → 9 lines
Shell your scanner on 192.168.1.x → exit 0
write_file reports/changes.md → +18 linesTrace a listening port to its program
Run netstat -ano on a PC you own and it lists the ports that PC listens on, with the process ID behind each one. It sees only this machine. It never scans the rest of the network. Shell runs the command with its output saved to a text file, grep picks the line for port 3389, and tasklist turns the process ID into a program name. That is how you identify unknown services on open ports without guessing. Then you choose: stop the program, change its setting, or keep it and write the reason into the report.
Close a finding and scan again
A scan shows port 80 open on a PC nobody uses as a web server. If its settings file sits in the working folder, or the service runs on this PC, read_file opens it and edit_file proposes a change so the service listens only on the local machine, shown as a diff. Otherwise you change the setting on that device yourself. Nothing is saved until you accept. Blocking the port in Windows Firewall, or in the router, is another way to close it, and you apply those changes yourself. Afterwards, scan again. Shell runs your scanner once more, and the report records the result for port 80.
How it differs from a typical chat assistant
It acts, not just answers. A typical chat assistant describes port options in text, while version 2.9.22 runs your scanner on your own addresses and shows the saved result.
| Typical chat assistant | Southcode Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Describes scan options and leaves the typing to you. | Runs your scanner through Shell and shows the real exit code. |
| Memory | Forgets last week's result unless you paste it in. | Reads your baseline and earlier reports from the working folder. |
| Scope | Cannot tell whose addresses you are about to scan. | Works on the address list you give it, which must be yours. |
| Control | Gives text with no approval step. | Ask first pauses before changes; Plan only changes nothing. |
How it works
- Download Southcode Desk for Windows 10 or 11 and compare its SHA-256 checksum with the published manifest.
- Connect a model, press Test, and choose the folder that holds your baseline and reports as the working folder.
- List the addresses you own or may test in writing, pick Ask first, and ask for a scan and a comparison.
- Read each command and diff, accept what is right, close the finding yourself, then scan again.
Who uses it and when
Home lab owners with a router, a NAS and a few forgotten test services are the first audience. Networks grow by accident. A test web server appears here and a remote desktop setting gets turned on there, until nobody remembers which port belongs to which machine, so a baseline of 192.168.1.x addresses gives you something to check each answer against.
Students and self-taught admins who practise network scanning on their own lab come second. They keep a trail. A screenful of output vanishes, but the saved scans, the baseline and every report stay in the working folder, so you can see what you did last month.
Freelance admins who test a client's small network with written permission are the third group. Keep to the list. The permission names who may test, which addresses are covered and which dates apply, so you give the agent only those addresses and check each command and the saved output before you accept it.
Questions about port scanning and Southcode Desk
What is a port scanner?
A port scanner is a program that sends connection attempts to the numbered ports of a device, from 0 to 65535, and records which ones answer. Open means a service listens. Closed means nothing listens, and filtered means a firewall dropped the attempt. Use one only on devices you own or are authorised in writing to test.
Is southcodeush.com the official Southcode Desk website?
Yes. This is the official Southcode Desk website, and the download here is the original build, so you can compare its SHA-256 checksum with the published manifest. For support, use the Send feedback button inside the app.
Do open ports create homelab vulnerabilities?
Yes, an open port can create one, because every listening service is code that anyone on that network can try to talk to. Old and unused services are common causes. Fewer listeners mean less exposure. Close what nobody needs, restrict the rest, and scan again to confirm the change.
Is it safe to open firewall ports?
No, not by default. An open firewall port is only as safe as the service behind it, so open one only for a service you actually need, limit who can reach it, keep that service updated, and scan again afterwards to see what really answers.
Is Southcode Desk an IP scanner?
No. It contains no scanner of its own: Shell runs the scanner you already use, on addresses you own, and the agent reads the saved output, compares it with your baseline and drafts the report. netstat and tasklist cover only the PC they run on.
Does Southcode Desk watch for incoming scans?
No. It does not detect or block scans aimed at you; it only runs your own scanner against addresses you own or may test in writing. Never aim it at a cafe, hotel, school or office network without written authorisation from its owner.
Does Southcode Desk need an account?
No. You install the Windows app, connect a model and start working, and no sign-up is needed at any point. A cloud AI provider you choose may charge separately, while a model running locally on your PC keeps everything on the machine, including your scan output.
Start with one folder and one baseline file
Download Southcode Desk, point it at a folder that holds your baseline, and read the first plan in Plan only mode, then switch to Ask first to run the commands you approve. Setup is about 34 MB.
Download Southcode Desk for Windows ↗Explore the site
Every page is available in 20 languages.
What Southcode Desk does with your scanner output ↗ Connect a cloud, local or built-in model ↗ A weekly baseline workflow, step by step ↗ Download and verify the installer ↗ Answers about scanning and the app ↗ What stays on your PC ↗
