Securing Your Homelab: AI Infrastructure, Access Control & Why Docker Isn’t Isolation

Recording Date: February 27, 2026Hosts: Miriah Peterson, Matt Sharp, Chris BrousseauRunning AI locally is easier than ever.Running it securely is another story.In this episode of Domesticating AI, we break down the moment every homelab builder hits:The second you move from one machine to two machines…access becomes your first real engineering problem.We explore the real architecture questions behind self-hosting AI:Why a dedicated machine isn’t a sandboxWhy Docker alone isn’t isolationHow homelabs evolve from Plex servers to AI infrastructureThe blast radius problem with local agentsWhy networking and access control matter more than model sizeWe also discuss the surge in local AI hardware demand and the risks of running powerful agents on machines with unrestricted access.Whether you're running OpenClaw, Ollama, a NAS, Postgres, or a home automation stack, the same rule applies:Infrastructure without containment is just risk waiting to happen.High-memory Mac Minis are seeing long shipping delays as developers rush to build local AI systems.https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/openclaw-fueled-ordering-frenzy-creates-apple-mac-shortage-delivery-for-high-unified-memory-units-now-ranges-from-6-days-to-6-weeksMarketplace plugins and execution boundaries are becoming a growing security concern in agent systems.https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthewsharp_i-use-to-do-nothing-but-post-about-clean-activity-7432832983339999232-iR04Overview of risks around agent plugin ecosystems and execution boundaries.https://conscia.com/blog/the-openclaw-security-crisis/Private mesh networking used to securely access homelabs.https://tailscale.comLocal AI coding agent framework.https://openclaw.aiLocal LLM runtime used for running models on personal machines.https://ollama.comWhy people actually build homelabsPlex, NAS, and home automation as infrastructure entry pointsAI workloads vs dev workloadsWhy long-running services shouldn’t live on your laptopNetworking architecture for homelabsRBAC-style access control between machinesSecrets management mistakes developers makeContainment and blast-radius thinking for AI agentsTailscale and private mesh networkingEach host answers:If I had $0What I would runWhat I would avoidIf I had $1KWhat machine I’d buyHow I’d isolate workloadsIf I had $5KHow I’d segment infrastructureWhat monitoring I’d deployWhat I would never expose to the internetStaff Data Engineer, content creator, and founder of SoyPete Tech.Miriah focuses on practical AI systems, Go infrastructure, and self-hosted AI engineering.She is also a Google Developer Expert in Go and organizer of Go West Conf.https://soypete.techAI engineer and co-author of LLMs in Production.Matt focuses on applied AI systems, local model infrastructure, and developer-focused AI tooling.Software engineer and AI practitioner focused on practical applications of machine learning and developer infrastructure.Domesticating AI is supported by the SoyPete Tech community.If you enjoy the show:Subscribe on YouTubeFollow on SpotifyJoin the Discord communityShare the episode with another engineer building with AIMore content and tutorials:https://soypetech.substack.com📰 News DiscussedMac Mini Shortages from Local AI DemandOpenClaw Security DiscussionOpenClaw Security Concerns (Referenced)🧰 Tools & Technologies MentionedTailscaleOpenClawOllama🏗 Topics Covered⚡ Lightning Round🎙 HostsMiriah PetersonMatt SharpChris Brousseau🤝 Sponsors