diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 6a57216..320d7ce 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -558,6 +558,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "typenum",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "daemonize"
+version = "0.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ab8bfdaacb3c887a54d41bdf48d3af8873b3f5566469f8ba21b92057509f116e"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "darling"
 version = "0.20.11"
@@ -2007,6 +2016,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "clap 4.5.60",
  "crc",
  "crc32fast",
+ "daemonize",
  "dashmap 6.1.0",
  "dns-lookup",
  "etherparse",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d7421e8..a5f737a 100755
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ rustls-pemfile = "2.2.0"
 clap = { version = "4.5.60", features = ["derive", "env"] }
 rpassword = "7.4.0"
 serde_json = "1.0.149"
+daemonize = "0.5.0"
 # rolling-file = { path = "../rolling-file" }
 
 [target.'cfg(unix)'.dependencies]
diff --git a/src/bin/punchnet/main.rs b/src/bin/punchnet/main.rs
index a59485a..ab19a50 100755
--- a/src/bin/punchnet/main.rs
+++ b/src/bin/punchnet/main.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 mod api;
 
+use std::fs::File;
 use std::process;
 
 use std::env;
 use clap::Parser;
+use daemonize::Daemonize;
 use punchnet::CachedLoginInfo;
 use punchnet::CommandLineInput2;
 use punchnet::Commands;
@@ -21,6 +23,7 @@ use punchnet::CommandLine;
 use punchnet::CommandLineInput;
 use sdlan_sn_rs::log;
 
+use sdlan_sn_rs::utils::Mac;
 use sdlan_sn_rs::utils::Result;
 use sdlan_sn_rs::utils::create_or_load_uuid;
 use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
@@ -95,81 +98,12 @@ fn parse_login_result(res: Result<LoginResponse>) -> LoginData {
     }
 }
 
-#[tokio::main]
-async fn main() {
-    set_base_dir("/usr/local/punchnet");
-    let _guard = log::init_log(&format!("{}/.output", get_base_dir()));
-
-    let client_id = create_or_load_uuid(&format!("{}/.id", get_base_dir()), None).unwrap();
-
-    let test_token = "49722584273728716817720074439183";
-
-    let mac = create_or_load_mac();
-
-    let system = "linux";
-    let version = "1.0.0";
-
-    // let cmd = CommandLineInput::from_args();
-    let cmd = CommandLineInput2::parse();
-    // println!("port is {}", cmd.port);
-
-    let connect_info: ConnectData;
-    let remembered: CachedLoginInfo;
-
-    match cmd.cmd {
-        Commands::Login(user) => {
-            // TODO: do login with user
-            let _ = parse_login_result(
-                login_with_user_pass(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &user.username, &user.password, mac, system, version).await
-            );
-            process::exit(0);
-        }
-        Commands::TokenLogin(tk) => {
-            let _ = parse_login_result(
-                login_with_token(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &tk.token, mac, system, version).await
-            );
-            process::exit(0);
-        }
-        Commands::AutoRun(tk) => {
-            let mut remembered_token = get_access_token();
-            if remembered_token.is_none() {
-                let data = parse_login_result(
-                    login_with_token(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &tk.token, mac, system, version).await
-                );
-                remembered_token = Some(CachedLoginInfo{
-                    access_token: data.access_token,
-                    username: data.username,
-                    user_type: data.user_type,
-                    audit: data.audit,
-                    network_id: data.network_id,
-                    network_name: data.network_name,
-                });
-            }
-
-            remembered = remembered_token.unwrap();
-
-            connect_info = parse_connect_result(
-                connect(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &remembered.access_token).await
-            );
-        }
-        Commands::Start => {
-            let remembered_token = get_access_token();
-            if remembered_token.is_none() {
-                eprintln!("not logged in, should login with user/pass or token first");
-                process::exit(-2);
-            }
-
-            remembered = remembered_token.unwrap();
-
-            connect_info = parse_connect_result(
-                connect(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &remembered.access_token).await
-            );
-        }
-        Commands::Stop => {
-            process::exit(-4);
-        }
-    }
-
+async fn daemonize_me(
+    connect_info: ConnectData, 
+    remembered: CachedLoginInfo,
+    client_id: String,
+    mac: Mac,
+) {
     println!("identity_id = {}", connect_info.identity_id);
 
     let self_host_name = connect_info.hostname;
@@ -318,4 +252,108 @@ async fn main() {
     //     started = !started;
     //     */
     // }
+
+}
+
+#[tokio::main]
+async fn main() {
+    set_base_dir("/usr/local/punchnet");
+    let _guard = log::init_log(&format!("{}/.output", get_base_dir()));
+
+    let client_id = create_or_load_uuid(&format!("{}/.id", get_base_dir()), None).unwrap();
+
+    let test_token = "49722584273728716817720074439183";
+
+    let mac = create_or_load_mac();
+
+    let system = "linux";
+    let version = "1.0.0";
+
+    // let cmd = CommandLineInput::from_args();
+    let cmd = CommandLineInput2::parse();
+    // println!("port is {}", cmd.port);
+
+    let connect_info: ConnectData;
+    let remembered: CachedLoginInfo;
+
+    let should_daemonize: bool;
+
+    match cmd.cmd {
+        Commands::Login(user) => {
+            // TODO: do login with user
+            let _ = parse_login_result(
+                login_with_user_pass(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &user.username, &user.password, mac, system, version).await
+            );
+            process::exit(0);
+        }
+        Commands::TokenLogin(tk) => {
+            let _ = parse_login_result(
+                login_with_token(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &tk.token, mac, system, version).await
+            );
+            process::exit(0);
+        }
+        Commands::AutoRun(tk) => {
+            let mut remembered_token = get_access_token();
+            if remembered_token.is_none() {
+                let data = parse_login_result(
+                    login_with_token(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &tk.token, mac, system, version).await
+                );
+                remembered_token = Some(CachedLoginInfo{
+                    access_token: data.access_token,
+                    username: data.username,
+                    user_type: data.user_type,
+                    audit: data.audit,
+                    network_id: data.network_id,
+                    network_name: data.network_name,
+                });
+            }
+
+            remembered = remembered_token.unwrap();
+
+            connect_info = parse_connect_result(
+                connect(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &remembered.access_token).await
+            );
+            should_daemonize = false;
+        }
+        Commands::Start => {
+            let remembered_token = get_access_token();
+            if remembered_token.is_none() {
+                eprintln!("not logged in, should login with user/pass or token first");
+                process::exit(-2);
+            }
+
+            remembered = remembered_token.unwrap();
+
+            connect_info = parse_connect_result(
+                connect(TEST_PREFIX, &client_id, &remembered.access_token).await
+            );
+            should_daemonize = false;
+        }
+        Commands::Stop => {
+            process::exit(-4);
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    if should_daemonize {
+        let daemonize = Daemonize::new()
+            .pid_file("/tmp/punchnet.pid")
+            .chown_pid_file(true)
+            .working_directory(get_base_dir())
+            .stdout(File::create("/tmp/punchnet.out").unwrap())
+            .stderr(File::create("/tmp/punchnet.err").unwrap())
+            .privileged_action(|| {
+
+            });
+        match daemonize.start() {
+            Ok(_) => {
+                daemonize_me(connect_info, remembered, client_id, mac).await;
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                eprintln!("failed to daemonize: {}", e);
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        daemonize_me(connect_info, remembered, client_id, mac).await;
+    }
 }