Channel Registry

Manages communication channel adapters for clawed-back. Channels are how the assistant communicates with the outside world.

Current Channels

Web Chat (Built-in)

• Status: Always active
• Server: FastAPI at http://localhost:<port>
• Features: Text, file uploads, voice messages, SSE responses
• Config: server/config.py

Channel Registry

Channels are tracked in data/sessions/channels.json:

{
  "channels": [
    {
      "name": "web",
      "type": "builtin",
      "status": "active",
      "config": {"port": 8080}
    }
  ]
}

Adding a New Channel

To add a channel adapter, you need:

1. Python adapter in server/channels/<name>.py implementing:

   • receive() — get incoming messages and write to queue
   • send(content) — deliver outgoing messages to the platform
   • health_check() — verify connection is alive

2. Registration in data/sessions/channels.json

3. Integration with the FastAPI server (add routes or background tasks)

Future Channel Templates

When the user asks to add a channel, guide them through setup:

Telegram

• Create bot via @BotFather
• Get bot token
• Create server/channels/telegram.py using python-telegram-bot or grammY equivalent
• Register webhook or use polling

Discord

• Create bot in Discord Developer Portal
• Get bot token
• Create server/channels/discord.py using discord.py
• Add to server with appropriate permissions

Slack

• Create Slack app
• Get bot token and signing secret
• Create server/channels/slack.py using slack-bolt
• Configure event subscriptions

Email (IMAP/SMTP)

• Configure IMAP for receiving
• Configure SMTP for sending
• Create server/channels/email.py
• Poll IMAP on schedule

Channel Message Format

All channels must normalize messages to the universal format before queuing:

{
  "type": "text|voice|file|webhook",
  "content": "the message text",
  "metadata": {
    "channel": "telegram",
    "sender": "user123",
    "original_format": {}
  }
}

This ensures all skills work regardless of which channel the message came from.

Listing Channels

When the user asks, read data/sessions/channels.json and format:

Active channels:
- web (built-in) — http://localhost:8080
- telegram — @my_bot (polling)