name: manage-channels description: Wire channels to agent groups, manage isolation levels, add new channel groups. Use after adding a channel, during setup, or standalone to reconfigure.
Manage Channels
Wire messaging channels to agent groups. See docs/isolation-model.md for the full isolation model.
Privilege is a user-level concept, not a channel-level one (see src/db/user-roles.ts, src/access.ts). There is no "main channel" / "main group" — any user can be granted owner or admin (global or scoped to an agent group) via grantRole(), and messages from unknown senders are gated per-messaging-group by unknown_sender_policy (strict | request_approval | public).
Assess Current State
Read the central DB (data/v2.db) — query agent_groups, messaging_groups, messaging_group_agents, users, and user_roles tables. Also check .env for channel tokens and src/channels/index.ts for uncommented imports.
Categorize channels as: wired (has DB entities + messaging_group_agents row), configured but unwired (has credentials + barrel import, no DB entities), or not configured.
If the instance has no owner yet (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM user_roles WHERE role='owner' AND agent_group_id IS NULL returns 0), tell the user they should run /init-first-agent first — it stands up the first agent group, promotes the operator to owner, and verifies delivery end-to-end by having the agent DM them. Then return here for any additional channels/groups.
First Channel (No Agent Groups Exist)
Delegate to /init-first-agent. It handles: channel choice, operator identity lookup, DM platform id resolution (with cold-DM or pair-code fallback), agent group creation, wiring, and the welcome DM. Return here afterward for any additional channels.
Wire New Channel
For each unwired channel:
- Read its SKILL.md
## Channel Infofor terminology, how-to-find-id, typical-use, and default-isolation - Ask for the platform ID using the platform's terminology
- Ask the isolation question (see below)
- Register with the appropriate flags
Isolation Question
Present a multiple-choice with a contextual recommendation. The three options:
- Same conversation (
--session-mode "agent-shared"+ existing folder) — all messages land in one session. Recommend for webhook + chat combos (GitHub + Slack). - Same agent, separate conversations (
--session-mode "shared"+ existing folder) — shared workspace/memory, independent threads. Recommend for same user across platforms. - Separate agent (new
--folder) — full isolation. Recommend when different people are involved.
Use the channel's typical-use and default-isolation fields to pick the recommendation. Offer to explain more if the user is unsure — reference docs/isolation-model.md for the detailed explanation.
Register Command
pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step register -- \
--platform-id "<id>" --name "<name>" \
--folder "<folder>" --channel "<type>" \
--session-mode "<shared|agent-shared|per-thread>" \
--assistant-name "<name>"
The register step creates the agent group (reusing it if the folder already exists), the messaging group, and the wiring row. createMessagingGroupAgent auto-creates the companion agent_destinations row so the agent can address the channel by name — no separate destination step needed.
For separate agents, also ask for a folder name and optionally a different assistant name.
Add Channel Group
When adding another group/chat on an already-configured platform (e.g. a second Telegram group):
-
Telegram: ask the isolation question first to determine intent (
wire-to:<folder>for an existing agent,new-agent:<folder>for a fresh one). Runpnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step pair-telegram -- --intent <intent>, show the CODE (follow theREMINDER_TO_ASSISTANTline in thePAIR_TELEGRAM_ISSUEDblock) and tell the user to post@<botname> CODEin the target group (or DM the bot for a private chat). Wait for thePAIR_TELEGRAMblock. The inbound interceptor has already created themessaging_groupsrow withunknown_sender_policy = 'strict'and upserted the paired user —registeronly needs to add the wiring:pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step register -- \ --platform-id "<PLATFORM_ID>" --name "<group-name>" \ --folder "<folder>" --channel "telegram" \ --session-mode "<shared|agent-shared|per-thread>" \ --assistant-name "<name>" -
Other channels: read the channel's SKILL.md
## Channel Infofor terminology and how-to-find-id. Ask for the new group/chat ID, ask the isolation question, then register. No package or credential changes needed.
Change Wiring
- Show current wiring (agent_groups × messaging_group_agents)
- Ask which channel to move and to which agent group
- Delete the old
messaging_group_agentsentry, create a new one - Note: existing sessions stay with the old agent group; new messages route to the new one. The
agent_destinationsrow created for the old wiring is NOT automatically removed — if you want the old agent to stop seeing the channel as a named target, delete it fromagent_destinationsmanually.
Show Configuration
Display a readable summary showing:
- Agent groups with their wired channels (from
messaging_group_agents) - Configured-but-unwired channels (credentials present, no DB entities)
- Unconfigured channels
- Privileged users:
SELECT user_id, role, agent_group_id FROM user_roles ORDER BY role='owner' DESC