Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Manage Channels agent skill (manage-channels)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The manage-channels skill is a set of instructions that teaches an AI agent how to connect messaging apps such as Slack, Discord or WhatsApp to the agent groups that answer messages in the NanoClaw system. It is written for people who already run a self-hosted NanoClaw instance and want to add or reconfigure a channel. By the end of this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and which safety points to check before letting it change your setup.
Manage Channelsnanocoai/nanoclaw · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the manage-channels ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or your project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 2Confirm the NanoClaw requirements. Check that pnpm and tsx are available, the host service is running, data/v2.db exists and the channel credentials are in .env.
- 3Ask for the change in plain words. Describe the channel and the outcome, for example wiring a Slack channel to an existing agent group.
- 4Choose an isolation level. Pick same conversation, same agent with separate threads, or a separate agent, based on who is involved.
- 5Let the agent run the ncl commands. The agent creates the messaging group and wiring with ncl, using the adapter defaults unless you override them.
- 6Verify the wiring. Send a test mention or thread message to confirm the channel responds as expected.
What is an agent skill and what does manage-channels do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. The manage-channels skill covers wiring messaging channels to agent groups inside NanoClaw, managing isolation levels, and adding new channel groups.
The skill tells the agent how to inspect the current database setup, decide how isolated each conversation should be, choose threading and mention behaviour, and create the wiring with the ncl command-line tool. It is mainly a guide for reconfiguring an existing installation rather than a general chat-app integration guide.
- Categorises each channel as wired, configured but unwired, or not configured
- Explains the three isolation options: same conversation, same agent with separate conversations, or separate agent
- Covers threading overrides and mention behaviour, including name patterns for channels that cannot emit mentions
- Warns about side effects such as orphaned sessions when threading is changed
Install the manage-channels skill
Download the skill as a ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into one of two locations. For a personal install, use ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, use the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into .claude/skills/ in your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Check what your NanoClaw installation needs first
The skill assumes a working NanoClaw setup. Before you ask the agent to wire anything, confirm that the requirements below are in place. The skill does not create them for you.
The skill's own queries read the central database, so the host must be able to reach it.
- NanoClaw installed, with pnpm and tsx available
- The NanoClaw host service running, because ncl connects to it over a Unix socket
- SQLite central database at data/v2.db
- Channel credentials in .env for each channel you want to configure
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need special syntax. Describe the outcome you want in ordinary words and mention the channel. The skill's description covers adding a channel, setup, and reconfiguring standalone, so requests like the ones below should match it.
If the instance has no owner yet, the skill tells you to run /init-first-agent first. That command creates the first agent group, makes you owner, and sends a welcome DM to check delivery.
- "Wire our Slack channel to the support agent group."
- "Should this Discord server share an agent with my other chats or get its own?"
- "The bot ignores mentions in this WhatsApp group. Why?"
- "Add a new Slack channel and make it a separate agent with its own memory."
- "Show me how my channels are currently wired."
Example: wire a new channel with ncl
The skill uses ncl to create the messaging group and the wiring. Omitted engage mode, pattern and unknown-sender policy values come from the channel adapter's declaration for the right context (DM or group). Pass explicit flags only when you want to override one wiring. Run the help command to see the full flag list.
Threading can be set with --threads. Set it to false to collapse a threaded platform into one flat session with top-level replies.
- Run ncl wirings help or ncl messaging-groups help for the full flag list
- Changing threads on a live wiring does not move old history; new messages start new sessions
ncl messaging-groups create --channel-type <type> --platform-id "<id>" --name "<name>" [--is-group 1]
ncl wirings create --messaging-group-id <mg-id> --agent-group-id <ag-id> [--session-mode <mode>]Safety notes: scripts, network and access rights
This skill runs scripts. It uses pnpm exec tsx to run an in-tree wrapper that reads data/v2.db, and it runs the setup register step. The source does not describe the skill making network calls.
Access rights are the most sensitive part. Privilege belongs to users, not channels, and the skill can change which users are owner or admin. A wrong isolation choice can expose one person's conversation history to another, so review the isolation choice before confirming it. Do not use this skill to change access rights casually.
- Runs scripts: yes. Uses network: no, according to the skill's assessment
- Choose separate agents when different people are involved
- Review any change to owner or admin roles before accepting it
Tips for reliable results
Most problems come from a channel that cannot emit the mention signal you expect, or from a renamed agent group whose stored patterns still use the old name. The skill checks for both. Ask it to audit wirings if a group stops responding after a rename.
The skill also notes that channel defaults are copied when a wiring is created, so editing an adapter later only affects new wirings. Existing rows are not re-resolved.
- If mentions do nothing on WhatsApp personal-number mode or similar channels, use a name pattern instead of mention mode
- mention-sticky needs threads; with threads off, the skill changes it to mention
- Run /update-skills to pull current adapters if a channel has no declaration
What people use it for
- Connecting a Slack workspace channel to an existing support agent group
- Deciding whether a Discord server should share memory with other chats or get a separate isolated agent
- Fixing a WhatsApp group where the bot never responds to mentions by switching to a name pattern
- Auditing wirings after renaming an agent group so stored patterns still match
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the manage-channels skill?
Download the skill ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for a personal install or into .claude/skills/ inside a project. In the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need before using manage-channels?
You need a NanoClaw installation with pnpm and tsx available, a running NanoClaw host service, the SQLite database at data/v2.db, and channel credentials in .env for each channel. The skill is for reconfiguring an existing NanoClaw setup and does not replace it.
Is manage-channels free and what is its licence?
The source lists the licence as MIT. Check the repository licence file for the full terms before reuse.
Can I use manage-channels without NanoClaw?
No. The skill assumes NanoClaw's database, host service and ncl tool already exist. It is not a general chat-app integration guide.
Why does my bot not respond to mentions in a channel?
Some channels, such as Linear OAuth apps, WhatsApp personal-number mode and Emacs, cannot emit mention signals, so mention wirings never engage there. Use a name pattern with ncl wirings update instead. If you renamed the agent group, check that stored patterns still match the new name.
How does manage-channels compare with setting things up by hand?
The skill checks the current database state, applies the adapter defaults, and warns about risky choices such as threading changes and isolation. Doing it by hand gives you full control but requires you to know the schema, flags and rules yourself.
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Our verdict
Use manage-channels if you run a self-hosted NanoClaw instance and need to add or reconfigure Slack, Discord, WhatsApp or other channels, or to troubleshoot why a wired channel ignores mentions or threads. Skip it if you do not already run NanoClaw or only want casual access-rights changes, since wrong isolation or role choices can expose conversation history between people.
Download the skill