Agents

Built-in agent registry

Defined in src/acp/agent-launch.ts. The /agent picker only lists agents whose required binaries are on PATH.

Adapter pins (npm) — TOML [agents] or env override:

Upstream: claude-agent-acp, codex-acp.

Aliases (normalized before launch):

Overrides

default_agent = "grok-build"

[agents]
# command_json = '{"grok-build":{"command":"grok","args":["agent","stdio"]}}'
# claude_acp_pkg = "@agentclientprotocol/[email protected]"

JSON command overrides merge on top of the built-in registry (same shape: command + args).

Backend

The worker always uses real ACP agents (realAgents → acp-host by default).
Unit tests may still import echoAgents as an in-memory fake.

/agent — switch process mid-session

• Shows a picker of available agents (+ any ids from agents.command_json)
• Or /agent <id>
• Respawn the agent for this topic; persists identity.agent
• Mid-turn: cancel then switch
• With acp-host, ensure reattaches/respawns the slot for the new agent

/model — switch LLM

Sources of model lists (first available wins in practice):

1. ACP session.models / model notifications (e.g. Grok Build session/set_model)
2. ACP configOptions with model category + session/set_config_option
3. Canned fallbacks for known agents (and spawn -m / env where applicable)

Usage:

• /model → button list
• /model <value> → set directly
• Mid-turn cancels the turn, then applies

/status shows Agent, Launch, Mode, Model, Effort, and Permissions as distinct fields.

Tool permissions (ask vs bypass)

Separate from session mode (plan/build). Controls whether tool calls show Telegram approve buttons.

Duplicate concurrent prompts for the same action are coalesced (one keyboard).

Config (config.toml):

[features]
permission_mode = "ask"            # or "bypass"

Setup TUI asks once on acpbot setup.

Slash commands:

Changing a topic’s policy re-ensures the agent slot so Grok spawn flags apply.

Grok Build (source of truth)

From xai-org/grok-build:

acpbot seeds Grok’s mode catalog as default / plan / ask so /mode, /plan, and /build work. Effort stays on /effort.

Modes (permission)

Modes come from:

1. ACP session.modes / session/set_mode (Codex, Claude)
2. ACP configOptions with id/category "mode" (OpenCode: build / plan)

Reasoning effort is not a permission mode — use /effort when the agent advertises it.

Effort (reasoning)

Sources depend on the agent:

• Grok Build — session config under _meta (category often labeled "mode" in the agent payload; treated as effort)
• OpenCode — configOptions with id effort / category thought_level when the model has variants

Setting uses ACP session/set_mode or session/set_config_option as appropriate. UI shows level ids, not marketing labels.

Skills

acpbot ships telegram and schedules. Install globally so every agent CLI sees them:

acpbot skills install   # once — not on every worker start

Works from the release binary (skills are embedded). Telegram /skills also discovers them without a global install.

/skills (topic) discovers collections from:

• Bundled skills root (package skills/ or materialised under ~/.local/share/acpbot/bundled-skills/)
• Session cwd (.agents/skills, .grok/skills, …)
• [skills].roots / ACPBOT_SKILL_ROOTS (extra dirs)
• Defaults under $HOME: .grok/skills, .grok/bundled/skills, .agents/skills, .claude/skills

Pick a skill, then send a prompt that includes it for the agent. Full write-up: Skills.

acp-host notes

acp-host is required (worker fails boot without a live host socket):

• Agent stdio lives in the host process
• Worker restart does not kill agents
• Host SIGTERM disposes all agent processes
• /agent changes go through host ensure + optional respawn RPCs

See Architecture.