b10ac36ed0
Mailbox names are now built as <project>-<session-short>, where <project> is the sanitized git-repo basename (or cwd basename) — no more env-var prefix step. Sessions can re-tag themselves at runtime via the new mcp__mailbox__rename tool (POST /v1/rename), which transfers all pending messages to the new name in a single transaction. Peers using the old name re-discover via list_mailboxes. BREAKING: \$CLAUDE_MAILBOX_NAME is no longer read. Existing setups that relied on the env-var prefix should remove it from .claude/settings.json; the prefix now comes from the working directory automatically. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
93 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
93 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
# claude-mailbox plugin
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Lets Claude Code pull unread messages from a local `claude-mailbox` daemon before every prompt and inject them into the conversation context. Each Claude session gets a **unique mailbox identity** auto-derived from its session id, so two sessions in the same project never collide.
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## Setup (three prompts, all inside Claude Code)
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```
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/plugin marketplace add https://git.kuns.dev/releases/ClaudeMailbox.git
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/plugin install claude-mailbox@claude-mailbox
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/claude-mailbox:mailbox-doctor
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```
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The doctor walks the rest:
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1. installs the `claude-mailbox` binary via `npm install -g @kuns/claude-mailbox` if missing (asks first)
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2. registers the daemon for autostart and starts it if needed
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3. health-probes `http://127.0.0.1:37849/health`
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4. runs a self → self smoke test
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After that, every prompt auto-pulls unread messages.
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## Mailbox identity (the important bit)
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Each Claude Code session gets its own mailbox name, automatically derived as `<project>-<session-short>`:
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| Where the session runs | Resulting mailbox name |
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| Inside a git repo | `<repo-basename>-a8b3c1d2` (e.g. `claude-mailbox-a8b3c1d2`) |
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| Outside a git repo | `<cwd-basename>-a8b3c1d2` |
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| No cwd in stdin (rare) | `claude-a8b3c1d2` |
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So if you open two Claude Code sessions in the same project, they'll share the project prefix but differ in the session-short — e.g. `claude-mailbox-a8b3c1d2` and `claude-mailbox-d4e5f6a7`. No env-var, no manual prefix step.
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If a session focuses on a sub-area (frontend, backend, …), Claude can call `mcp__mailbox__rename(current_name="…", new_name="claude-mailbox-frontend-a8b3c1d2")` to tag itself; pending messages are transferred. Peers using the old name re-discover via `list_mailboxes`.
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The `SessionStart` hook announces the current session's mailbox name in the conversation context on startup. Peers discover each other via `claude-mailbox list` or the `mcp__mailbox__list_mailboxes` MCP tool.
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## What the hooks do
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| Hook | Command | Effect |
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| `SessionStart` | `claude-mailbox session-announce` | Registers the session with the daemon, then prints (a) this session's mailbox name, (b) the exact `from` / `name` args to pass to MCP tools, and (c) a list of other mailboxes active in the last hour — so Claude knows who's around without needing to call `list_mailboxes` first. |
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| `UserPromptSubmit` | `claude-mailbox check --hook` | Pulls unread messages for the session's mailbox and injects them as context. Silent on empty inbox; emits a one-line setup hint when the daemon is unreachable. |
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| `SubagentStop` | `claude-mailbox check --hook` | Same as `UserPromptSubmit`, but fires when a subagent finishes (Task tool). Lets the parent see peer messages that arrived during a long-running subagent run, instead of waiting until the next user prompt. |
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Cost: one local HTTP round-trip per prompt and per subagent stop + Node coldstart (~100ms on Windows).
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## MCP tools
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The plugin ships a `.mcp.json` that spawns a **stdio MCP wrapper** (`claude-mailbox mcp-stdio`) so the daemon URL is configurable per machine via the `CLAUDE_MAILBOX_URL` env var (Claude Code doesn't yet support env substitution in HTTP MCP URLs — see issue #46889). The wrapper proxies tool calls to the daemon's REST API.
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Each MCP tool takes the caller's mailbox name as an explicit argument (from the SessionStart announcement):
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| Tool | Required args | Purpose |
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| `mcp__mailbox__send` | `from`, `to`, `body` | Send a message to another mailbox. |
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| `mcp__mailbox__check_inbox` | `name` | Pull all undelivered messages for your mailbox (marks delivered). |
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| `mcp__mailbox__peek_inbox` | `name` | Non-consuming count of pending messages. |
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| `mcp__mailbox__list_mailboxes` | `name` | Discover known mailboxes and `pendingForYou` counts. |
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| `mcp__mailbox__rename` | `current_name`, `new_name` | Rename your own mailbox (e.g. add an area tag). Pending messages are transferred. Use the new name afterward. |
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The SessionStart announcement spells out the exact args to pass, so Claude picks them up automatically.
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## Slash commands
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| Command | What it does |
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| `/claude-mailbox:mailbox-doctor` | Diagnose + auto-fix the full setup. |
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| `/claude-mailbox:mailbox-status` | Read-only health check. No changes. |
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| `/claude-mailbox:mailbox-update` | Update the daemon to the latest npm version and restart it. |
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## Coordinating two Claude Code sessions
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1. Open two Claude Code sessions in the same (or different) project.
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2. Each session's SessionStart hook registers itself with the daemon and prints both its own mailbox name and the **list of currently active peers** into context.
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3. In session A you can simply say: *"I started a second session, coordinate with it."* Because the peer's mailbox name is already in context, Claude can call `mcp__mailbox__send(from="<my-name>", to="<peer-name>", body="...")` straight away — no manual `list_mailboxes` step needed.
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4. Session B's `UserPromptSubmit` hook pulls the message on its next prompt and injects it as context.
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You can also send from any shell:
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```sh
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claude-mailbox list
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claude-mailbox send --from probe --to backend-a8b3c1d2 --body "hi"
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```
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## Uninstall
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```
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/plugin uninstall claude-mailbox@claude-mailbox
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npm uninstall -g @kuns/claude-mailbox
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claude-mailbox uninstall-autostart # if you registered it
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```
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