87 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
4.5 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://127.0.0.1:47822/health`
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4. optionally lets you set a **base prefix** (e.g., `backend`) — without one, mailbox names are anonymous (`claude-XXXXXXXX`)
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5. runs a self → self smoke test
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Restart Claude Code only if step 4 wrote a new prefix. 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, derived from the session's UUID:
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| Configuration | Resulting mailbox name |
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| No `CLAUDE_MAILBOX_NAME` set | `claude-a8b3c1d2` (first 8 hex chars of session_id) |
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| `CLAUDE_MAILBOX_NAME=backend` in `.claude/settings.json` env | `backend-a8b3c1d2` |
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So if you open two Claude Code sessions in the same project, they'll be e.g. `backend-a8b3c1d2` and `backend-d4e5f6a7` — distinct, addressable, no manual setup.
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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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Cost: one local HTTP round-trip per prompt + Node coldstart (~100ms on Windows).
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## MCP tools
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The plugin also ships a `.mcp.json` so Claude has direct access to the mailbox via tool calls. Because the X-Mailbox header would be the same for two parallel sessions sharing one `.mcp.json`, **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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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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