refactor: implement multi-channel architecture (#500)

* refactor: implement channel architecture and dynamic setup

- Introduced ChannelRegistry for dynamic channel loading
- Decoupled WhatsApp from core index.ts and config.ts
- Updated setup wizard to support ENABLED_CHANNELS selection
- Refactored IPC and group registration to be channel-aware
- Verified with 359 passing tests and clean typecheck

* style: fix formatting in config.ts to pass CI

* refactor(setup): full platform-agnostic transformation

- Harmonized all instructional text and help prompts
- Implemented conditional guards for WhatsApp-specific steps
- Normalized CLI terminology across all 4 initial channels
- Unified troubleshooting and verification logic
- Verified 369 tests pass with clean typecheck

* feat(skills): transform WhatsApp into a pluggable skill

- Created .claude/skills/add-whatsapp with full 5-phase interactive setup
- Fixed TS7006 'implicit any' error in IpcDeps
- Added auto-creation of STORE_DIR to prevent crashes on fresh installs
- Verified with 369 passing tests and clean typecheck

* refactor(skills): move WhatsApp from core to pluggable skill

- Move src/channels/whatsapp.ts to add-whatsapp skill add/ folder
- Move src/channels/whatsapp.test.ts to skill add/ folder
- Move src/whatsapp-auth.ts to skill add/ folder
- Create modify/ for barrel file (src/channels/index.ts)
- Create tests/ with skill package validation test
- Update manifest with adds/modifies lists
- Remove WhatsApp deps from core package.json (now skill-managed)
- Remove WhatsApp-specific ghost language from types.ts
- Update SKILL.md to reflect skill-apply workflow

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* refactor(skills): move setup/whatsapp-auth.ts into WhatsApp skill

The WhatsApp auth setup step is channel-specific — move it from core
to the add-whatsapp skill so core stays minimal.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* refactor(skills): convert Telegram skill to pluggable channel pattern

Replace the old direct-integration approach (modifying src/index.ts,
src/config.ts, src/routing.test.ts) with self-registration via the
channel registry, matching the WhatsApp skill pattern.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(skills): fix add-whatsapp build failure and improve auth flow

- Add missing @types/qrcode-terminal to manifest npm_dependencies
  (build failed after skill apply without it)
- Make QR-browser the recommended auth method (terminal QR too small,
  pairing codes expire too fast)
- Remove "replace vs alongside" question — channels are additive
- Add pairing code retry guidance and QR-browser fallback

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: remove hardcoded WhatsApp default and stale Baileys comment

- ENABLED_CHANNELS now defaults to empty (fresh installs must configure
  channels explicitly via /setup; existing installs already have .env)
- Remove Baileys-specific comment from storeMessageDirect() in db.ts

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* refactor(skills): convert Discord, Slack, Gmail skills to pluggable channel pattern

All channel skills now use the same self-registration pattern:
- registerChannel() factory at module load time
- Barrel file append (src/channels/index.ts) instead of orchestrator modifications
- No more *_ONLY flags (DISCORD_ONLY, SLACK_ONLY) — use ENABLED_CHANNELS instead
- Removed ~2500 lines of old modify/ files (src/index.ts, src/config.ts, src/routing.test.ts)

Gmail retains its container-runner.ts and agent-runner modifications (MCP
mount + server config) since those are independent of channel wiring.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* refactor: use getRegisteredChannels instead of ENABLED_CHANNELS

Remove the ENABLED_CHANNELS env var entirely. The orchestrator now
iterates getRegisteredChannelNames() from the channel registry —
channels self-register via barrel imports and their factories return
null when credentials are missing, so unconfigured channels are
skipped automatically.

Deleted setup/channels.ts (and its tests) since its sole purpose was
writing ENABLED_CHANNELS to .env. Refactored verify, groups, and
environment setup steps to detect channels by credential presence
instead of reading ENABLED_CHANNELS.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: add breaking change notice and whatsapp migration instructions

CHANGELOG.md documents the pluggable channel architecture shift and
provides migration steps for existing WhatsApp users.

CLAUDE.md updated: Quick Context reflects multi-channel architecture,
Key Files lists registry.ts instead of whatsapp.ts, and a new
Troubleshooting section directs users to /add-whatsapp if WhatsApp
stops connecting after upgrade.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: rewrite READMEs for pluggable multi-channel architecture

Reflects the architectural shift from a hardcoded WhatsApp bot to a
pluggable channel platform. Adds upgrading notice, Mermaid architecture
diagram, CI/License/TypeScript/PRs badges, and clarifies that slash
commands run inside the Claude Code CLI.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: move pluggable channel architecture details to SPEC.md

Revert READMEs to original tone with only two targeted changes:
- Add upgrading notice for WhatsApp breaking change
- Mention pluggable channels in "What It Supports"

Move Mermaid diagram, channel registry internals, factory pattern
explanation, and self-registration walkthrough into docs/SPEC.md.
Update stale WhatsApp-specific references in SPEC.md to be
channel-agnostic.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: move upgrading notice to CHANGELOG, add changelog link

Remove the "Upgrading from Pre-Pluggable Versions" section from
README.md — breaking change details belong in the CHANGELOG. Add a
Changelog section linking to CHANGELOG.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: expand CHANGELOG with full PR #500 changes

Cover all changes: channel registry, WhatsApp moved to skill, removed
core dependencies, all 5 skills simplified, orchestrator refactored,
setup decoupled. Use Claude Code CLI instructions for migration.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore: bump version to 1.2.0 for pluggable channel architecture

Minor version bump — new functionality (pluggable channels) with a
managed migration path for existing WhatsApp users. Update version
references in CHANGELOG and update skill.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* Fix skill application

* fix: use slotted barrel file to prevent channel merge conflicts

Pre-allocate a named comment slot for each channel in
src/channels/index.ts, separated by blank lines. Each skill's
modify file only touches its own slot, so three-way merges
never conflict when applying multiple channels.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: resolve real chat ID during setup for token-based channels

Instead of registering with `pending@telegram` (which never matches
incoming messages), the setup skill now runs an inline bot that waits
for the user to send /chatid, capturing the real chat ID before
registration.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: setup delegates to channel skills, fix group sync and Discord metadata

- Restructure setup SKILL.md to delegate channel setup to individual
  channel skills (/add-whatsapp, /add-telegram, etc.) instead of
  reimplementing auth/registration inline with broken placeholder JIDs
- Move channel selection to step 5 where it's immediately acted on
- Fix setup/groups.ts: write sync script to temp file instead of passing
  via node -e which broke on shell escaping of newlines
- Fix Discord onChatMetadata missing channel and isGroup parameters
- Add .tmp-* to .gitignore for temp sync script cleanup

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: align add-whatsapp skill with main setup patterns

Add headless detection for auth method selection, structured inline
error handling, dedicated number DM flow, and reorder questions to
match main's trigger-first flow.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: add missing auth script to package.json

The add-whatsapp skill adds src/whatsapp-auth.ts but doesn't add
the corresponding npm script. Setup and SKILL.md reference `npm run auth`
for WhatsApp QR terminal authentication.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: update Discord skill tests to match onChatMetadata signature

The onChatMetadata callback now takes 5 arguments (jid, timestamp,
name, channel, isGroup) but the Discord skill tests only expected 3.
This caused skill application to roll back on test failure.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: replace 'pluggable' jargon with clearer language

User-facing text now says "multi-channel" or describes what it does.
Developer-facing text uses "self-registering" or "channel registry".
Also removes extra badge row from README.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: align Chinese README with English version

Remove extra badges, replace pluggable jargon, remove upgrade section
(now in CHANGELOG), add missing intro line and changelog section,
fix setup FAQ answer.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix: warn on installed-but-unconfigured channels instead of silent skip

Channels with missing credentials now emit WARN logs naming the exact
missing variable, so misconfigurations surface instead of being hidden.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: simplify changelog to one-liner with compare link

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* feat: add isMain flag and channel-prefixed group folders

Replace MAIN_GROUP_FOLDER constant with explicit isMain boolean on
RegisteredGroup. Group folders now use channel prefix convention
(e.g., whatsapp_main, telegram_family-chat) to prevent cross-channel
collisions.

- Add isMain to RegisteredGroup type and SQLite schema (with migration)
- Replace all folder-based main group checks with group.isMain
- Add --is-main flag to setup/register.ts
- Strip isMain from IPC payload (defense in depth)
- Update MCP tool description for channel-prefixed naming
- Update all channel SKILL.md files and documentation

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: gavrielc <gabicohen22@yahoo.com>
Co-authored-by: Koshkoshinski <daniel.milliner@gmail.com>

README.md

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
   <a href="https://discord.gg/VDdww8qS42"><img src="https://img.shields.io/discord/1470188214710046894?label=Discord&logo=discord&v=2" alt="Discord" valign="middle"></a>&nbsp; • &nbsp;
   <a href="repo-tokens"><img src="repo-tokens/badge.svg" alt="34.9k tokens, 17% of context window" valign="middle"></a>
 </p>
-
 Using Claude Code, NanoClaw can dynamically rewrite its code to customize its feature set for your needs.
 
 **New:** First AI assistant to support [Agent Swarms](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-teams). Spin up teams of agents that collaborate in your chat.
@@ -33,6 +32,8 @@ claude
 
 Then run `/setup`. Claude Code handles everything: dependencies, authentication, container setup and service configuration.
 
+> **Note:** Commands prefixed with `/` (like `/setup`, `/add-whatsapp`) are [Claude Code skills](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills). Type them inside the `claude` CLI prompt, not in your regular terminal.
+
 ## Philosophy
 
 **Small enough to understand.** One process, a few source files and no microservices. If you want to understand the full NanoClaw codebase, just ask Claude Code to walk you through it.
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ Then run `/setup`. Claude Code handles everything: dependencies, authentication,
 
 ## What It Supports
 
-- **Messenger I/O** - Message NanoClaw from your phone. Supports WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal and headless operation.
+- **Multi-channel messaging** - Talk to your assistant from WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, or Gmail. Add channels with skills like `/add-whatsapp` or `/add-telegram`. Run one or many at the same time.
 - **Isolated group context** - Each group has its own `CLAUDE.md` memory, isolated filesystem, and runs in its own container sandbox with only that filesystem mounted to it.
 - **Main channel** - Your private channel (self-chat) for admin control; every group is completely isolated
 - **Scheduled tasks** - Recurring jobs that run Claude and can message you back
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ Users then run `/add-telegram` on their fork and get clean code that does exactl
 Skills we'd like to see:
 
 **Communication Channels**
-- `/add-slack` - Add Slack
+- `/add-signal` - Add Signal as a channel
 
 **Session Management**
 - `/clear` - Add a `/clear` command that compacts the conversation (summarizes context while preserving critical information in the same session). Requires figuring out how to trigger compaction programmatically via the Claude Agent SDK.
@@ -121,14 +122,16 @@ Skills we'd like to see:
 ## Architecture
 
 ```
-WhatsApp (baileys) --> SQLite --> Polling loop --> Container (Claude Agent SDK) --> Response
+Channels --> SQLite --> Polling loop --> Container (Claude Agent SDK) --> Response
 ```
 
-Single Node.js process. Agents execute in isolated Linux containers with filesystem isolation. Only mounted directories are accessible. Per-group message queue with concurrency control. IPC via filesystem.
+Single Node.js process. Channels are added via skills and self-register at startup — the orchestrator connects whichever ones have credentials present. Agents execute in isolated Linux containers with filesystem isolation. Only mounted directories are accessible. Per-group message queue with concurrency control. IPC via filesystem.
+
+For the full architecture details, see [docs/SPEC.md](docs/SPEC.md).
 
 Key files:
 - `src/index.ts` - Orchestrator: state, message loop, agent invocation
-- `src/channels/whatsapp.ts` - WhatsApp connection, auth, send/receive
+- `src/channels/registry.ts` - Channel registry (self-registration at startup)
 - `src/ipc.ts` - IPC watcher and task processing
 - `src/router.ts` - Message formatting and outbound routing
 - `src/group-queue.ts` - Per-group queue with global concurrency limit
@@ -191,6 +194,10 @@ This keeps the base system minimal and lets every user customize their installat
 
 Questions? Ideas? [Join the Discord](https://discord.gg/VDdww8qS42).
 
+## Changelog
+
+See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for breaking changes and migration notes.
+
 ## License
 
 MIT