DeltaChat Channel for NanoClaw

Add DeltaChat Channel

The adapter drives the @deltachat/stdio-rpc-server JSON-RPC subprocess directly — pure Node.js against the DeltaChat core library. Messages are delivered over email with Autocrypt/OpenPGP encryption.

Install

1. Copy the adapter and its registration test

Fetch the channels branch from the configured remote that carries it, then overwrite the skill-owned files with the canonical registry copies:

src/channels/deltachat.ts
src/channels/deltachat-registration.test.ts

2. Append the self-registration import

Append to src/channels/index.ts (skip if already present):

import './deltachat.js';

3. Install the adapter package (pinned)

@deltachat/stdio-rpc-server@2.49.0

4. Build and validate

pnpm run build

pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/deltachat-registration.test.ts

Both must be clean before proceeding. deltachat-registration.test.ts is the one integration test: it imports the real channel barrel and asserts the registry contains deltachat. It goes red if the import './deltachat.js'; line is deleted or drifts, if the barrel fails to evaluate (so the channel genuinely would not register), or if @deltachat/stdio-rpc-server isn't installed (the import throws) — so it also implicitly verifies the dependency from step 4. Importing is safe: deltachat instantiates the rpc client only in setup() (at host startup), never at import.

End-to-end message delivery against a real email account is verified manually once the service is running — see Wiring and Troubleshooting.

Account Setup

A dedicated email account is strongly recommended — it will accumulate DeltaChat-formatted messages and store encryption keys. Not all providers work well with DeltaChat; check https://providers.delta.chat/ before picking one.

Default security modes: IMAP uses SSL/TLS (port 993), SMTP uses STARTTLS (port 587). Both are configurable via .env — see Credentials below.

To find the correct hostnames for a domain:

node -e "require('dns').resolveMx('example.com', (e,r) => console.log(r))"

Most providers publish their IMAP/SMTP hostnames in their help docs under "manual setup" or "IMAP access."

Credentials

Add to .env:

DC_EMAIL=bot@example.com
DC_PASSWORD=your-app-password
DC_IMAP_HOST=imap.example.com
DC_IMAP_PORT=993
DC_IMAP_SECURITY=1        # 1=SSL/TLS (default), 2=STARTTLS, 3=plain
DC_SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
DC_SMTP_PORT=587
DC_SMTP_SECURITY=2        # 2=STARTTLS (default), 1=SSL/TLS, 3=plain

Security settings are applied on every startup, so changing them in .env and restarting takes effect without wiping the account.

Optional settings

The following are read from the process environment (not .env). To override them, add Environment= lines to the systemd service unit or your launchd plist:

The /set-avatar command (send an image with that caption) is the easiest way to set the avatar at runtime without modifying the service file. Only users with owner or global admin role can use it.

Restart

Run from your NanoClaw project root:

source setup/lib/install-slug.sh

# Linux
systemctl --user restart $(systemd_unit)

# macOS
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/$(launchd_label)

On first start the adapter configures the email account (IMAP/SMTP credentials, calls configure()). Subsequent starts skip straight to startIo(). Account data is stored in dc-account/ in the project root (or your DC_ACCOUNT_DIR).

Wiring

DMs

DeltaChat contacts cannot be added by email alone — to start a chat, the user must open the bot's invite link in their DeltaChat app or scan its QR code. This triggers the SecureJoin handshake.

Step 1 — Get the invite link

After the service starts, the adapter logs the invite URL and writes a QR SVG:

grep "invite link" logs/nanoclaw.log | tail -1
# url field contains the https://i.delta.chat/... invite link
# also written to dc-account/invite-qr.svg (or $DC_ACCOUNT_DIR/invite-qr.svg)

The invite URL is stable (tied to the bot's email and encryption keys) so it stays valid across restarts.

Step 2 — Add the bot in DeltaChat

Two options for the user to connect:

• Link: Copy the https://i.delta.chat/... URL and open it on the device running DeltaChat. The app recognises it and shows a "Start chat" prompt.
• QR code: Open dc-account/invite-qr.svg in a browser or image viewer, display it on screen, and scan it from the DeltaChat app using the QR-scan button on the new-chat screen.

After accepting, DeltaChat exchanges keys and creates the chat automatically.

Step 3 — Wire the chat to an agent

Once the first message arrives the router auto-creates a messaging_groups row. Look up the chat ID:

pnpm exec tsx scripts/q.ts data/v2.db \
  "SELECT platform_id, name FROM messaging_groups WHERE channel_type='deltachat' AND is_group=0 ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 5"

Then run /init-first-agent — it creates the agent group, grants the user owner access, and wires the messaging group in one step:

pnpm exec tsx scripts/init-first-agent.ts \
  --channel deltachat \
  --user-id deltachat:user@example.com \
  --platform-id <platform_id from above> \
  --display-name "Your Name"

Groups

Add the bot email to a DeltaChat group. When any member sends a message, the router creates a messaging_groups row with is_group = 1. Run /manage-channels to wire it to an agent group, or wire it directly with ncl — the host service must be running (ncl connects to it over a Unix socket):

# Engage mode/pattern default to the DeltaChat adapter's declared channel
# defaults — for DeltaChat groups that's a name pattern (the platform has no
# mention metadata), so the agent responds when addressed by name.
ncl wirings create --messaging-group-id <mg-id> --agent-group-id <ag-id>

Next Steps

If you're in the middle of /setup, return to the setup flow now.

Otherwise, run /init-first-agent to create an agent and wire it to your DeltaChat DM (see Wiring above), or /manage-channels to wire this channel to an existing agent group.