coderClaw

Multi-Agent Routing

Goal: multiple isolated agents (separate workspace + agentDir + sessions), plus multiple channel accounts (e.g. two WhatsApps) in one running Gateway. Inbound is routed to an agent via bindings.

What is “one agent”?

An agent is a fully scoped brain with its own:

Auth profiles are per-agent. Each agent reads from its own:

~/.coderclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json

Main agent credentials are not shared automatically. Never reuse agentDir across agents (it causes auth/session collisions). If you want to share creds, copy auth-profiles.json into the other agent’s agentDir.

Skills are per-agent via each workspace’s skills/ folder, with shared skills available from ~/.coderclaw/skills. See Skills: per-agent vs shared.

The Gateway can host one agent (default) or many agents side-by-side.

Workspace note: each agent’s workspace is the default cwd, not a hard sandbox. Relative paths resolve inside the workspace, but absolute paths can reach other host locations unless sandboxing is enabled. See Sandboxing.

Paths (quick map)

Single-agent mode (default)

If you do nothing, CoderClaw runs a single agent:

Agent helper

Use the agent wizard to add a new isolated agent:

coderclaw agents add work

Then add bindings (or let the wizard do it) to route inbound messages.

Verify with:

coderclaw agents list --bindings

Quick start

Use the wizard or create workspaces manually: ```bash coderclaw agents add coding coderclaw agents add social ``` Each agent gets its own workspace with `SOUL.md`, `AGENTS.md`, and optional `USER.md`, plus a dedicated `agentDir` and session store under `~/.coderclaw/agents/`. </Step> Create one account per agent on your preferred channels: - Discord: one bot per agent, enable Message Content Intent, copy each token. - Telegram: one bot per agent via BotFather, copy each token. - WhatsApp: link each phone number per account. ```bash coderclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account work ``` See channel guides: [Discord](/channels/discord), [Telegram](/channels/telegram), [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp). Add agents under `agents.list`, channel accounts under `channels..accounts`, and connect them with `bindings` (examples below). </Step> ```bash coderclaw gateway restart coderclaw agents list --bindings coderclaw channels status --probe ``` </Steps> ## Multiple agents = multiple people, multiple personalities With **multiple agents**, each `agentId` becomes a **fully isolated persona**: - **Different phone numbers/accounts** (per channel `accountId`). - **Different personalities** (per-agent workspace files like `AGENTS.md` and `SOUL.md`). - **Separate auth + sessions** (no cross-talk unless explicitly enabled). This lets **multiple people** share one Gateway server while keeping their AI “brains” and data isolated. ## One WhatsApp number, multiple people (DM split) You can route **different WhatsApp DMs** to different agents while staying on **one WhatsApp account**. Match on sender E.164 (like `+15551234567`) with `peer.kind: "direct"`. Replies still come from the same WhatsApp number (no per‑agent sender identity). Important detail: direct chats collapse to the agent’s **main session key**, so true isolation requires **one agent per person**. Example: ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "alex", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-alex" }, { id: "mia", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-mia" }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "alex", match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551230001" } }, }, { agentId: "mia", match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551230002" } }, }, ], channels: { whatsapp: { dmPolicy: "allowlist", allowFrom: ["+15551230001", "+15551230002"], }, }, } ``` Notes: - DM access control is **global per WhatsApp account** (pairing/allowlist), not per agent. - For shared groups, bind the group to one agent or use [Broadcast groups](/channels/broadcast-groups). ## Routing rules (how messages pick an agent) Bindings are **deterministic** and **most-specific wins**: 1. `peer` match (exact DM/group/channel id) 2. `parentPeer` match (thread inheritance) 3. `guildId + roles` (Discord role routing) 4. `guildId` (Discord) 5. `teamId` (Slack) 6. `accountId` match for a channel 7. channel-level match (`accountId: "*"`) 8. fallback to default agent (`agents.list[].default`, else first list entry, default: `main`) If multiple bindings match in the same tier, the first one in config order wins. If a binding sets multiple match fields (for example `peer` + `guildId`), all specified fields are required (`AND` semantics). ## Multiple accounts / phone numbers Channels that support **multiple accounts** (e.g. WhatsApp) use `accountId` to identify each login. Each `accountId` can be routed to a different agent, so one server can host multiple phone numbers without mixing sessions. ## Concepts - `agentId`: one “brain” (workspace, per-agent auth, per-agent session store). - `accountId`: one channel account instance (e.g. WhatsApp account `"personal"` vs `"biz"`). - `binding`: routes inbound messages to an `agentId` by `(channel, accountId, peer)` and optionally guild/team ids. - Direct chats collapse to `agent::` (per-agent “main”; `session.mainKey`). ## Platform examples ### Discord bots per agent Each Discord bot account maps to a unique `accountId`. Bind each account to an agent and keep allowlists per bot. ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "main", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-main" }, { id: "coding", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-coding" }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "main", match: { channel: "discord", accountId: "default" } }, { agentId: "coding", match: { channel: "discord", accountId: "coding" } }, ], channels: { discord: { groupPolicy: "allowlist", accounts: { default: { token: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN_MAIN", guilds: { "123456789012345678": { channels: { "222222222222222222": { allow: true, requireMention: false }, }, }, }, }, coding: { token: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN_CODING", guilds: { "123456789012345678": { channels: { "333333333333333333": { allow: true, requireMention: false }, }, }, }, }, }, }, }, } ``` Notes: - Invite each bot to the guild and enable Message Content Intent. - Tokens live in `channels.discord.accounts..token` (default account can use `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`). ### Telegram bots per agent ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "main", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-main" }, { id: "alerts", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-alerts" }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "main", match: { channel: "telegram", accountId: "default" } }, { agentId: "alerts", match: { channel: "telegram", accountId: "alerts" } }, ], channels: { telegram: { accounts: { default: { botToken: "123456:ABC...", dmPolicy: "pairing", }, alerts: { botToken: "987654:XYZ...", dmPolicy: "allowlist", allowFrom: ["tg:123456789"], }, }, }, }, } ``` Notes: - Create one bot per agent with BotFather and copy each token. - Tokens live in `channels.telegram.accounts..botToken` (default account can use `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN`). ### WhatsApp numbers per agent Link each account before starting the gateway: ```bash coderclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account personal coderclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account biz ``` `~/.coderclaw/coderclaw.json` (JSON5): ```js { agents: { list: [ { id: "home", default: true, name: "Home", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-home", agentDir: "~/.coderclaw/agents/home/agent", }, { id: "work", name: "Work", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-work", agentDir: "~/.coderclaw/agents/work/agent", }, ], }, // Deterministic routing: first match wins (most-specific first). bindings: [ { agentId: "home", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal" } }, { agentId: "work", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "biz" } }, // Optional per-peer override (example: send a specific group to work agent). { agentId: "work", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal", peer: { kind: "group", id: "[email protected]" }, }, }, ], // Off by default: agent-to-agent messaging must be explicitly enabled + allowlisted. tools: { agentToAgent: { enabled: false, allow: ["home", "work"], }, }, channels: { whatsapp: { accounts: { personal: { // Optional override. Default: ~/.coderclaw/credentials/whatsapp/personal // authDir: "~/.coderclaw/credentials/whatsapp/personal", }, biz: { // Optional override. Default: ~/.coderclaw/credentials/whatsapp/biz // authDir: "~/.coderclaw/credentials/whatsapp/biz", }, }, }, }, } ``` ## Example: WhatsApp daily chat + Telegram deep work Split by channel: route WhatsApp to a fast everyday agent and Telegram to an Opus agent. ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "chat", name: "Everyday", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-chat", model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5", }, { id: "opus", name: "Deep Work", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-opus", model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "chat", match: { channel: "whatsapp" } }, { agentId: "opus", match: { channel: "telegram" } }, ], } ``` Notes: - If you have multiple accounts for a channel, add `accountId` to the binding (for example `{ channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal" }`). - To route a single DM/group to Opus while keeping the rest on chat, add a `match.peer` binding for that peer; peer matches always win over channel-wide rules. ## Example: same channel, one peer to Opus Keep WhatsApp on the fast agent, but route one DM to Opus: ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "chat", name: "Everyday", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-chat", model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5", }, { id: "opus", name: "Deep Work", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-opus", model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "opus", match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551234567" } }, }, { agentId: "chat", match: { channel: "whatsapp" } }, ], } ``` Peer bindings always win, so keep them above the channel-wide rule. ## Family agent bound to a WhatsApp group Bind a dedicated family agent to a single WhatsApp group, with mention gating and a tighter tool policy: ```json5 { agents: { list: [ { id: "family", name: "Family", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-family", identity: { name: "Family Bot" }, groupChat: { mentionPatterns: ["@family", "@familybot", "@Family Bot"], }, sandbox: { mode: "all", scope: "agent", }, tools: { allow: [ "exec", "read", "sessions_list", "sessions_history", "sessions_send", "sessions_spawn", "session_status", ], deny: ["write", "edit", "apply_patch", "browser", "canvas", "nodes", "cron"], }, }, ], }, bindings: [ { agentId: "family", match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "group", id: "[email protected]" }, }, }, ], } ``` Notes: - Tool allow/deny lists are **tools**, not skills. If a skill needs to run a binary, ensure `exec` is allowed and the binary exists in the sandbox. - For stricter gating, set `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` and keep group allowlists enabled for the channel. ## Per-Agent Sandbox and Tool Configuration Starting with v2026.1.6, each agent can have its own sandbox and tool restrictions: ```js { agents: { list: [ { id: "personal", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-personal", sandbox: { mode: "off", // No sandbox for personal agent }, // No tool restrictions - all tools available }, { id: "family", workspace: "~/.coderclaw/workspace-family", sandbox: { mode: "all", // Always sandboxed scope: "agent", // One container per agent docker: { // Optional one-time setup after container creation setupCommand: "apt-get update && apt-get install -y git curl", }, }, tools: { allow: ["read"], // Only read tool deny: ["exec", "write", "edit", "apply_patch"], // Deny others }, }, ], }, } ``` Note: `setupCommand` lives under `sandbox.docker` and runs once on container creation. Per-agent `sandbox.docker.*` overrides are ignored when the resolved scope is `"shared"`. **Benefits:** - **Security isolation**: Restrict tools for untrusted agents - **Resource control**: Sandbox specific agents while keeping others on host - **Flexible policies**: Different permissions per agent Note: `tools.elevated` is **global** and sender-based; it is not configurable per agent. If you need per-agent boundaries, use `agents.list[].tools` to deny `exec`. For group targeting, use `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` so @mentions map cleanly to the intended agent. See [Multi-Agent Sandbox & Tools](/tools/multi-agent-sandbox-tools) for detailed examples.
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