Installs just this skill. Get the whole plugin for auto-invocation.
⚡ How it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
Fires itselfClaude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.
You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
Slash command/add-matrix
👁️ Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Add Matrix channel integration via Chat SDK. Works with any Matrix homeserver.
📊 Stats
Stars30,325
Forks12,869
LanguageTypeScript
LicenseMIT
📦 Ships with nanoclaw
</> SKILL.md
add-matrix.SKILL.md
---name: add-matrix
description: Add Matrix channel integration via Chat SDK. Works with any Matrix homeserver.
---# Add Matrix Channel
Adds Matrix support via the Chat SDK bridge. NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in
trunk — this skill copies the Matrix adapter in from the `channels` branch.
The mechanical steps under **Apply** carry `nc:` directive fences: an agent
reads the prose and applies them, and a parser can apply them deterministically
from the same document. Every directive is idempotent, so the whole skill is
safe to re-run; anything a parser can't apply falls back to the prose beside it.
## Apply
### 1. Copy the adapter
Fetch the `channels` branch and copy the Matrix adapter into `src/channels/`
(overwrite — the branch is canonical):
```nc:copy from-branch:channels
src/channels/matrix.ts
src/channels/matrix-registration.test.ts
```
### 2. Register the adapter
Append the self-registration import to the channel barrel (skipped if the line
is already present). This one line is the skill's only reach-in into core:
```nc:append to:src/channels/index.ts
import './matrix.js';
```
MATRIX_DEVICE_ID=NANOCLAW01 # Stable device ID across restarts
```
### Store the credentials
Capture the values for the auth method you chose, then write them. `prompt` only
*asks* and binds the answer to a name; a separate directive consumes it — so the
same prompts could feed `ncl` or the OneCLI vault instead of `.env` by swapping
only the consumer. The homeserver URL, the bot's user ID, and a display name are
shared across both auth methods:
```nc:prompt base_url
Paste the homeserver base URL, e.g. `https://matrix.org`.
```
```nc:prompt user_id
Paste the bot's full Matrix user ID, e.g. `@andybot:matrix.org`.
```
```nc:prompt bot_username
Paste a display name for the bot, e.g. `Andy`.
```
```nc:env-set
MATRIX_BASE_URL={{base_url}}
MATRIX_USER_ID={{user_id}}
MATRIX_BOT_USERNAME={{bot_username}}
```
For **Option A** capture the bot login, for **Option B** capture the access
token — set only the block matching your chosen method:
```nc:prompt username
Option A only — the bot's login username (the localpart, e.g. `andybot`).
```
```nc:prompt password secret
Option A only — the bot account's password.
```
```nc:env-set
MATRIX_USERNAME={{username}}
MATRIX_PASSWORD={{password}}
```
```nc:prompt access_token secret
Option B only — the access token from Element Settings > Help & About, or from the login API.
```
```nc:env-set
MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN={{access_token}}
```
## Next Steps
If you're in the middle of `/setup`, return to the setup flow now.
Otherwise, run `/manage-channels` to wire this channel to an agent group.
## Channel Info
- **type**: `matrix`
- **terminology**: Matrix has "rooms." A room can be a group chat or a direct message. Rooms have internal IDs (like `!abc123:matrix.org`) and optional aliases (like `#general:matrix.org`).
- **how-to-find-id**: For DMs, use the bot's `openDM` to resolve the room automatically. For group rooms, in Element click the room name > Settings > Advanced — the "Internal room ID" is the platform ID (starts with `!`). Or use a room alias like `#general:matrix.org`.
- **supports-threads**: partial (some clients support threads, but not all — treat as no for reliability)
- **typical-use**: Interactive chat — rooms or direct messages. Requires a separate bot account (the agent cannot DM users from their own account).
- **default-isolation**: Same agent group for rooms where you're the primary user. Separate agent group for rooms with different communities or sensitive contexts.
## Troubleshooting
**Build fails with `ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND` for `matrix-js-sdk/lib/...`.** The ESM extension patch (step 4) hasn't been applied — or a later `pnpm install` reinstalled the adapter and wiped it. Re-run the patch, then `pnpm run build`; the patch is idempotent, so re-running is always safe.
**Login fails with `M_FORBIDDEN`.** The username/user-ID split is the usual trip: `MATRIX_USERNAME` is the bare localpart (`andybot`), while `MATRIX_USER_ID` is the full ID (`@andybot:matrix.org`) — swapping them fails auth. With Option B, an access token dies the moment that Element session signs out; grab a fresh one from Settings → Help & About → Access Token, or via the login API.
**The bot never joins your room.** Auto-join is on by default (`MATRIX_INVITE_AUTOJOIN=true`), but an allowlist (`MATRIX_INVITE_AUTOJOIN_ALLOWLIST`) that doesn't include your user ID makes it ignore your invites. Invite the bot from your own account and watch the service log for the join.
**Messages to yourself never arrive.** Matrix cannot DM your own account — the bot must be its own account, separate from yours. If you configured the adapter with your personal credentials, register a dedicated bot account and redo the credential steps.
**Registered but silent.** Run `pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/matrix-registration.test.ts` — red means the barrel import or the `@beeper/chat-adapter-matrix` install drifted, so re-run the Apply steps. If green, restart the service (see Next Steps) and check `logs/nanoclaw.error.log` for login errors.
