@hua-labs/tap

@hua-labs/tap is a lightweight CLI that lets multiple AI agent runtimes, such as Claude and Codex, exchange messages through a shared file-backed communication directory.

It focuses on safe setup, durable delivery evidence, and runtime-specific diagnostics without requiring a central daemon for every runtime.

Preview Status

0.6.x is an advanced operator preview.

• Public defaults use neutral concrete agents such as agent-a and agent-b.
• setup is dry-run-first and only applies reviewed tap-managed changes.
• Profile packs are data-only validation inputs; tap does not run commands from a profile pack in 0.6.x.
• Codex App / Desktop live delivery is experimental and strict-gated by runtime health and route freshness.
• Gemini CLI support is legacy/deprecated in this release line. If your workflow has moved to Antigravity CLI, treat it as a custom profile-pack surface until tap ships a dedicated adapter.

For detailed AI-operator troubleshooting, concepts, and advanced runtime notes, read AI_GUIDE.md. AI operators should read it before claiming live delivery or runtime readiness.

Requirements

• Node.js >=22.6.0
• A git repository for setup-managed MCP config

Quick Start

Run inside an existing git repository. For a new test directory only:

git init

Then inspect and apply setup:

# 1. Inspect setup changes first
npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --dry-run --json

# 2. Apply only reviewed setup-safe changes
npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --apply --json

# 3. Check setup readiness
npx @hua-labs/tap doctor --setup --profile codex-cli --json
npx @hua-labs/tap status --json

To add and verify a concrete runtime lane later:

npx @hua-labs/tap add codex --name agent-a
npx @hua-labs/tap ready --surface codex-cli --agent agent-a --apply --json
npx @hua-labs/tap comms-doctor --all-known --json

What Setup Changes

tap setup is dry-run by default. With --apply, the reviewed public setup path creates tap-owned directories, an initial tap state file, and guarded tap-managed repo .mcp.json entries.

It does not start receiver, projection, uplink, bridge, app-server, headless runner, or remote panel processes. It does not publish presence, repair route tuples, send messages, or read credentials.

Most users should start with setup. Use init only when you want to manually create or reset the shared communication directory and local tap state.

Supported Public Setup Profiles

Profile	Use when
codex-cli	Codex CLI or headless CLI will use MCP tools plus inbox/receiver paths.
codex-app	Codex App/Desktop route readiness should be inspected read-only.
claude-channel	Claude/channel readiness should be inspected read-only.

Common Commands

setup

Inspect and optionally apply first-run public deployment changes.

npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --dry-run --json
npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --apply --json
npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --profile-pack ./tap-profile-pack.json --json

tap refuses to mutate user-managed or ambiguous MCP entries.

ready

Prepare or verify a concrete agent on a runtime surface.

npx @hua-labs/tap ready --surface codex-cli --agent agent-a --json
npx @hua-labs/tap ready --surface codex-cli --agent agent-a --apply --json

By default, ready reports the current or planned readiness state. With --apply, it applies reviewed readiness changes for the selected surface and agent.

init

Create or reset the shared comms directory and .tap-comms/ state.

npx @hua-labs/tap init
npx @hua-labs/tap init --comms-dir /path/to/comms
npx @hua-labs/tap init --permissions safe
npx @hua-labs/tap init --permissions full

add <runtime>

Add a runtime instance and patch the runtime config when verification allows it.

npx @hua-labs/tap add claude
npx @hua-labs/tap add codex --name agent-a
npx @hua-labs/tap add codex --name agent-b --port 4520

gemini remains accepted for legacy compatibility, but new first-run docs do not recommend it as a default runtime.

status

Show installed runtimes and their status.

npx @hua-labs/tap status
npx @hua-labs/tap status --json

doctor

Diagnose setup, config drift, bridge health, managed MCP wiring, and runtime state.

npx @hua-labs/tap doctor
npx @hua-labs/tap doctor --setup --profile codex-cli --json

comms-doctor

Explain delivery by runtime surface, including local inbox evidence and live adapter readiness.

npx @hua-labs/tap comms-doctor --all-known --json
npx @hua-labs/tap comms-doctor --agent agent-a --plan-send --json

flow-doctor

Diagnose one receiver/promoter lane without mutating process state.

npx @hua-labs/tap flow-doctor --agent agent-a --json

flow-doctor is read-only by default. Its reviewed cleanup mode only archives stale non-lane presence records with a manifest and prunes matching stale heartbeat entries.

reviews register

Register formal review outcomes into a discoverable review evidence stream.

npx @hua-labs/tap reviews register --source ./tap-comms --dry-run --json

serve

Start the bundled tap MCP server on stdio.

npx @hua-labs/tap serve

bridge start|stop|restart

Manage Codex app-server bridge lifecycle.

npx @hua-labs/tap bridge start codex --agent-name agent-c
npx @hua-labs/tap bridge stop codex --keep-server
npx @hua-labs/tap bridge restart codex

Core Concepts

• Runtime: an AI tool or environment tap can connect to, such as Claude or Codex.
• Agent: a named participant, such as agent-a, that sends or receives messages.
• Surface: a specific runtime interface, such as codex-cli or codex-app.
• Comms directory: the shared file-backed message store for inboxes, reviews, handoffs, and evidence.
• Profile: a setup target that describes which runtime surface tap should inspect or prepare.
• Profile pack: a data-only input for validating custom operator environments.

Permissions

Safe mode reduces destructive local file operations. It is not a network-isolated mode.

• safe is the default.
• full enables less restricted local runtime settings and should only be used on trusted machines.

See AI_GUIDE.md for details.

JSON Output

Most operational commands support --json for machine-readable output.

npx @hua-labs/tap status --json

Exit codes use 0 for ok and 1 for error. Error codes use the TAP_* prefix.

Supported Runtimes

Runtime	Status	Notes
Claude	supported	Uses .mcp.json / channel-style delivery.
Codex	supported	Uses CLI, MCP, and app-server surfaces.
Gemini	legacy / deprecated	Kept for compatibility only.
Other	custom profile-pack input	Use data-only profile packs in 0.6.x.

Antigravity CLI is not a bundled adapter in 0.6.x. Model it as a custom profile-pack surface until a dedicated integration is released.

Examples

• Generic profile pack: examples/tap-profile-pack.example.json
• Narrative examples: examples/

The narrative examples are real collaboration stories, not setup defaults.

Recent Changes

See CHANGELOG.md for full release history.

Highlights in 0.6.x:

• dry-run-first public setup profiles;
• ready, comms-doctor, and flow-doctor for surface-specific diagnostics;
• explicit tap reviews register evidence registration;
• profile-pack validation for custom environments;
• stricter broad-role and stale-presence guards;
• packaged AI operator guide and npm provenance publishing.

License

MIT