Add WeChat Channel

Adds WeChat support via iLink Bot API — the first-party Tencent API for personal WeChat bots (different from WeCom / Official Account).

Why this is different from wechaty/PadLocal:

• Official Tencent API — no ToS violation, no ban risk
• Free — no PadLocal token required
• No public webhook URL needed — uses long-poll
• Works with any personal WeChat account

Prerequisites

• A personal WeChat account with the mobile app installed
• A phone to scan the QR code for login
• Node.js >= 20 (already required by NanoClaw)

Install

NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in trunk. This skill copies the WeChat adapter in from the channels branch.

Pre-flight (idempotent)

Skip to Credentials if all of these are already in place:

• src/channels/wechat.ts exists
• src/channels/wechat-registration.test.ts exists
• src/channels/index.ts contains import './wechat.js';
• wechat-ilink-client is listed in package.json dependencies

Otherwise continue. Every step below is safe to re-run.

1. Fetch the channels branch

bash
git fetch origin channels

2. Copy the adapter and its registration test

bash
git show origin/channels:src/channels/wechat.ts                 > src/channels/wechat.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/wechat-registration.test.ts > src/channels/wechat-registration.test.ts

3. Append the self-registration import

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

typescript
import './wechat.js';

4. Install the library (pinned)

bash
pnpm install wechat-ilink-client@0.1.0

5. Build and validate

bash
pnpm run build
pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/wechat-registration.test.ts

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

End-to-end message delivery against a real WeChat account is verified manually once the service is running — see Credentials and Wire your first DM above.

Credentials

Unlike most channels, WeChat requires no pre-configured API keys. Auth happens via QR code scan from your phone.

1. Enable the channel

Add to .env:

bash
WECHAT_ENABLED=true

2. Start the service and scan the QR

Restart NanoClaw.

Run from your NanoClaw project root:

bash
source setup/lib/install-slug.sh
systemctl --user restart $(systemd_unit)              # Linux
# or
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/$(launchd_label)  # macOS

The adapter will print a QR URL to the logs and save it to data/wechat/qr.txt:

bash
tail -f logs/nanoclaw.log | grep WeChat
# or
cat data/wechat/qr.txt

Open the URL in a browser (it renders a QR code), then:

1. Open WeChat on your phone
2. Use its built-in QR scanner (top-right "+" → Scan)
3. Approve the authorization on your phone
4. Auth credentials are saved to data/wechat/auth.json — do not commit this file

The bot is now connected as your WeChat account.

Wire your first DM

A successful QR login alone isn't enough — the adapter still needs to be wired to an agent group before it can respond.

Prerequisite: the host service must be running. The wire script creates the wiring through ncl, which talks to the running host over a Unix socket — there is no offline mode.

1. Trigger the first inbound message

Have a different WeChat account send a message to the bot account. This auto-creates a messaging_groups row with the sender's platform_id and the unknown_sender_policy the WeChat adapter declares.

2. Run the wire script

bash
pnpm exec tsx .claude/skills/add-wechat/scripts/wire-dm.ts

Interactive flow: the script lists all unwired WeChat messaging groups, asks which agent group to wire it to, and runs ncl wirings create — engage mode/pattern and priority come from the WeChat adapter's declared channel defaults, so a wiring created here matches one created by /manage-channels or the approval-card flow.

With request_approval as the sender policy, the next DM from a stranger fires an approval card to the admin — admin taps Approve/Deny, approved users are added as members and their queued message replays through the agent.

Non-interactive:

bash
pnpm exec tsx .claude/skills/add-wechat/scripts/wire-dm.ts \
  --platform-id wechat:wxid_xxxxx \
  --agent-group ag-xxxxx \
  --non-interactive

Flags:

• --platform-id <id> — wire a specific messaging group (default: most recent unwired)
• --agent-group <id> — target agent group (default: prompt; auto-picked when only one exists)
• --sender-policy public|strict|request_approval — override the messaging group's unknown_sender_policy (default: leave whatever the WeChat adapter declared when the row was auto-created)
• --session-mode shared|per-thread — default shared

Equivalent raw ncl invocation (host must be running):

bash
ncl wirings create --messaging-group-id <mg-id> --agent-group-id <ag-id> --session-mode shared

3. Test

Have the sender message the bot again — the agent should respond.

Operational notes

• Only one instance can use a given token at a time. Don't run multiple NanoClaw instances pointing to the same data/wechat/auth.json.
• Re-login on session expiry: if you see WeChat: session expired in logs, delete data/wechat/auth.json and restart — you'll be asked to re-scan.
• Sync cursor persistence: data/wechat/sync-buf.txt holds the long-poll cursor. Deleting it replays recent history on next start; don't delete it in normal operation.
• Account safety: this uses the official Tencent API, so account bans for bot automation aren't a risk. That said, don't spam — normal rate limits still apply.

Next Steps

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

Otherwise, restart the service to pick up the new channel and wiring.

Channel Info

• type: wechat
• terminology: WeChat has "contacts" (DMs) and "group chats" (rooms). Each DM or group is a separate messaging group.
• how-to-find-id: Send a message to the bot from the target account; the adapter auto-creates a messaging group and logs WeChat inbound platformId=wechat:<id>. Use wechat:<user_id> for DMs, wechat:<group_id> for rooms.
• admin-user-id: The operator's WeChat user_id (for init-first-agent.ts --admin-user-id) is saved to data/wechat/auth.json as operatorUserId after the QR scan. Read it with cat data/wechat/auth.json | jq -r .operatorUserId and prefix with wechat: (i.e. wechat:<operatorUserId>).
• supports-threads: no (WeChat has no reply threads)
• typical-use: Long-poll — the adapter holds a persistent connection to Tencent's iLink API and receives messages in real time. No webhook URL needed.
• default-isolation: shared session mode per messaging group (DM or room). Use strict sender policy if you want only specific users to reach the agent; public opens it to anyone who messages the bot.
• post-install-wiring: Use the wire-dm.ts helper (see the "Wire your first DM" section above) if running this skill standalone. If running as part of bash nanoclaw.sh, init-first-agent.ts handles wiring — just pass the platform-id and admin-user-id captured above.