docs/BUILDING_CHANNELS.md
This guide covers how to build WASM channel modules for IronClaw.
Channels are WASM components that handle communication with external messaging platforms (Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.). They run in a sandboxed environment and communicate with the host via the WIT (WebAssembly Interface Types) interface.
channels/ # Or channels-src/
└── my-channel/
├── Cargo.toml
├── src/
│ └── lib.rs
└── my-channel.capabilities.json
After building, deploy to:
~/.ironclaw/channels/
├── my-channel.wasm
└── my-channel.capabilities.json
[package]
name = "my-channel"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"
description = "My messaging platform channel for IronClaw"
[lib]
crate-type = ["cdylib"]
[dependencies]
wit-bindgen = "0.36"
serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
serde_json = "1"
[profile.release]
opt-level = "s"
lto = true
strip = true
codegen-units = 1
// Generate bindings from the WIT file
wit_bindgen::generate!({
world: "sandboxed-channel",
path: "../../wit/channel.wit", // Adjust path as needed
});
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
// Re-export generated types
use exports::near::agent::channel::{
AgentResponse, ChannelConfig, Guest, HttpEndpointConfig, IncomingHttpRequest,
OutgoingHttpResponse, PollConfig,
};
use near::agent::channel_host::{self, EmittedMessage};
struct MyChannel;
impl Guest for MyChannel {
/// Called once when the channel starts.
/// Returns configuration for webhooks and polling.
fn on_start(config_json: String) -> Result<ChannelConfig, String> {
// Parse config from capabilities file
let config: MyConfig = serde_json::from_str(&config_json)
.unwrap_or_default();
Ok(ChannelConfig {
display_name: "My Channel".to_string(),
http_endpoints: vec![
HttpEndpointConfig {
path: "/webhook/my-channel".to_string(),
methods: vec!["POST".to_string()],
require_secret: true, // Validate webhook secret
},
],
poll: None, // Or Some(PollConfig { interval_ms, enabled })
})
}
/// Handle incoming HTTP requests (webhooks).
fn on_http_request(req: IncomingHttpRequest) -> OutgoingHttpResponse {
// Parse webhook payload
// Emit messages to agent
// Return response to webhook caller
}
/// Called periodically if polling is enabled.
fn on_poll() {
// Fetch new messages from API
// Emit any new messages
}
/// Send a response back to the messaging platform.
fn on_respond(response: AgentResponse) -> Result<(), String> {
// Parse metadata to get routing info
// Call platform API to send message
}
/// Called when channel is shutting down.
fn on_shutdown() {
channel_host::log(channel_host::LogLevel::Info, "Channel shutting down");
}
}
// Export the channel implementation
export!(MyChannel);
The most important pattern: Store routing info in message metadata so responses can be delivered.
// When receiving a message, store routing info:
#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
struct MyMessageMetadata {
chat_id: String, // Where to send response
sender_id: String, // Who sent it (becomes recipient)
original_message_id: String,
}
// In on_http_request or on_poll:
let metadata = MyMessageMetadata {
chat_id: message.chat.id.clone(),
sender_id: message.from.clone(), // CRITICAL: Store sender!
original_message_id: message.id.clone(),
};
channel_host::emit_message(&EmittedMessage {
user_id: message.from.clone(),
user_name: Some(name),
content: text,
thread_id: None,
metadata_json: serde_json::to_string(&metadata).unwrap_or_default(),
});
// In on_respond, use the ORIGINAL message's metadata:
fn on_respond(response: AgentResponse) -> Result<(), String> {
let metadata: MyMessageMetadata = serde_json::from_str(&response.metadata_json)?;
// sender_id becomes the recipient!
send_message(metadata.chat_id, metadata.sender_id, response.content);
}
Never hardcode credentials! Use placeholders that the host replaces:
// The host replaces {TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN} with the actual token
let url = "https://api.telegram.org/bot{TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendMessage";
channel_host::http_request("POST", url, &headers_json, Some(&body));
// The host replaces {WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN} in headers too
let headers = serde_json::json!({
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"Authorization": "Bearer {WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
});
channel_host::http_request("POST", &url, &headers.to_string(), Some(&body));
The placeholder format is {SECRET_NAME} where SECRET_NAME matches the credential name in uppercase with underscores (e.g., whatsapp_access_token → {WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN}).
Create my-channel.capabilities.json:
{
"type": "channel",
"name": "my-channel",
"description": "My messaging platform channel",
"setup": {
"required_secrets": [
{
"name": "my_channel_api_token",
"prompt": "Enter your API token",
"validation": "^[A-Za-z0-9_-]+$"
},
{
"name": "my_channel_webhook_secret",
"prompt": "Webhook secret (leave empty to auto-generate)",
"optional": true,
"auto_generate": { "length": 32 }
}
],
"validation_endpoint": "https://api.my-platform.com/verify?token={my_channel_api_token}"
},
"capabilities": {
"http": {
"allowlist": [
{ "host": "api.my-platform.com", "path_prefix": "/" }
],
"rate_limit": {
"requests_per_minute": 60,
"requests_per_hour": 1000
}
},
"secrets": {
"allowed_names": ["my_channel_*"]
},
"channel": {
"allowed_paths": ["/webhook/my-channel"],
"allow_polling": false,
"workspace_prefix": "channels/my-channel/",
"emit_rate_limit": {
"messages_per_minute": 100,
"messages_per_hour": 5000
},
"webhook": {
"secret_header": "X-Webhook-Secret",
"secret_name": "my_channel_webhook_secret"
}
}
},
"config": {
"custom_option": "value"
}
}
Do not commit compiled WASM binaries. They are a supply chain risk — the binary in a PR may not match the source. IronClaw builds channels from source:
cargo build automatically builds telegram.wasm via build.rs.gitignore and is not committedcargo build (or ./scripts/build-all.sh) to produce releasesReproducible build:
cargo build --release
Prerequisites: rustup target add wasm32-wasip2, cargo install wasm-tools (optional; fallback copies raw WASM if unavailable).
# Add WASM target if needed
rustup target add wasm32-wasip2
# Build Telegram channel
./channels-src/telegram/build.sh
# Install (or use ironclaw onboard to install bundled channel)
mkdir -p ~/.ironclaw/channels
cp channels-src/telegram/telegram.wasm channels-src/telegram/telegram.capabilities.json ~/.ironclaw/channels/
Note: The main IronClaw binary bundles telegram.wasm via include_bytes!. When modifying the Telegram channel source, run ./channels-src/telegram/build.sh before building the main crate, so the updated WASM is included.
# Build the WASM component
cd channels-src/my-channel
cargo build --release --target wasm32-wasip2
# Deploy to ~/.ironclaw/channels/
cp target/wasm32-wasip2/release/my_channel.wasm ~/.ironclaw/channels/my-channel.wasm
cp my-channel.capabilities.json ~/.ironclaw/channels/
The channel host provides these functions:
// Logging
channel_host::log(LogLevel::Info, "Message");
// Time
let now = channel_host::now_millis();
// Workspace (scoped to channel namespace)
let data = channel_host::workspace_read("state/offset");
channel_host::workspace_write("state/offset", "12345")?;
// HTTP requests (credentials auto-injected)
let response = channel_host::http_request("POST", &url, &headers, Some(&body))?;
// Emit message to agent
channel_host::emit_message(&EmittedMessage { ... });
The host validates webhook secrets automatically. Check req.secret_validated:
fn on_http_request(req: IncomingHttpRequest) -> OutgoingHttpResponse {
if !req.secret_validated {
channel_host::log(LogLevel::Warn, "Invalid webhook secret");
// Host should have already rejected, but defense in depth
}
// ...
}
For platforms that require polling (not webhook-based):
const OFFSET_PATH: &str = "state/last_offset";
fn on_poll() {
// Read last offset
let offset = channel_host::workspace_read(OFFSET_PATH)
.and_then(|s| s.parse::<i64>().ok())
.unwrap_or(0);
// Fetch updates since offset
let updates = fetch_updates(offset);
// Process and track new offset
let mut new_offset = offset;
for update in updates {
if update.id >= new_offset {
new_offset = update.id + 1;
}
emit_message(update);
}
// Save new offset
if new_offset != offset {
let _ = channel_host::workspace_write(OFFSET_PATH, &new_offset.to_string());
}
}
Skip status updates to prevent loops:
// Skip status updates (delivered, read, etc.)
if !payload.statuses.is_empty() && payload.messages.is_empty() {
return; // Only status updates, no actual messages
}
Skip bot messages to prevent infinite loops:
if sender.is_bot {
return; // Don't respond to bots
}
Add tests in the same file:
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
use super::*;
#[test]
fn test_parse_webhook() {
let json = r#"{ ... }"#;
let payload: WebhookPayload = serde_json::from_str(json).unwrap();
assert_eq!(payload.messages.len(), 1);
}
#[test]
fn test_metadata_roundtrip() {
let meta = MyMessageMetadata { ... };
let json = serde_json::to_string(&meta).unwrap();
let parsed: MyMessageMetadata = serde_json::from_str(&json).unwrap();
assert_eq!(meta.chat_id, parsed.chat_id);
}
}
Run tests with:
cargo test
Never slice strings by byte index! Use character-aware truncation:
// BAD: panics on multi-byte UTF-8 (emoji, etc.)
let preview = &content[..50];
// GOOD: safe truncation
let preview: String = content.chars().take(50).collect();
allowed_names in capabilitiesEnsure on_respond uses the ORIGINAL message's metadata, not response metadata:
// response.metadata_json comes from the ORIGINAL emit_message call
let metadata: MyMetadata = serde_json::from_str(&response.metadata_json)?;