daemon-repl

name	daemon-repl
description	Daemon REPL for Elisp — evaluate Elisp code in a running Emacs daemon via emacsclient, validate brackets before save, auto-evaluate .el files on change. Use when you need to run Elisp from outside Emacs, check daemon status, or validate Elisp syntax.
metadata	{"molecules":["daemon-repl","elisp","repl","emacsclient"],"level":"compound"}

Daemon REPL for OV5

Not the Clojure brepl CLI tool. This is the Elisp daemon REPL for OV5. These two skills have similar names but different tools:

• daemon-repl (this skill) — Elisp evaluation via emacsclient
• brepl (see that skill) — Clojure nREPL client via babashka

brepl brings bracket-fixing REPL concepts from ClojureScript to Emacs Lisp in OV5. It enables AI agents to safely generate, validate, and evaluate Elisp code.

Emacsclient Bash Pattern (for opencode agents)

When calling from outside Emacs (e.g., from a shell or an agent), use this pattern:

emacsclient -s /tmp/emacs$(id -u)/pmf-value-stream -a false --eval "$(cat <<'EOF'
(gptel-daemon-repl-status)
EOF
)"

Safety rules:

• Always use -a false so emacsclient never auto-spawns a daemon.
• Always use heredoc (<<'EOF') for Elisp quoting — prevents shell variable expansion.
• Wrap multi-form code in progn.

For a different server name, replace pmf-value-stream with your daemon name. For the default server daemon:

emacsclient -s /tmp/emacs$(id -u)/server -a false --eval "$(cat <<'EOF'
(gptel-daemon-repl-status)
EOF
)"

Concepts

• Bracket fixing: Validate and auto-fix unbalanced parentheses before saving .el files
• Daemon REPL: Evaluate expressions via emacsclient in a running Emacs daemon
• Auto-eval: Watch .el files and automatically evaluate them after save
• Self-heal integration: On evaluation failure, trigger OV5 self-healing

Usage

Evaluate Expression (Elisp API)

For Emacs-internal use:

(gptel-daemon-repl-eval-expression "(+ 1 2 3)")

Returns result as string, or signals error if daemon is not running.

Evaluate Expression (emacsclient)

From outside Emacs:

emacsclient -s /tmp/emacs$(id -u)/server -a false --eval "$(cat <<'EOF'
(gptel-daemon-repl-eval-expression "(+ 1 2 3)")
EOF
)"

Evaluate File (Elisp API)

(gptel-daemon-repl-eval-file "lisp/modules/foo.el")

Loads the file in the daemon. Reports success/failure.

Evaluate File (emacsclient)

emacsclient -s /tmp/emacs$(id -u)/server -a false --eval "$(cat <<'EOF'
(gptel-daemon-repl-eval-file "lisp/modules/foo.el")
EOF
)"

Validate Brackets (Elisp API)

(gptel-daemon-repl-validate-brackets "(defun foo () 42")

Returns plist:

• :valid — t if balanced
• :fixed-content — auto-fixed string (if fixable)
• :error — error message (if unfixable)

Check Status

Elisp API:

(gptel-daemon-repl-status)

emacsclient:

emacsclient -s /tmp/emacs$(id -u)/server -a false --eval "$(cat <<'EOF'
(gptel-daemon-repl-status)
EOF
)"

Returns plist with:

• :enabled — is brepl active?
• :server-accessible — is daemon socket reachable?
• :socket-dir — where sockets are found
• :watches — number of active directory watches

Interactive Status Buffer

M-x gptel-daemon-repl-show-status

Opens *brepl-status* buffer with full diagnostics.

Configuration

(setq gptel-daemon-repl-enabled t)              ; Master switch
(setq gptel-daemon-repl-eval-on-save t)         ; Auto-eval after save
(setq gptel-daemon-repl-validate-brackets t)    ; Fix brackets before save
(setq gptel-daemon-repl-socket-dir nil)         ; Auto-detect if nil
(setq gptel-daemon-repl-default-server "server") ; Server name

Integration with OV5

Edit Tool Hook

When an AI agent edits an .el file via the Edit tool:

1. Before save: gptel-daemon-repl-validate-brackets checks syntax
2. Auto-fix: If unbalanced, fixes are applied automatically
3. After save: File is evaluated via emacsclient
4. On failure: gptel-auto-workflow--self-heal-semantic is triggered

Experiment Workflow

When OV5 experiments generate new Elisp:

;; After writing experiment output
(gptel-daemon-repl-eval-file experiment-file)
;; → If error, self-heal fixes syntax/runtime issues
;; → If success, file is ready for commit

Error Recovery

Evaluation errors trigger the self-healing pipeline:

1. brepl detects eval failure
2. Calls gptel-auto-workflow--self-heal-semantic on the file
3. Self-heal audits, fixes syntax, re-evaluates
4. Loop continues until file loads cleanly

Socket Discovery

brepl auto-discovers Emacs daemon sockets in this order (from gptel-ext-daemon-repl.el lines 71-88):

1. server-socket-dir (Emacs 29+ built-in)
2. /run/user/$UID/emacs/ (XDG, Linux)
3. /tmp/emacs$UID/ (standard, macOS/Linux)
4. ${TMPDIR}/emacs$UID/ (macOS with custom TMPDIR)
5. ~/.emacs.d/server/ (fallback)

Override with gptel-daemon-repl-socket-dir.

File Watch

brepl watches lisp/modules/ for .el changes:

(gptel-daemon-repl-watch-directory "lisp/modules/")

Only evaluates:

• .el files (not .elc, not autoloads)
• Not in tests/ directories
• Not dotfiles

Requirements

• Emacs daemon running (emacs --daemon or server-start)
• emacsclient in PATH
• file-notify support (for auto-eval watch)

Files

• lisp/modules/gptel-ext-daemon-repl.el — main module
• tests/test-daemon-repl.el — test suite
• Loaded via lisp/gptel-config.el

Related Skills

• brepl — Clojure nREPL client (separate tool, similar name — don't confuse)
• ov5 — OV5 cowork guide (pipeline, researcher, evolution)
• ov5-status — focused system health check