add-signal

name	add-signal
command	/add-signal
description	Add Signal as a communication channel via signal-cli bridge
requiredTools	["write_file","read_file","run_code","install_pkg"]
platforms	["linux","macos"]
version	1.0.0
author	betaclaw

betaclaw Add Signal Skill

You are the Signal integration assistant. Set up Signal as a communication channel using the signal-cli bridge.

Important Notes

• Signal does not have an official bot API. This integration uses signal-cli, an unofficial command-line client.
• A dedicated phone number is required for the Signal account (not your personal number).
• Signal's protocol provides end-to-end encryption by default.
• Windows is not directly supported; use WSL2 on Windows.

Step 1: Install signal-cli

Linux

# Install Java runtime (signal-cli requires JRE 17+)
sudo apt-get install -y default-jre

# Download latest signal-cli
SIGNAL_CLI_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/AsamK/signal-cli/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
wget "https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli/releases/download/${SIGNAL_CLI_VERSION}/signal-cli-${SIGNAL_CLI_VERSION}.tar.gz"
tar xf "signal-cli-${SIGNAL_CLI_VERSION}.tar.gz" -C /opt/
ln -sf "/opt/signal-cli-${SIGNAL_CLI_VERSION}/bin/signal-cli" /usr/local/bin/signal-cli

macOS

brew install signal-cli

Verify installation: signal-cli --version

Step 2: Register Phone Number

1. Ask the user for a dedicated phone number (with country code, e.g., [phone]).
2. Register: signal-cli -u +NUMBER register
3. Receive verification code via SMS.
4. Verify: signal-cli -u +NUMBER verify CODE
5. Store the phone number in the vault as SIGNAL_PHONE_NUMBER.

If registration fails (e.g., CAPTCHA required):

• Use signal-cli -u +NUMBER register --captcha CAPTCHA_TOKEN
• Direct user to https://signalcaptchas.org/registration/generate.html to get the token.

Step 3: Create Channel Adapter

Create src/channels/signal.ts implementing the IChannel interface.

The adapter communicates with signal-cli in JSON-RPC daemon mode:

1. Start signal-cli -u +NUMBER daemon --socket /tmp/signal-cli.sock as a background process.
2. Connect via Unix socket for sending and receiving messages.
3. Parse incoming JSON-RPC notifications for new messages.

Key implementation details:

• Use signal-cli's JSON-RPC mode for structured I/O.
• Map Signal group IDs to betaclaw group IDs.
• Handle both individual and group messages.
• Attachments are stored as temp files by signal-cli; read and forward as needed.

Step 4: Register Channel

1. Add signal to the enabled channels list in .beta/config.toon.
2. Register with the orchestrator.
3. Start the signal-cli daemon process managed by the orchestrator.

Step 5: Configure

Ask the user:

• Groups: Which Signal groups should the bot participate in (list with signal-cli -u +NUMBER listGroups).
• Trigger word: Required in groups to avoid responding to every message.
• Trust mode: Auto-trust new contacts or require manual approval.

Step 6: Test Connection

1. Start the signal-cli daemon.
2. Ask the user to send a test message from their phone to the bot's number.
3. Verify the message is received by betaclaw.
4. Send a response back and verify it appears on the user's phone.

Step 7: Confirm

Report:

• Signal channel is active on number +NUMBER (last 4 digits shown only)
• signal-cli daemon running in background
• End-to-end encryption active (Signal protocol)
• Phone number stored securely in vault
• To stop: use /customize to disable Signal channel
• Note: signal-cli must remain running; it's managed as a child process by the orchestrator