Run initial Gandalf setup. Use when user wants to install dependencies, authenticate WhatsApp, register their main channel, or start the background services. Triggers on "setup", "install", "configure gandalf", or first-time setup requests.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
A direct command skips the review prompt. Inspect the source before running it.
Run initial Gandalf setup. Use when user wants to install dependencies, authenticate WhatsApp, register their main channel, or start the background services. Triggers on "setup", "install", "configure gandalf", or first-time setup requests.
Gandalf Setup
Run all commands automatically. Only pause when user action is required (scanning QR codes).
UX Note: When asking the user questions, prefer using the AskUserQuestion tool instead of just outputting text. This integrates with Claude's built-in question/answer system for a better experience.
1. Install Dependencies
bun install
2. Configure Claude Authentication
Ask the user:
Do you want to use your Claude subscription (Pro/Max) or an Anthropic API key?
Option 1: Claude Subscription (Recommended)
Tell the user:
Open another terminal window and run:
claude setup-token
A browser window will open for you to log in. Once authenticated, the token will be displayed in your terminal. Either:
Paste it here and I'll add it to .env for you, or
Add it to .env yourself as CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN=<your-token>
If they give you the token, add it to .env:
echo"CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN=<token>" > .env
Option 2: API Key
Ask if they have an existing key to copy or need to create one.
IMPORTANT: Run this command in the foreground. The QR code is multi-line ASCII art that must be displayed in full. Do NOT run in background or truncate the output.
Tell the user:
A QR code will appear below. On your phone:
Open WhatsApp
Tap Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device
Scan the QR code
Run with a long Bash tool timeout (120000ms) so the user has time to scan. Do NOT use the timeout shell command (it's not available on macOS).
bun run auth
Wait for the script to output "Successfully authenticated" then continue.
If it says "Already authenticated", skip to the next step.
4. Configure Main Channel
This step configures the main channel type and selection.
4a. Explain security model and ask about main channel type
Use the AskUserQuestion tool to present this:
Important: Your "main" channel is your admin control portal.
The main channel has elevated privileges:
Can see messages from ALL other registered groups
Can manage and delete tasks across all groups
Can write to global memory that all groups can read
Has read-write access to the entire Gandalf project
Recommendation: Use your personal "Message Yourself" chat or a solo WhatsApp group as your main channel. This ensures only you have admin control.
Question: Which setup will you use for your main channel?
Options:
Personal chat (Message Yourself) - Recommended
Solo WhatsApp group (just me)
Group with other people (I understand the security implications)
If they choose option 3, ask a follow-up:
You've chosen a group with other people. This means everyone in that group will have admin privileges over Gandalf.
Are you sure you want to proceed? The other members will be able to:
Read messages from your other registered chats
Schedule and manage tasks
Access any directories you've mounted
Options:
Yes, I understand and want to proceed
No, let me use a personal chat or solo group instead
4b. Register the main channel
First build, then start the app briefly to connect to WhatsApp and sync group metadata. Use the Bash tool's timeout parameter (15000ms) — do NOT use the timeout shell command (it's not available on macOS). The app will be killed when the timeout fires, which is expected.
bun run build
Then run briefly (set Bash tool timeout to 15000ms):
bun run dev
For personal chat (they chose option 1):
Personal chats are NOT synced to the database on startup — only groups are. Instead, ask the user for their phone number (with country code, no + or spaces, e.g. 14155551234), then construct the JID as {number}@s.whatsapp.net.
For group (they chose option 2 or 3):
Groups are synced on startup via groupFetchAllParticipating. Query the database for recent groups:
sqlite3 store/messages.db "SELECT jid, name FROM chats WHERE jid LIKE '%@g.us' AND jid != '__group_sync__' ORDER BY last_message_time DESC LIMIT 40"
Show only the 10 most recent group names to the user and ask them to pick one. If they say their group isn't in the list, show the next batch from the results you already have. If they tell you the group name directly, look it up:
sqlite3 store/messages.db "SELECT jid, name FROM chats WHERE name LIKE '%GROUP_NAME%' AND jid LIKE '%@g.us'"
6d. Write the configuration
Once you have the JID, configure it. No trigger prefix is required.
Write to the database directly by creating a temporary registration script, or write data/registered_groups.json which will be auto-migrated on first run:
mkdir -p data
Then write data/registered_groups.json with the correct JID and timestamp.
