tlon

name	tlon
description	Interact with Tlon/Urbit API. Use for reading activity, message history, contacts, channels, and groups. Also for group/channel administration, profile management, and exposing content to the clearweb.

Tlon Skill

Use the tlon command for reading data, managing channels/groups/contacts, and administration.

OpenClaw

When running as an OpenClaw skill, use the built-in message tool for sending outbound messages (DMs and channel posts). The tlon command is for reading data, administration, and management — not for sending messages. The message tool routes through the proper delivery infrastructure (threading, bot profile, rate limiting).

Diary / Notebook Thread Replies

Tlon diary/notebook channels are special: a channel-level send creates a new notebook post/note. Do not use message with action: "send" in a diary channel unless you intentionally want to create a new notebook post.

For normal conversation inside an existing diary/notebook post, use the message tool with action: "reply" and reply to the parent diary post id, not the newest reply id.

Working pattern:

{
  "action": "reply",
  "channel": "tlon",
  "target": "diary/~host/slug",
  "messageId": "170.141.184.507.950.303.933.087.606.997.052.817.408",
  "message": "Reply text here"
}

Important details:

• Use the dotted @ud post id format when available.
• messageId should be the parent notebook post/thread id.
• After sending, verify with tlon messages post <diary-nest> <parent-post-id> when correctness matters.
• If the tool reports success but the reply is not visible under the parent post, treat it as a delivery/plugin issue and do not claim success until verified.

Installation

npm (Node.js):

npm install @tloncorp/tlon-skill
tlon channels groups

Direct binary (no Node required):

curl -L https://registry.npmjs.org/@tloncorp/tlon-skill-darwin-arm64/-/tlon-skill-darwin-arm64-0.4.0.tgz | tar -xz
./package/tlon channels groups

Replace darwin-arm64 with darwin-x64, linux-x64, or linux-arm64 as needed.

Configuration

CLI Flags (highest priority):

# Cookie-based auth (fastest - ship parsed from cookie name)
tlon --url https://your-ship.tlon.network --cookie "urbauth-~your-ship=0v..." <command>

# Cookie-based auth with explicit ship and code fallback
tlon --url https://your-ship.tlon.network --ship ~your-ship \
  --cookie "urbauth-~your-ship=0v..." --code sampel-ticlyt-migfun-falmel <command>

# Code-based auth (requires url + ship + code)
tlon --url https://your-ship.tlon.network --ship ~your-ship --code sampel-ticlyt-migfun-falmel <command>

# Use skill-dir or cached credentials for one ship
tlon --ship ~your-ship <command>

# Or load from a JSON config file
tlon --config ~/ships/my-ship.json <command>

Valid CLI credential forms are --config <file>, --url <url> --cookie <cookie> with optional --ship and fallback --code, --url <url> --ship <ship> --code <code>, and --ship <ship> when available in TLON_SKILL_DIR or cache. Incomplete or conflicting credential flag sets fail locally instead of merging with environment variables.

Config file format:

// Cookie-based (ship derived from cookie)
{"url": "...", "cookie": "urbauth-~ship=..."}

// Code-based
{"url": "...", "ship": "~...", "code": "..."}

Environment Variables:

# Cookie-based (ship derived from cookie)
export URBIT_URL="https://your-ship.tlon.network"
export URBIT_COOKIE="urbauth-~your-ship=0v..."

# Code-based
export URBIT_URL="https://your-ship.tlon.network"
export URBIT_SHIP="~your-ship"
export URBIT_CODE="sampel-ticlyt-migfun-falmel"

URBIT_* aliases take precedence over TLON_* aliases for the same field. Partial ambient credentials fail locally except ship-only env, which is used for TLON_SHIP + TLON_SKILL_DIR or cache lookup.

Skill directory: When TLON_SHIP and TLON_SKILL_DIR are set, the CLI loads ships/<ship>.json from that skill directory before checking cached credentials.

OpenClaw: If configured with a Tlon channel, credentials load automatically from JSON config. The default path is ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json; OPENCLAW_CONFIG can point to an explicit JSON config path and is parsed as JSON regardless of extension.

Resolution order: CLI credential flags → TLON_CONFIG_FILE → URL + cookie env → URL + ship + code env → TLON_SHIP + TLON_SKILL_DIR → ship-only cache lookup → OpenClaw JSON → single cached ship.

Cookie vs Code:

• Cookie-based: Uses pre-authenticated session cookie. Ship is parsed from the cookie name (urbauth-~ship=...). Fastest option.
• Code-based: Performs login to get a fresh session cookie. Requires URL + ship + code.

You can provide both cookie and code — cookie is used first, code serves as fallback if cookie expires.

Cookie Caching

The skill caches fresh auth cookies from code login and code fallback to ~/.tlon/cache/<ship>.json. Provided-cookie flows validate the cookie but do not copy that cookie into cache. This makes subsequent invocations much faster by skipping the login request.

How it works:

# First time - authenticates and caches
$ tlon --url https://zod.tlon.network --ship ~zod --code abcd-efgh contacts self
~zod
Note: Credentials cached for ~zod. Next time run: tlon --ship ~zod <command>

# After that - select the cached ship
$ tlon --ship ~zod contacts self
~zod

# With multiple cached ships - specify which one
$ tlon --ship ~zod contacts self
$ tlon --ship ~bus contacts self

Cache behavior:

• Cached cookies are URL-specific (won't use a cookie for the wrong host)
• If only one ship is cached, it's auto-selected (no flags needed)
• If multiple ships are cached, you'll be prompted to specify with --ship
• Code login and code fallback cache fresh cookies; provided-cookie flows do not copy cookies into cache

Clear cache: rm ~/.tlon/cache/*.json

Multi-Ship Usage

If you have credentials for multiple ships, you can use this skill to operate on behalf of any of them. This is useful for:

• Managing multiple identities — switch between ships without changing environment variables
• Bot operations — act as a bot ship while authenticated as yourself
• Moon management — operate moons from their parent planet

Simply pass the target ship's credentials via CLI flags:

# Read channels as ~other-ship
tlon --url https://other-ship.tlon.network --ship ~other-ship --code their-access-code \
  channels groups

# Or keep credentials in config files
tlon --config ~/ships/bot.json channels groups
tlon --config ~/ships/moon.json contacts self

Commands

Help and usage errors are handled locally before credential lookup, so tlon <command> --help works without a configured ship.

Activity

Check recent notifications and unread counts. Ships are shown with nicknames when available.

tlon activity mentions --limit 10   # Recent mentions (max 25)
tlon activity replies --limit 10    # Recent replies (max 25)
tlon activity all --limit 10        # All recent activity (max 25)
tlon activity unreads               # Unread counts per channel

Channels

List and manage channels. DMs show nicknames when available.

tlon channels dms                                          # List DM contacts (with nicknames)
tlon channels groups                                       # List subscribed groups
tlon channels all                                          # List everything
tlon channels info chat/~host/slug                         # Get channel details
tlon channels create ~host/slug "Projects" --kind chat     # Create a group channel
tlon channels rename chat/~host/slug "New Title"           # Rename a channel
tlon channels update chat/~host/slug --title "New Title"   # Update metadata
tlon channels delete chat/~host/slug                       # Delete a channel

# Writers (who can post)
tlon channels add-writers chat/~host/slug admin member     # Add write access
tlon channels del-writers chat/~host/slug member           # Remove write access

# Readers (who can view - requires group flag)
tlon channels add-readers ~host/group chat/~host/slug admin    # Restrict viewing
tlon channels del-readers ~host/group chat/~host/slug admin    # Open viewing

Help works for both the command and subcommands:

tlon channels --help
tlon channels create --help
tlon channels rename --help

Notes on permissions:

• Empty writers list = anyone in the group can post (default for chat)
• Empty readers list = anyone in the group can view (default)
• Diaries default to admin-only writers
• Roles must exist in the group (use tlon groups add-role first)

Contacts

Manage contacts and profiles.

tlon contacts list                                   # List all contacts
tlon contacts self                                   # Get your own profile
tlon contacts get ~sampel                            # Get a contact's profile
tlon contacts sync ~ship1 ~ship2                     # Fetch/sync profiles
tlon contacts add ~sampel                            # Add a contact
tlon contacts remove ~sampel                         # Remove a contact
tlon contacts update-profile --nickname "My Name"    # Update your profile

Options: --nickname, --bio, --status, --avatar, --cover

Groups

Full group management.

# Basics
tlon groups list                                         # List your groups
tlon groups info ~host/slug                              # Get group details
tlon groups create "Name" [--description "..."]          # Create a group
tlon groups create-owned "Name" --owner ~ship [--description "..."] # Create group, invite owner, make owner admin
tlon groups join ~host/slug                              # Join public/invited group, or request invite if private
tlon groups request-invite ~host/slug                    # Request invite to a private group
tlon groups accept-invite ~host/slug                     # Accept an existing group invite
tlon groups reject-invite ~host/slug                     # Reject an existing group invite
tlon groups cancel-join ~host/slug                       # Cancel a pending join
tlon groups rescind-request ~host/slug                   # Cancel an invite request
tlon groups leave ~host/slug                             # Leave a group
tlon groups delete ~host/slug                            # Delete (host only)
tlon groups update ~host/slug --title "..." [--description "..."]

# Members (shown with nicknames when available)
tlon groups invite ~host/slug ~ship1 ~ship2              # Invite members
tlon groups revoke-invite ~host/slug ~ship1              # Revoke pending member invite
tlon groups kick ~host/slug ~ship1                       # Kick members
tlon groups ban ~host/slug ~ship1                        # Ban members
tlon groups unban ~host/slug ~ship1                      # Unban members
tlon groups accept-join ~host/slug ~ship1                # Approve a member join request
tlon groups reject-join ~host/slug ~ship1                # Deny a member join request
tlon groups set-privacy ~host/slug public|private|secret # Set privacy

# Roles
tlon groups add-role ~host/slug role-id --title "..."    # Create a role
tlon groups delete-role ~host/slug role-id               # Delete a role
tlon groups update-role ~host/slug role-id --title "..." # Update a role
tlon groups assign-role ~host/slug role-id ~ship1        # Assign role
tlon groups remove-role ~host/slug role-id ~ship1        # Remove role

# Admin
tlon groups promote ~host/slug ~ship1 [~ship2 ...]      # Promote member(s) to admin
tlon groups demote ~host/slug ~ship1 [~ship2 ...]       # Demote member(s) from admin

Roles vs Admin:
- Regular roles are for organizing members and controlling channel read/write permissions.
- Admin is a special privilege on top of a role. Admins can manage group settings,
  channels, members, and roles.
- `promote` creates an "admin" role (if one doesn't exist), grants it admin privileges,
  and assigns it to the specified members. `demote` removes that role from them.
- To grant admin to members who already share a role, use `set-admin` on that role
  via the backend directly (not yet exposed in the Tlon app UI).

# Channels
tlon groups add-channel ~host/slug "Name" [--kind chat|diary|heap]

tlon groups add-channel remains supported, but for agent/tool use prefer the more discoverable channel-centric form:

tlon channels create ~host/slug "Projects" --kind chat

Help works here too:

tlon groups --help
tlon groups add-channel --help

Group format: ~host-ship/group-slug

Join behavior:

• join first checks whether you are already a member, then checks foreign/unjoined group state for a valid invite.
• Invited groups and public groups use the backend join action.
• Private groups without an invite use the invite-request action.
• Secret groups require an invite.

Hooks

Manage channel hooks — functions that run on triggers (posts, replies, reactions, crons).

# List and inspect
tlon hooks list                                          # List all hooks
tlon hooks get 0v1a.2b3c4                                # Get hook details and source

# Manage hooks
tlon hooks init my-hook --type on-post                   # Create starter template (on-post|cron|moderation)
tlon hooks add my-hook ./my-hook.hoon                    # Add a new hook from file
tlon hooks edit 0v1a.2b3c4 --name "New Name"             # Rename a hook
tlon hooks edit 0v1a.2b3c4 --src ./updated.hoon          # Update source
tlon hooks delete 0v1a.2b3c4                             # Delete a hook

# Configure for channels
tlon hooks order chat/~host/slug 0v1a 0v2b 0v3c          # Set execution order
tlon hooks config 0v1a chat/~host/slug key1=val1         # Configure hook instance

# Scheduled execution
tlon hooks cron 0v1a ~h1                                 # Run hourly (global)
tlon hooks cron 0v1a ~m30 --nest chat/~host/slug         # Run every 30m for channel
tlon hooks rest 0v1a                                     # Stop cron job

Notes:

• Hook IDs are @uv format (e.g., 0v1a.2b3c4...)
• Schedules use @dr format: ~h1 (1 hour), ~m30 (30 minutes), ~d1 (1 day)
• Hooks run in order when triggered; use order to set priority
• Use config to pass channel-specific settings to a hook instance

Writing Hooks: See references/hooks.md for full documentation on writing hooks, including:

• Event types (on-post, on-reply, cron, wake)
• Bowl context (channel, group, config access)
• Effects (channel actions, group actions, scheduled wakes)
• Config handling with clam (;;)

Examples: See references/hooks-examples/ for starter templates:

• auto-react.hoon — React to new posts with emoji
• delete-old-posts.hoon — Cron job to clean up old messages
• word-filter.hoon — Block posts containing banned words

Messages

Read and search message history. Authors are shown with nicknames when available.

tlon messages dm ~sampel --limit 20                      # DM history (max 50)
tlon messages channel chat/~host/slug --limit 20         # Channel history (max 50)
tlon messages search "query" --channel chat/~host/slug   # Search messages
tlon messages context chat/~host/slug 170.141... --limit 5  # Messages around a post
tlon messages post chat/~host/slug 170.141...            # Fetch single post with replies

Options: --limit N, --resolve-cites

The context command fetches N messages before and after a given post ID — useful for finding surrounding conversation when you have a post from search or activity. For DMs, use the ship name as the channel: tlon messages context ~sampel 170.141...

The post command fetches a single post with its replies/thread. For DM posts, pass --author ~ship (required for DM lookups).

Tip: Use search to find a message, then context with its ID to see the surrounding conversation.

DMs

Manage direct messages — reactions, invites, and deletions.

# Management
tlon dms react ~sampel ~author/170.141... "👍"           # React to a DM
tlon dms unreact ~sampel ~author/170.141...              # Remove reaction
tlon dms delete ~sampel ~author/170.141...               # Delete a DM
tlon dms accept ~sampel                                  # Accept DM invite
tlon dms decline ~sampel                                 # Decline DM invite

Expose

Publish Tlon content to the clearweb via the %expose agent.

tlon expose list                                         # List all exposed content
tlon expose show chat/~host/slug/170.141...              # Expose a post publicly
tlon expose hide chat/~host/slug/170.141...              # Hide an exposed post
tlon expose check diary/~host/blog/170.141...            # Check if a post is exposed
tlon expose url diary/~host/blog/170.141...              # Get the public URL

Cite path formats:

• Simplified: chat/~host/channel/170.141... (auto-expands)
• Full: /1/chan/chat/~host/channel/msg/170.141...

Channel kinds map to content types: chat→msg, diary→note, heap→curio

Posts

Manage channel posts (reactions, edits, deletes).

tlon posts react chat/~host/slug 170.141... "👍"         # React to a post
tlon posts unreact chat/~host/slug 170.141...            # Remove reaction
tlon posts edit chat/~host/slug 170.141... "New text"    # Edit with plain text
tlon posts edit diary/~host/slug 170.141... --title "T" --image <url> --content story.json # Edit notebook
tlon posts delete chat/~host/slug 170.141...             # Delete a post

Edit options for notebooks: --title, --image (cover URL), --content (Story JSON file for rich formatting).

Notebook

Post to diary/notebook channels.

tlon notebook diary/~host/slug "Title"                   # Post with no body
tlon notebook diary/~host/slug "Title" --content story.json # Post with Story JSON
tlon notebook diary/~host/slug "Title" --markdown post.md   # Post with Markdown
cat post.md | tlon notebook diary/~host/slug "Title" --markdown-stdin
tlon notebook diary/~host/slug "Title" --image <url>     # Post with cover image

The --content file should be Urbit Story JSON: an array of verses accepted by the ship's story-json decoder. Use --markdown for Markdown files instead of passing Markdown or editor-export JSON through --content.

Working examples:

[{"inline": ["Hello world"]}]

[{"block": {"header": {"tag": "h1", "content": ["Title"]}}}]

[{"inline": ["Use ", {"inline-code": "ha-q"}, " for entity queries."]}]

Important gotcha:

• Do not assume newer block-editor JSON shapes or arbitrary markdown-export JSON will work.
• If posting fails with a channel-action-2 cast error mentioning content -> add -> post -> action -> channel, the first thing to check is whether the content file matches the ship's Story JSON shape.
• When debugging, post a minimal one-verse story first so you do not create duplicate full notebook posts.

See the ship-side decoder and types here:

• tlon-apps/desk/lib/story-json.hoon
• Story types in tlon-apps

Upload

Upload files to Tlon storage from a URL, local path, or stdin.

tlon upload https://example.com/image.png         # Upload from URL
tlon upload ./photo.jpg                            # Upload local file
tlon upload ~/Pictures/screenshot.png              # Upload with absolute path
tlon upload ./mystery-file -t image/webp           # Override content type
cat image.png | tlon upload --stdin -t image/png   # Upload from stdin

Options: -t/--type (override MIME type), --stdin (read from stdin)

Content type is auto-detected from file extension for local files. For stdin, -t is recommended (defaults to application/octet-stream).

Returns the uploaded URL for use in posts, profiles, etc.

Settings (OpenClaw)

Manage OpenClaw's Tlon plugin config via Urbit settings-store. Changes apply immediately without gateway restart.

tlon settings get                                        # Show all settings
tlon settings set <key> <json-value>                     # Set a value
tlon settings delete <key>                               # Delete a setting

# DM allowlist
tlon settings allow-dm ~ship                             # Add to DM allowlist
tlon settings remove-dm ~ship                            # Remove from allowlist

# Channel controls
tlon settings allow-channel chat/~host/slug              # Add to watch list
tlon settings remove-channel chat/~host/slug             # Remove from watch list
tlon settings open-channel chat/~host/slug               # Set channel to open
tlon settings restrict-channel chat/~host/slug [~ship1]  # Set restricted

# Authorization
tlon settings authorize-ship ~ship                       # Add to default auth
tlon settings deauthorize-ship ~ship                     # Remove from auth

Notes

• Ship names should include ~ prefix
• Post IDs are @ud format with dots (e.g. 170.141.184.507...)
• DM post IDs include author prefix (~ship/170.141...)
• Channel nests: <kind>/~<host>/<name> (chat, diary, or heap)

Limits

• Activity: max 25 items
• Messages: max 50 items