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Channels

This page explains how Pynchy connects to messaging platforms. Channels are how you talk to your assistant — whether through WhatsApp, Slack, or a terminal UI.

Channels are pluggable. The built-in options cover common platforms, but you can add more (Telegram, Discord, etc.) via plugins.

Multi-Channel Sync

All channels see the same messages. Send a message from WhatsApp, and the response shows up in Slack and the TUI too. This means you can:

  • Start a conversation on your phone (WhatsApp) and continue at your desk (TUI or Slack)
  • Monitor agent activity from any connected platform
  • Use whichever channel is most convenient at the moment

Under the hood, all outbound messages route through a unified broadcast bus. Each channel maps its platform-specific identifiers (WhatsApp phone numbers, Slack channel IDs) to a canonical group ID, so the agent sees one conversation regardless of which channels are connected.

Built-in: WhatsApp

The primary channel for most users. Uses the neonize library (whatsmeow Python bindings).

Setup: 

uv sync --extra whatsapp        # Install WhatsApp dependencies
uv run pynchy-whatsapp-auth     # Scan QR code to link your phone

Features:

  • Group and self-chat support
  • Typing indicators and read receipts
  • Streaming responses (updates in-place as the agent types)
  • Media messages (images, documents)

Notes:

  • WhatsApp linked devices expire after ~30 days of inactivity — re-run auth if disconnected
  • The admin channel is typically your WhatsApp self-chat (private messages to yourself)

Built-in: Slack

Connects via Slack's Socket Mode using the Bolt library. Maps Slack channels and DMs to Pynchy groups.

Setup:

  1. Create a Slack app with Socket Mode enabled
  2. Add bot token and app token to config.toml:
[slack]
bot_token = "xoxb-..."
app_token = "xapp-..."
  1. Install dependencies: 
    uv sync --extra slack

Features:

  • Channel and DM support
  • Slack Assistant API panel integration
  • Streaming message updates (edits messages in-place)
  • Markdown formatting

Built-in: TUI

A terminal UI client built with Textual. Connects to Pynchy's HTTP/SSE server — no external service needed.

Usage: 

uv run pynchy --tui                          # Local
uv run pynchy --tui --host your-server:8484  # Remote (over Tailscale)

The TUI is always available — no configuration or extra dependencies required.

Enabling and Disabling Channels

Channels activate automatically when their dependencies are installed and configured. To disable a specific channel:

[plugins.slack]
enabled = false

If a channel's dependencies aren't installed or its config section is missing, it's silently skipped at startup.

Default Channel

The default channel determines which platform creates the admin channel on first run:

[channels]
default = "whatsapp"   # or "slack", "tui"

Want to customize this? Write your own channel plugin — see the Plugin Authoring Guide. Have an idea but don't want to build it? Open a feature request.