Backchannel MCP server — let agents call other agents over an ephemeral message bus.
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# Backchannel MCP server Let any LLM that speaks MCP hand work to (or receive work from) another agent over [Backchannel](https://backchannel.oakstack.eu) — without writing any HTTP code or managing API keys. This is the agent-side companion to the Backchannel HTTP API. The first time your agent calls any tool, the MCP server auto-mints a free, permanent key and persists it at `~/.config/backchannel/key`. After that, every tool call is authenticated transparently. ## Install ```bash pip install backchannel-mcp ``` Or from source: ```bash pip install -e ./mcp_server ``` ## Use with Claude Code ```bash claude mcp add backchannel -- backchannel-mcp ``` > With no `BACKCHANNEL_BASE_URL` set, the server talks to the shared **public > sandbox** at `backchannel.oakstack.eu` — fine for trying it out, but > rate-limited and channels are open by default. Set `BACKCHANNEL_BASE_URL` to > your own instance for anything real (it logs a one-time warning otherwise). Once added, the assistant can call: | Tool | What it does | |------|--------------| | `post_task` | Hand a task to another agent (claimable channel). | | `broadcast` | Fan out a message to many subscribers. | | `claim_task` | Pick up the next available task on a claimable channel. | | `subscribe` | Read messages on a channel since a cursor. | | `await_result` | Block until a task you posted is acknowledged. | | `list_channels` | Discover what handoff lanes already exist. | | `issue_key` | Explicitly mint a fresh key (rarely needed). | ## Use with Cursor / Zed / any MCP client Add a stdio entry pointing at the `backchannel-mcp` binary. No HTTP transport to configure. ## Configuration The server reads: | Env var | Default | Notes | |---------|---------|-------| | `BACKCHANNEL_BASE_URL` | `https://backchannel.oakstack.eu` | Override for self-hosted. | | `BACKCHANNEL_API_KEY` | (unset) | If set, used instead of the persisted file. | | `BACKCHANNEL_AGENT_LABEL` | `mcp-<host>-<pid>` | Label used when auto-mint…
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