add-gchat

Add Google Chat Channel

Adds Google Chat support via the Chat SDK bridge. NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in trunk — this skill copies the Google Chat adapter in from the channels branch.

The mechanical steps under Apply carry nc: directive fences: an agent reads the prose and applies them, and a parser can apply them deterministically from the same document. Every directive is idempotent, so the whole skill is safe to re-run; anything a parser can't apply falls back to the prose beside it.

Apply

1. Copy the adapter and its registration test

Fetch the channels branch and copy the Google Chat adapter and its registration test into src/channels/ (overwrite — the branch is canonical):

src/channels/gchat.ts
src/channels/gchat-registration.test.ts

2. Register the adapter

Append the self-registration import to the channel barrel (skipped if the line is already present). This one line is the skill's only reach-in into core:

import './gchat.js';

3. Install the adapter package

Pinned to an exact version — the supply-chain policy rejects ranges and latest:

@chat-adapter/gchat@4.29.0

4. Build and validate

Build first: it guards the typed createChatSdkBridge(...) core call and proves the dependency is installed. Then run the one integration test.

pnpm run build

pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/gchat-registration.test.ts

gchat-registration.test.ts imports the real channel barrel and asserts the registry contains gchat. It goes red if the import line is deleted or drifts, if the barrel fails to evaluate, or if @chat-adapter/gchat isn't installed (the import throws) — so it also covers the dependency from step 3. End-to-end delivery against a real Google Chat space is verified manually once the service runs — see Credentials and Next Steps.

Credentials

Google Cloud setup is human and interactive — these steps are prose, not directives (no parser can click through the Google Cloud Console). A recipe rebuild produces a compiling, registered adapter that cannot receive a message until they're done.

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create or select a project
3. Enable the Google Chat API
4. Go to Google Chat API > Configuration:
   • App name and description
   • Connection settings: select HTTP endpoint URL and set to https://your-domain/webhook/gchat
5. Create a Service Account:
   • Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts > Create Service Account
   • Grant the Chat Bot role
   • Create a JSON key and download it

Store the credentials

Capture the service account JSON, then write it. prompt only asks and binds the answer to a name; a separate directive consumes it — so the same prompt could feed ncl or the OneCLI vault instead of .env by swapping only the consumer. Here it goes to .env (set-if-absent — a value you've already filled in is never overwritten) as a single-line string:

Paste the service account JSON as a single line — the key file you downloaded, e.g. `{"type":"service_account","project_id":"...","private_key":"...","client_email":"..."}`.

GCHAT_CREDENTIALS={{gchat_credentials}}

Webhook server

The Chat SDK bridge automatically starts a shared webhook server on port 3000 (WEBHOOK_PORT to change it), handling /webhook/gchat. This port must be publicly reachable for Google Chat to deliver events — it's the HTTP endpoint URL you set in the Connection settings above. Running locally, expose it with ngrok (ngrok http 3000), a Cloudflare Tunnel, or a reverse proxy on a VPS.

Next Steps

If you're in the middle of /setup, return to the setup flow now. Otherwise run /manage-channels to wire this channel to an agent group.

Channel Info

• type: gchat
• terminology: Google Chat has "spaces." A space can be a group conversation or a direct message with the bot.
• how-to-find-id: Open the space in Google Chat, look at the URL — the space ID is the segment after /space/ (e.g. spaces/AAAA...). Or use the Google Chat API to list spaces.
• supports-threads: yes
• typical-use: Interactive chat — team spaces or direct messages
• default-isolation: Same agent group for spaces where you're the primary user. Separate agent group for spaces with different teams or sensitive contexts.

Troubleshooting

The adapter starts, then errors about credentials. GCHAT_CREDENTIALS must be the entire service account JSON collapsed to one line — inspect .env and confirm it still contains "type":"service_account", "private_key", and "client_email". A truncated paste (shells often mangle the multi-line private key) is the usual cause; download a fresh JSON key under IAM & Admin → Service Accounts → Keys and re-paste it as a single line.

Messages sent in the space never reach the agent. Google Chat delivers only to the HTTP endpoint URL set under Google Chat API → Configuration, and that URL must be publicly reachable at /webhook/gchat (shared webhook server, port 3000). Tunnel hostnames (ngrok free tier) change on restart — make sure the Configuration URL matches the tunnel that's actually up.

The app doesn't appear when adding it to a space. Check the Chat API Configuration page: the app status must be live and its visibility must include your domain or user, and you must be adding it from the same Google Workspace the Cloud project belongs to.

Everything configured but still silent. Run pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/gchat-registration.test.ts — red means the barrel import or the @chat-adapter/gchat install drifted, so re-run the Apply steps. If green, restart the service so it picks up the adapter and .env, then watch logs/nanoclaw.log for the inbound webhook hit.