cortex channels

Manage communication channels that connect Cortex agents to external messaging platforms. Supports 10 channel adapters: Discord, Slack, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, WhatsApp, Google Chat, Lark, and the built-in Web UI.

Usage

cortex channels <subcommand> [options]

Subcommands

Subcommand	Description
start <id>	Start a communication channel
stop <id>	Stop a communication channel

Channel Architecture

The channel system uses a plugin-based architecture where each messaging platform (Discord, etc.) implements the ChannelPlugin interface. Channels are bound to specific agents, routing incoming messages to the agent and sending agent responses back.

Supported Channel Targets

Target Type	Description
dm	Direct message with a user
group	Group message / multi-user chat
channel	Server/text channel
thread	Thread within a channel

Message Features

• Rich embeds with fields and footers
• File attachment support
• Message edits and deletions
• Typing indicator support
• Reaction handling

Available Channels

Channel	Setup requirements
Web UI	Built-in, no configuration needed
Discord	Bot token from Discord Developer Portal
Slack	Bot token (xoxb-...) + signing secret
Telegram	Bot token from @BotFather
Microsoft Teams	App ID + app secret + tenant ID
Mattermost	Personal access token + MATTERMOST_URL env var
Rocket.Chat	Personal access token + ROCKETCHAT_URL env var
WhatsApp	WhatsApp Business API token
Google Chat	Webhook URL
Lark	App ID + app secret + verification token

All channels can be configured during initial setup via cortex setup (multi-select) or added later.

# List configured channels
cortex channels list

# Start a channel
cortex channels start <id>

# Stop a channel
cortex channels stop <id>

Channel Events

Channels emit events that flow through the system:

• message — New incoming message
• reaction — Reaction added/removed
• edit — Message edited
• delete — Message deleted
• typing — User started typing

Examples

# List configured channels
cortex channels list

# Start the Discord channel integration
cortex channels start discord

# Start Slack
cortex channels start slack

# Stop all active channels
cortex channels stop all