Communication Channels

The channels system provides a plugin-based architecture for connecting Cortex agents to external messaging platforms. Each channel binds an agent to a specific platform, routing messages bidirectionally.

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Channel System                           │
│                                                           │
│  Channel Manager ──► Plugin Registry                       │
│       │                    │                              │
│       ▼                    ▼                              │
│  Discord Adapter     [Future: Slack, Teams, Telegram]     │
│       │                                                   │
│       ▼                                                   │
│  Gateway WebSocket ←→ Discord API                         │
│       │                                                   │
│       ▼                                                   │
│  Agent (bound per channel)                                │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Channel Plugin Interface

Each platform implements the ChannelPlugin interface:

interface ChannelPlugin {
  connect(config: ChannelConfig): Promise<void>;
  disconnect(): Promise<void>;
  onEvent(handler: (event: ChannelEvent) => void): void;
  send(message: OutboundMessage): Promise<void>;
  edit(messageId: string, content: string): Promise<void>;
  react(messageId: string, emoji: string): Promise<void>;
  delete(messageId: string): Promise<void>;
  typing(channelId: string): Promise<void>;
  upload(channelId: string, file: Attachment): Promise<void>;
}

Message Types

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

Discord Implementation

The Discord adapter (channels/discord.ts) connects via Gateway WebSocket:

Authentication: Bot token-based connection
Heartbeat: Keep-alive pings at Discord's required interval
Message Handling: Prefix-based command parsing (!cortex)
Rich Embeds: Support for embedded messages with fields, footers, and colors
Reaction Handling: Respond to emoji reactions on messages

Event Flow

User sends message in Discord
  → Gateway WebSocket receives MESSAGE_CREATE
  → ChannelPlugin.onEvent fires
  → Channel manager routes to bound agent
  → Agent processes message (LLM + tools pipeline)
  → Agent response sent back via ChannelPlugin.send
  → Message appears in Discord channel

Configuration

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "token": "<bot-token>",
      "prefix": "!cortex",
      "agent": "default-agent"
    }
  }
}