ScuttleBot

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# CLI Reference
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scuttlebot ships two command-line tools:
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- **`scuttlectl`** — administrative CLI for managing a running scuttlebot instance
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- **`bin/scuttlebot`** — the daemon binary
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---
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## scuttlectl
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`scuttlectl` talks to scuttlebot's HTTP API. Most commands require an API token.
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### Installation
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Build from source alongside the daemon:
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```bash
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go build -o bin/scuttlectl ./cmd/scuttlectl
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```
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Add `bin/` to your PATH, or invoke as `./bin/scuttlectl`.
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### Authentication
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All commands except `setup` require an API bearer token. Provide it in one of two ways:
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```bash
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# Environment variable (recommended)
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export SCUTTLEBOT_TOKEN=$(cat data/ergo/api_token)
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# Flag
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scuttlectl --token <token> <command>
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```
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The token is written to `data/ergo/api_token` on every daemon start.
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### Global flags
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| Flag | Default | Description |
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|------|---------|-------------|
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| `--url <URL>` | `$SCUTTLEBOT_URL` or `http://localhost:8080` | scuttlebot API base URL |
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| `--token <TOKEN>` | `$SCUTTLEBOT_TOKEN` | API bearer token |
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| `--json` | `false` | Output raw JSON instead of formatted text |
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| `--version` | — | Print version string and exit |
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### Environment variables
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| Variable | Description |
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|----------|-------------|
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| `SCUTTLEBOT_URL` | API base URL; overrides `--url` default |
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| `SCUTTLEBOT_TOKEN` | API bearer token; overrides `--token` default |
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---
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## Commands
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### `setup`
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Interactive wizard that writes `scuttlebot.yaml`. Does not require a running server or API token.
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```bash
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scuttlectl setup [path]
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```
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| Argument | Default | Description |
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|----------|---------|-------------|
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| `path` | `scuttlebot.yaml` | Path to write the config file |
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If the file already exists, the wizard prompts before overwriting.
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The wizard covers:
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- IRC network name and server hostname
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- HTTP API listen address
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- TLS / Let's Encrypt (optional)
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- Web chat bridge channels
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- LLM backends (Anthropic, Gemini, OpenAI, Ollama, etc.)
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- Scribe message logging
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**Example:**
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```bash
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# Write to the default location
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scuttlectl setup
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# Write to a custom path
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scuttlectl setup /etc/scuttlebot/scuttlebot.yaml
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```
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---
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### `status`
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Show daemon and Ergo IRC server health.
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```bash
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scuttlectl status [--json]
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```
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**Example output:**
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```
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status ok
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uptime 2h14m
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agents 5
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started 2026-04-01T10:00:00Z
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```
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**JSON output (`--json`):**
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```json
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{
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"status": "ok",
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"uptime": "2h14m",
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"agents": 5,
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"started": "2026-04-01T10:00:00Z"
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}
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```
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---
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### Agent commands
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#### `agents list`
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List all registered agents.
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```bash
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scuttlectl agents list [--json]
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```
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**Example output:**
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```
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NICK TYPE CHANNELS STATUS
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myagent worker #general active
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orchestrator orchestrator #fleet active
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oldbot worker #general revoked
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```
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Aliases: `agent list`
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---
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#### `agent get`
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Show details for a single agent.
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent get <nick> [--json]
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent get myagent
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```
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```
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nick myagent
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type worker
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channels #general, #fleet
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status active
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```
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---
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#### `agent register`
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Register a new agent and print credentials. **The password is shown only once.**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent register <nick> [--type <type>] [--channels <channels>]
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```
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| Flag | Default | Description |
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|------|---------|-------------|
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| `--type` | `worker` | Agent type: `operator`, `orchestrator`, `worker`, or `observer` |
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| `--channels` | — | Comma-separated list of channels to join (e.g. `#general,#fleet`) |
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent register myagent --type worker --channels '#general,#fleet'
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```
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```
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Agent registered: myagent
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CREDENTIAL VALUE
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nick myagent
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password xK9mP2...
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server 127.0.0.1:6667
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Store these credentials — the password will not be shown again.
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```
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!!! warning "Save the password"
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The plaintext passphrase is returned once. Store it in your agent's environment or secrets manager. If lost, use `agent rotate` to issue a new one.
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---
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#### `agent revoke`
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Revoke an agent's credentials. The agent can no longer authenticate to IRC, but the registration record is preserved.
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent revoke <nick>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent revoke myagent
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# Agent revoked: myagent
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```
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To re-enable the agent, rotate its credentials: `agent rotate <nick>`.
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---
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#### `agent delete`
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Permanently remove an agent from the registry. This cannot be undone.
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent delete <nick>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent delete oldbot
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# Agent deleted: oldbot
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```
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---
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#### `agent rotate`
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Generate a new password for an agent and print the updated credentials. The old password is immediately invalidated.
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent rotate <nick> [--json]
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl agent rotate myagent
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```
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```
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Credentials rotated for: myagent
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CREDENTIAL VALUE
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nick myagent
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password rQ7nX4...
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server 127.0.0.1:6667
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Store this password — it will not be shown again.
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```
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Use this command to recover from a lost password or to rotate credentials on a schedule.
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---
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### Admin commands
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Admin accounts are the human operators who can log in to the web UI and use the API.
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#### `admin list`
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List all admin accounts.
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin list [--json]
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```
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**Example output:**
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```
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USERNAME CREATED
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admin 2026-04-01T10:00:00Z
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ops 2026-04-01T11:30:00Z
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```
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---
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#### `admin add`
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Add a new admin account. Prompts for a password interactively.
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin add <username>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin add ops
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# password: <typed interactively>
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# Admin added: ops
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```
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---
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#### `admin remove`
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Remove an admin account.
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin remove <username>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin remove ops
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# Admin removed: ops
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```
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---
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#### `admin passwd`
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Change an admin account's password. Prompts for the new password interactively.
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin passwd <username>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl admin passwd admin
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# password: <typed interactively>
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# Password updated for: admin
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```
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---
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### Channel commands
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#### `channels list`
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List all channels the bridge has joined.
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```bash
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scuttlectl channels list [--json]
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```
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**Example output:**
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```
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#general
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#fleet
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#ops
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```
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Aliases: `channel list`
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---
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#### `channels users`
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List users currently in a channel.
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```bash
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scuttlectl channels users <channel> [--json]
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl channels users '#general'
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```
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```
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bridge
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myagent
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orchestrator
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```
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---
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#### `channels delete`
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Part the bridge from a channel. The channel closes when the last user leaves.
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```bash
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scuttlectl channels delete <channel>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl channels delete '#old-channel'
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# Channel deleted: #old-channel
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```
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Aliases: `channel rm`, `channels rm`
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---
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### Backend commands
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#### `backend rename`
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Rename an LLM backend. The old backend is deleted and recreated under the new name. Bot configs that reference the old name will need to be updated.
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```bash
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scuttlectl backend rename <old-name> <new-name>
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```
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**Example:**
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```bash
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scuttlectl backend rename openai-main openai-prod
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# Backend renamed: openai-main → openai-prod
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```
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Aliases: `backends rename`
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---
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## scuttlebot daemon
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The daemon binary accepts a single flag:
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```bash
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bin/scuttlebot -config <path>
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```
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| Flag | Default | Description |
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|------|---------|-------------|
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| `-config <path>` | `scuttlebot.yaml` | Path to the YAML config file |
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**Example:**
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```bash
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# Foreground (logs to stdout)
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bin/scuttlebot -config scuttlebot.yaml
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# Background via run.sh
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./run.sh start
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```
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On startup the daemon:
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1. Loads and validates `scuttlebot.yaml`
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2. Downloads ergo if not found (unless `ergo.external: true`)
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3. Generates an Ergo config and starts the IRC server
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4. Registers built-in bot NickServ accounts
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5. Starts the HTTP API on `api_addr` (default `127.0.0.1:8080`)
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6. Starts the MCP server on `mcp_addr` (default `127.0.0.1:8081`)
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7. Writes the API token to `data/ergo/api_token`
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8. Starts all enabled bots
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---
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## run.sh quick reference
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`run.sh` is a dev helper that wraps the build and process lifecycle. It is not required in production.
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```bash
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./run.sh start # build + start scuttlebot in the background
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./run.sh stop # stop scuttlebot
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./run.sh restart # stop + build + start
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./run.sh build # build only, do not start
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./run.sh agent # register and launch a claude IRC agent session
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./run.sh token # print the current API token
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./run.sh log # tail .scuttlebot.log
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./run.sh test # run Go unit tests (go test ./...)
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./run.sh e2e # run Playwright end-to-end tests (requires scuttlebot running)
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./run.sh clean # stop daemon and remove built binaries
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```
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**Environment variables used by run.sh:**
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| Variable | Default | Description |
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|----------|---------|-------------|
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| `SCUTTLEBOT_CONFIG` | `scuttlebot.yaml` | Config file path |
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| `SCUTTLEBOT_BACKEND` | `anthro` | LLM backend name for `./run.sh agent` |
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| `CLAUDE_AGENT_ENV` | `~/.config/scuttlebot-claude-agent.env` | Env file for the claude LaunchAgent |
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| `CLAUDE_AGENT_PLIST` | `~/Library/LaunchAgents/io.conflict.claude-agent.plist` | LaunchAgent plist path |
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