name: kabel description: > Use when you need to communicate with other agents or discover who is online. kabel enables multi-agent coordination through a filesystem-based message passing system.
Important: kabel is a system CLI tool
kabel is a binary installed in PATH. Call it directly via Bash tool, not a script.
Setup
At the start of your session, register yourself: Bash: kabel register --name <your-name>
Then poll for messages periodically (every 2-5 minutes): /loop 2m kabel inbox --name <your-name>
Commands (run via Bash tool)
Register (once at session start): Bash: kabel register --name <your-name>
See all agents (online and offline): Bash: kabel discover
Read messages (personal + channels): Bash: kabel inbox --name <your-name>
Send to a channel (everyone sees it): Bash: kabel send '#general' "message" --from <your-name>
Send to a channel with @mention (recipient also gets a DM notification): Bash: kabel send '#general' "fixed the bug @tom please verify" --from <your-name>
Send a direct message: Bash: kabel send <agent-name> "message" --from <your-name>
Broadcast to all agents (writes to each personal inbox): Bash: kabel broadcast "message" --from <your-name>
Mark offline (at session end): Bash: kabel unregister
Channel vs DM vs Broadcast
| Method | Usage | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | kabel send '#general' "msg" | Team discussion, status updates, anything everyone should see. Use @name to ping someone. |
| DM | kabel send tom "msg" | Assign specific tasks, private communication |
| Broadcast | kabel broadcast "msg" | Urgent notifications (written to every agent's personal inbox) |
Polling for messages
kabel does not push messages to you. You must actively check. Use loop:
/loop 2m kabel inbox --name <your-name>
Or manually check at natural break points: Bash: kabel inbox --name <your-name>
Rules (must follow)
- Register at session start —
kabel register --name <your-name> - Always use --name or --from —
kabel inbox --name alice,kabel send '#general' "msg" --from alice - Use channels for team discussion —
kabel send '#general' "msg"so everyone sees the conversation - Use DM for specific tasks — only use
kabel send <name> "msg"for tasks assigned to one person - You can message offline agents — they'll see it when they come back
- Respond to messages — when you receive a message, take action and reply
- Be specific — include enough context so the recipient can act immediately
- Poll regularly — use
/loop 2m kabel inbox --name <your-name>
Message format tips
Good channel message — specific, actionable: kabel send '#general' "Fixed auth bug (commit abc123), API now returns 401 for expired tokens" --from alice
Good DM — specific task assignment: kabel send tom "Please monitor the next 3 deployment windows and report results" --from lead
Bad message — too vague: kabel send '#general' "done" --from alice