Snail Mail

Operator Inbox

A "slow channel" between you and your operator. Not every event deserves a ping. The inbox captures what matters and presents it beautifully when they're ready to look.

Setup

On first use, the inbox file is created automatically at {workspace}/inbox/messages.json.

Requires: node (Node.js runtime).

When to Write to the Inbox

Write an inbox entry when something is notable enough that your operator would want to know, but not urgent enough to interrupt them.

Write when:

• Needs decision — something only a human can resolve (payment, approval, policy)
• Abnormal — errors, failures, unexpected patterns, security events
• Interesting — notable engagement, media mentions, milestones, opportunities
• FYI — context that might matter later but needs no action now

Do NOT write when:

• Routine success ("cron ran fine", "heartbeat OK")
• Something you already told them in chat
• Trivial events with no lasting significance
• Duplicate of something already in the inbox

Priority levels:

• urgent — needs attention within hours (prefix title with [URGENT])
• important — should see today (prefix title with [IMPORTANT])
• normal — whenever they check (no prefix)

Writing good entries:

• Title: Short, scannable. Include the WHO or WHAT. ("@bigaccount (500K) mentioned us", not "Social media event")
• Message: 1-3 sentences. What happened, why it matters, what (if anything) needs doing. Include links/handles when relevant.

CLI Usage

# Add entry
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "Title" "Description of what happened"

# Add with priority
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "[URGENT] Server disk 95%" "Only 2GB remaining on /dev/sda1"

# List unread
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list

# List all (including read)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list all

# List archived
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list archived

# Mark one read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read <id>

# Mark all read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read-all

# Archive one
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive <id>

# Archive all read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive-read

# Render for chat (auto-detects channel via OPENCLAW_CHANNEL)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived]

# Render as HTML (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --html

# Render as markdown (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --md

# Render as plain text (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --text

Presenting the Inbox

When the operator asks to see their inbox (or says "inbox", "messages", "check inbox"), run:

node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived] [--html|--md|--text]

Choose format based on channel:

• Telegram, webchat → --html
• Discord, Slack → --md
• SMS, plain → --text

Send the output as your reply. Do not add commentary unless they ask.

Heartbeat Integration

During heartbeats, check for unread urgent/important items:

node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list unread --json

If urgent items exist, surface them proactively. Otherwise stay quiet.

Storage

Messages stored in {workspace}/inbox/messages.json. Single-writer (the agent), so no locking needed. Writes use atomic rename (write .tmp → rename) to prevent corruption.

Environment variables:

• OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE — base directory for inbox storage (defaults to $HOME)
• OPENCLAW_CHANNEL — used by render auto-format detection (telegram/discord/slack/webchat)