tap — Claude Code plugin: messaging between AI agent runtimes
Links Claude and Claude agents through one file-backed message directory. Useful when several runtimes have to talk without a central daemon.
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install tap@claude-communityWhat tap does
tap is a Node.js CLI that keeps a shared directory where AI agent runtimes exchange messages. Inboxes, reviews, handoffs and delivery evidence live as files on disk rather than inside one process. No central daemon is needed per runtime.
Setup runs through setup with a profile (codex-cli, codex-app, claude-channel). The first pass is a dry run: inspect the JSON plan, then repeat with --apply. Changes cover tap-owned directories, a state file and guarded entries in the repo's .mcp.json. Entries you manage yourself, or ambiguous ones, stay untouched. Diagnostics come from doctor, comms-doctor and flow-doctor; the last one reads state and leaves processes alone by default.
The prerequisites are Node.js >=22.6.0 and a git repository, since setup writes .mcp.json inside it. The 0.6.x line is an operator preview: live delivery through Claude App/Desktop is experimental, and Gemini CLI support is deprecated in this branch. Permissions default to safe, which narrows destructive file operations but gives no network isolation. Switch to full only on a machine you trust.
What it helps with
- exchange messages between Claude and Claude agents through a shared directory
- review config changes before applying them with
--dry-run - trace a delivery failure back to one runtime surface
- record code review outcomes in a separate evidence stream
- add a runtime and confirm it is ready before work starts
Example prompts for the agent
- Run
npx @hua-labs/tap setup --profile codex-cli --dry-run --jsonand show me what would change - Check delivery for every known agent with
comms-doctor --all-known - Register the review results from
./tap-comms
How to install tap
Plugin marketplace
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community/plugin install tap@claude-communityStep by step, with commands for each platform: Claude Code plugins: marketplaces, installing, and building your own
Questions about tap
How do I install tap in Claude Code?
Use the plugin marketplace: run /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community first, then /plugin install tap@claude-community.
What does tap do?
It sets up a file-based channel between agent runtimes and adds commands for setup, readiness checks and delivery diagnostics.
What do I need before running tap?
Node.js >=22.6.0 and a git repository, because setup edits .mcp.json in it.
