tlive · git:20260730.5925c83 · 2026-07-30 · sha256 6eb2057144f92aab

tlive git:20260730.5925c83A

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---
name: tlive
description: tlive — remote approvals (Telegram/Feishu/web), live web terminal, and
  session monitoring for Claude Code / Codex. Use for configuring or diagnosing
  tlive, connecting IM platforms, printing session links, or explaining approval
  behavior. Triggers "tlive", "IM bridge", "phone approvals", "remote terminal",
  "Telegram/Feishu notifications".
---

# tlive usage guide

tlive is a self-hosted monitoring/approval layer. Claude Code sessions report
through global hooks; Codex sessions are watched through an app-server
companion process (no hooks, no trust step). Completions and failures land in
IM (Telegram/Feishu) and the web dashboard, where you can reply-to-continue.
The **posture** (`tlive mode`, default `notify`) decides whether approvals are
held for a remote answer, in escalation order: `off` makes every hook a no-op;
`notify` only watches + notifies (the shim never holds an approval — prompts
stay 100% native); `full` turns on remote approval for the main session
(Allow/Deny from IM/desktop/dashboard), in parallel with the terminal dialog —
first answer wins; `all` holds sub-agent approvals too, with **no terminal
dialog** for a held one until the window ends, so use it only when nobody is
at the keyboard (`tlive mode full` goes back). Also settable from IM: `/mode`
(a bare `/mode` replies with the ladder). The daemon auto-starts with new
sessions (disable via `daemon.autoStart: false`).

## Commands
- `tlive setup` — configure IM credentials + register the Claude/Codex plugins
  (hooks ride the Claude plugin; Codex needs none). `--hooks-only` re-registers
  plugins only; add `--claude` / `--codex` to pick a vendor.
- `tlive status` — daemon health, effective `mode`, channels, and the Codex
  companion state (`running` / `degraded` / `off`; degraded or off = Codex
  approvals local-only).
- `tlive mode off|notify|full|all` — set posture (see intro). Persisted to
  config, takes effect on the next hook; `notify` is the default, `full` =
  remote approval on, `all` = also holds sub-agent approvals.
- `tlive run <cmd>` — wrap a process: local terminal + live web terminal (QR to open).
- `tlive url` — print the dashboard link + QR code.
- `tlive logs -f` — follow the daemon log.
- `tlive start` / `tlive stop` — explicit lifecycle (start is rarely needed;
  sessions lazy-start the daemon unless autoStart is off).

## Diagnostics
1. No IM messages: `tlive status` for channel config; `tlive logs -f` for send
   errors; confirm the daemon is up after starting a session.
2. Codex has no remote cards: check `tlive status` — the companion line must say
   `running`. `off` means codex isn't on PATH (or Windows); `degraded` means the
   app-server child keeps dying — see `~/.tlive/codex-appserver.log`. Either way
   Codex still prompts locally; nothing is ever auto-run.
3. No approval card ever arrives: check `tlive status` — the `mode:` line must
   say `full` or `all`. The default `notify` never sends approval cards (tool
   prompts stay local); enable remote approval with `tlive mode full`.
4. Claude approval card unanswered (in `full` or `all`): the local dialog stays
   live the whole time (parallel channels, first answer wins); answering
   locally resolves the remote card as "answered in terminal". The remote
   window defaults to ~24h (`approvals.windowSec`, shared by both vendors).
5. Web page unreachable: `tlive url` for the current link (token is in the URL);
   phones need the same LAN (or your own reverse proxy/VPN — tlive has no
   `publicUrl` config, and cards never carry the link).

## Security model in one breath
- Never auto-allow: unanswered → Claude's local dialog governs / Codex's native
  prompt governs. Deny always carries a reason.
- Read-only tools (Read/Glob/Grep) pass by default. `/safe on` also auto-allows
  routine ops (non-dangerous Bash, non-sensitive edits) — the danger floor
  (rm -rf, sudo, .env/.ssh writes…) still asks and no config can lower it.
  `/trust on` pauses approvals entirely (high risk — pair with allowedSenders).
- Runtime switches flip the same state from either entrance: IM commands
  (/mute /trust /safe on|off, /mode for the posture ladder) and the CLI
  (`tlive mute|trust|safe on|off`, `tlive mode off|notify|full|all`). `/mute on`
  = go quiet; it silences IM notifications ONLY. The desktop toast is a separate,
  independent surface (IM ⊥ desktop): CLI-only `tlive desktop on|off`, no IM
  command, unaffected by `/mute`. It fires only for things that need you to act:
  a pending approval, or the idle "waiting for your input" nudge. A finished turn
  stays on IM (a per-turn toast would flood the screen).
- Vendor-side `permissions.deny` always wins; tlive never overrides it.

## First-time onboarding

When the user says "help me set up tlive" (or runs /tlive:setup), walk them
through:
1. `tlive status` to check the engine; missing → `npm i -g tlive`.
2. No channels → collect Telegram (bot token + chat id) or Feishu
   (appId + appSecret) credentials and merge into `~/.tlive/config.json`:
   `{ "allowedSenders": [], "adapters": { "telegram": { "token": "…", "chatIdAllowList": ["…"] }, "feishu": { "appId": "…", "appSecret": "…" } } }`
3. `tlive start` → `tlive status` to verify channels; `tlive url` for the dashboard.
4. Offer remote approval: tlive defaults to `notify` (watch + notify only). If
   the user wants to Allow/Deny tool calls from their phone, run `tlive mode full`
   (holds each tool call for a remote answer; reversible with `tlive mode notify`).
   Leave it in `notify` if they only want monitoring. If they say they're
   stepping away and want sub-agent approvals on their phone too, that's
   `tlive mode all` — flag the trade plainly: a held sub-agent has no terminal
   dialog until the window ends, so it only pays off when nobody is at the
   keyboard (`tlive mode full` to come back).
5. Codex needs no extra step — the companion starts with the daemon. If status
   says `off`/`degraded`, that's diagnostic info, not a setup task.