How do I use claude-intercom?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@claude-intercom message agent 7f2d about the deployment status" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

📡 claude-intercom

Real-time messaging between Claude Code instances. When one agent sends a message, the others get it instantly — no polling, no manual checks.

Built as an MCP server + filesystem watcher that wakes idle agents automatically via asyncRewake.

How it works

Terminal 1                          Terminal 2
┌─────────────────────┐            ┌─────────────────────┐
│ claude (agent sgup)  │            │ claude (agent 4jov)  │
│                      │            │                      │
│ > send("4jov",       │ ──JSON──▶ │ 📬 sgup: tu touches  │
│   "tu touches        │   file    │    auth.ts ?          │
│    auth.ts ?")       │            │                      │
│                      │ ◀──JSON── │ > reply("Non,        │
│ 📬 4jov: Non,        │   file    │   je suis sur        │
│   je suis sur billing│            │   billing")          │
└─────────────────────┘            └─────────────────────┘

Each instance gets a unique 4-char code (e.g. x7k2) on startup
Messages are JSON files in a shared store/ directory
A fs.watch watcher detects new files instantly and wakes the receiving agent
Dead agents are auto-cleaned via PID checking

Install

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/sanztheo/claude-intercom.git ~/.claude/mcp-intercom

# Install deps
cd ~/.claude/mcp-intercom && bun install

1. Register the MCP server

Add to ~/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intercom": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "bun",
      "args": ["~/.claude/mcp-intercom/src/server.ts"]
    }
  }
}

2. Add the auto-notification hooks

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json under "hooks":

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bun ~/.claude/mcp-intercom/src/hook.ts",
            "timeout": 3000
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "Stop": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bun ~/.claude/mcp-intercom/src/watcher.ts",
            "asyncRewake": true,
            "timeout": 300000
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "SessionStart": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bun ~/.claude/mcp-intercom/src/watcher.ts",
            "asyncRewake": true,
            "timeout": 300000
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

3. (Optional) Add the skill

Copy skill/SKILL.md to ~/.claude/skills/intercom/SKILL.md so agents proactively coordinate.

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`who`	List active agents (filtered by project by default)
`send`	Send a message to an agent or broadcast to `"all"`
`reply`	Reply to a message (auto-acks the original)
`peek`	Check inbox for unread messages
`ack`	Acknowledge and delete a message
`ack_all`	Clear entire inbox

Auto-notification

Three layers ensure agents never miss a message:

Layer	When	How
Watcher (`SessionStart` + `Stop`)	Agent is idle	`fs.watch` on inbox dir → `exit(2)` → `asyncRewake` wakes the model
Hook (`PreToolUse`)	Agent is working	Checks inbox before every tool call
Skill (always active)	Agent makes decisions	Guides agent to announce work and check messages

Architecture

~/.claude/mcp-intercom/
├── src/
│   ├── server.ts    # MCP server — 6 tools, auto-generated agent codes
│   ├── store.ts     # Filesystem store — presence, messages, sessions
│   ├── hook.ts      # PreToolUse hook — checks inbox on every tool call
│   └── watcher.ts   # fs.watch — instant detection, asyncRewake push
├── skill/
│   └── SKILL.md     # Always-active skill for proactive coordination
└── store/           # Runtime data (gitignored)
    ├── presence/    # {code}.json — agent registration + PID
    ├── messages/    # {code}/*.json — per-agent inboxes
    └── sessions/    # {pid}.code — PID-to-agent-code mapping

Session linking (how the hook finds "its" agent)

The MCP server and hooks both run as children of the same Claude Code process. On startup, the server writes its agent code to sessions/{pid}.code for each PID in its ancestor chain. The hook walks up its own ancestor chain and matches against these files — the common ancestor (Claude Code) is the link.

Requirements

Bun runtime
Claude Code v2.1+
macOS or Linux

License

MIT

claude-intercom