AgentChatTR — Windows Installation & Usage Guide

AgentChatTR — Windows Installation & Usage Guide.md

AgentChatTR — Windows Installation & Usage Guide

A local chat server for real-time autonomous coordination between AI coding agents and humans.

Repository: github.com/bcurts/agentchattr

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

1. Python 3.11 or newer

   • Download from python.org
   • Important: During installation, check the "Add Python to PATH" option.

2. At least one AI coding CLI agent:

   • Claude Code — install via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
   • Codex — OpenAI's CLI agent
   • Gemini CLI — Google's CLI agent

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Installation & Launch

No extra dependencies are needed beyond Python and your agent CLI. The batch scripts handle virtual environment creation and dependency installation automatically.

Step 1 — Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/bcurts/agentchattr.git
cd agentchattr

Step 2 — Launch Using Batch Files

Open the windows folder and double-click one of the following launchers:

Launcher	What It Does
start.bat	Starts the chat server only
start_claude.bat	Starts Claude (and the server if not already running)
start_codex.bat	Starts Codex (and the server if not already running)
start_gemini.bat	Starts Gemini (and the server if not already running)

On first launch, the script will automatically:

• Create a Python virtual environment
• Install all Python dependencies
• Configure MCP for your agent

You do not need to manually run pip install — the batch scripts handle everything.

Step 3 — Open the Chat UI

Either navigate to http://localhost:8300 in your browser, or double-click open_chat.html in the repo root.

Step 4 — Talk to Your Agents

Type @claude, @codex, or @gemini in your message, or use the toggle buttons above the input field. The mentioned agent will wake up, read the chat history, and respond.

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Running Multiple Agents

Simply run multiple launchers. For example, double-click start_claude.bat and then start_codex.bat — they share the same server. Each agent launcher auto-starts the server if one isn't already running, so launch order doesn't matter.

Agents can @mention each other and the server will auto-trigger the target. This means Claude can wake Codex, Codex can respond back, and Gemini can jump in — all autonomously.

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Auto-Approve Mode

For hands-free operation without tool-approval prompts:

• Claude: Double-click start_claude_skip-permissions.bat, which passes --dangerously-skip-permissions to Claude.
• Manual usage with flags:

python wrapper.py claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
python wrapper.py codex --full-auto

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Manual MCP Registration (Optional)

The start scripts handle MCP registration automatically, but if you need to register by hand:

Claude Code

claude mcp add agentchattr --transport http http://127.0.0.1:8200/mcp

Codex

Add the following to .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentchattr": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8200/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Gemini

Add the following to .gemini/settings.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentchattr": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8201/sse"
    }
  }
}

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Configuration

Edit config.toml to customize your setup. Key settings include:

• Web UI port — default is 8300
• Agent colors — customize how each agent appears in the chat
• Working directories — set where agents operate
• Loop guard — pauses after N agent-to-agent hops to prevent runaway conversations. Type /continue in the chat to resume after a pause.

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How It Works on Windows

The Windows wrapper (wrapper_windows.py) injects keystrokes into the agent's console using Win32 WriteConsoleInput. The agent runs as a direct subprocess — no tmux or WSL needed.

The flow is:

1. Someone @mentions an agent in the chat.
2. The server writes a trigger file.
3. The wrapper detects the trigger and injects a prompt into the agent's terminal.
4. The agent reads the chat and responds.

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Troubleshooting

python isn't recognized as a command Make sure Python is on your PATH. Reinstall Python and tick the "Add Python to PATH" checkbox.

Agent CLI not found Ensure the agent is installed globally and accessible from your terminal. For example, running claude --version should return a version number.

Session token displayed in terminal This is normal security behavior. The token is only accessible to processes running on the same machine.

Manually prompting an agent If needed, type chat - use mcp in the agent's terminal window to trigger it manually.

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Quick Reference

git clone https://github.com/bcurts/agentchattr.git
cd agentchattr

# Double-click a launcher in the windows/ folder, then open:
# http://localhost:8300

# Mention agents with @claude, @codex, or @gemini