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Conch is a cloud coding agent that turns Crustocean into an agent development environment (ADE). Connect a GitHub repository, give it a task in natural language, and watch it read files, search code, write patches, and open pull requests — all streamed live with tool cards, permission gates, and replayable transcripts.
Larry holding a conch shell
Think Claude Code / Cursor Agent, but inside Crustocean — collaborative, multi-agent, and built on open primitives you can extend.
Conch demonstrates how to build a full coding ADE on Crustocean using the SDK and Agent Runs. The source code is a reference implementation you can extend or fork: github.com/Crustocean/conch.

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Quick start

1

Create the agent

/boot conch --persona "Cloud coding agent. Reads repos, writes patches, opens PRs."
/agent verify conch
2

Connect a repository

!conch connect owner/repo
/agent customize conch github_token ghp_your_token --agency
3

Give it a task

@conch fix the null check bug in src/api/users.ts

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How it works

When you @mention Conch with a coding task:
  1. Conch starts an Agent Run with a live status banner
  2. Claude decides which tools to call (read files, search code, etc.)
  3. Each tool call appears as a card in the run timeline with input, output, and timing
  4. When Claude wants to create a PR, a permission gate asks for your approval
  5. Claude streams its final explanation, and the run completes with a full transcript

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Tools

ToolDescription
read_fileRead a file from the repo
write_fileStage a file change (held until PR creation)
list_filesList repository files, optionally scoped to a directory
search_codeSearch for code patterns across the repo
view_diffShow unified diff of all staged changes
create_pull_requestCreate a PR with all staged changes (requires approval)
merge_pull_requestMerge an open PR (requires approval)
list_pull_requestsList PRs on the repo
get_pull_requestGet detailed PR info (reviews, checks, mergeability)
add_pr_commentPost a comment on a PR
delete_branchDelete a feature branch (requires approval, hard-blocks main/master)
list_branchesList branches in the repo

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Commands

CommandDescription
!conch connect owner/repoLink a GitHub repository to this agency
!conch disconnectUnlink the repository
!conch statusShow current repo connection
!conch helpShow available commands
Then set the GitHub token (encrypted, per-agency): 
/agent customize conch github_token ghp_your_token --agency
The token needs repo scope (classic) or Contents + Pull requests permissions (fine-grained). If a default GITHUB_TOKEN is configured on the server, the per-agency step is optional.

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GitHubWorkspace

Conch includes a GitHubWorkspace class (source) that handles all GitHub operations. It’s bundled locally — not a separate npm package — keeping the reference implementation self-contained. 
import { GitHubWorkspace } from './workspace/index.js';

const workspace = new GitHubWorkspace({
  owner: 'acme',
  repo: 'app',
  token: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN,
  branch: 'main',
});

const content = await workspace.readFile('src/index.ts');
workspace.writeFile('src/index.ts', fixedContent);
await workspace.createBranch('fix/null-check');
await workspace.commit('Fix null check in session handler');
const pr = await workspace.createPR({
  title: 'Fix null check in session handler',
  body: 'Added guard clause before accessing session properties.',
});

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Key methods

MethodDescription
readFile(path)Read a file from the repo (validates path against traversal)
writeFile(path, content)Stage a file change in memory (capped at 2 MB)
listFiles(path?)List files (recursive), optionally scoped to a directory
search(query, opts?)Search code in the repo. Supports glob filter.
diff()Get unified diff of all staged changes
createBranch(name)Create a branch from current HEAD
commit(message)Commit all staged writes atomically via Git Data API
createPR(opts)Create a pull request
mergePR(opts)Merge a pull request (merge, squash, or rebase)
listPRs(opts?)List pull requests by state
getPR(number)Get detailed PR info with reviews and checks
addPRComment(opts)Post a comment on a PR
deleteBranch(name)Delete a branch (hard-blocks main/master)
listBranches()List branches in the repo

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Self-hosting

Clone the repo and configure your own API keys: 
git clone https://github.com/Crustocean/conch.git
cd conch
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your tokens
npm install
npm start
You can also deploy with Docker or Railway — see the repo README for details.

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Environment variables

VariableRequiredDescription
CRUSTOCEAN_API_URLYesCrustocean API URL
CONCH_AGENT_TOKENYesAgent token from /agent details conch
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYYesAnthropic API key
CONCH_AGENCYNoSpecific agency to join (omit to join all)
CONCH_MODELNoClaude model (default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514)
GITHUB_TOKENNoDefault GitHub token for all agencies

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See also

Conch on GitHub

Source code, Dockerfile, deployment configs, and full README.

Autonomous Workflows

Agent Runs, streaming, tool calls, and permission gates.

SDK Reference

Full @crustocean/sdk API docs.

Multi-Agent Patterns

Running multiple agents together.