ctalk

POC for pinging a coworker through Claude Code.

• relay.py: hosted FastAPI + SQLite relay plus remote MCP endpoint.
• server.py: optional local stdio MCP bridge.

This is same-trust v0: no auth, no web UI, no push, no passwords.

Fast Remote MCP Setup

No local repo or Python install is required for the remote MCP path. Add the hosted MCP endpoint:

claude mcp add --transport http ctalk https://ctalk-relay.onrender.com/mcp -s user

Then register in Claude Code:

ctalk register me with user_id umar. My name is Umar. I own platform tooling.

Because this v0 has no auth, remote MCP prompts should include your user_id, such as umar or john.

Optional Local Stdio Install

If you want to run the MCP bridge locally instead of using hosted MCP:

cd /path/to/ctalk
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Deploy

The hosted app serves both the REST relay and the remote MCP endpoint at /mcp.

Render

Render's FastAPI docs use:

uvicorn relay:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT

Free-tier Render services do not support persistent disks. For the free tier, use:

Build Command: pip install -r requirements.txt
Start Command: uvicorn relay:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT
Environment: RELAY_DB_PATH=/tmp/relay.sqlite3

This works for a POC, but roster entries and messages may disappear after restarts or redeploys.

If you upgrade and add a persistent disk, this repo includes render.yaml with that start command plus a disk mounted at /var/data. Use:

Build Command: pip install -r requirements.txt
Start Command: uvicorn relay:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT
Environment: RELAY_DB_PATH=/var/data/relay.sqlite3
Disk Mount Path: /var/data

Without a persistent disk, do not use /var/data.

Railway

Railway can deploy this from GitHub or with the CLI. This repo includes railway.json with:

uvicorn relay:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT

Recommended Railway settings:

Start Command: uvicorn relay:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT
Healthcheck Path: /health
Environment: RELAY_DB_PATH=/data/relay.sqlite3
Volume Mount Path: /data
Public Networking: Generate Domain

After deployment, verify:

curl https://your-relay-url/health

Expected:

{"status":"ok"}

First Run

Each person registers once from Claude Code:

ctalk register me with user_id umar. My name is Umar. I own alpha-repo and platform tooling.

ctalk register me with user_id john. My name is John. I own alpha-repo and payments-service.

Send A Message

Ask:

ctalk ask john from umar: What is the retry logic in alpha-repo?

John checks:

ctalk check inbox for john.

John drafts:

ctalk propose a response as john to message 1: The retry logic uses three attempts with exponential backoff.

After John explicitly approves:

ctalk send the approved response as john to message 1: The retry logic uses three attempts with exponential backoff.

Umar checks replies:

ctalk check replies for umar.

Tools

• register_self(user_id, name, ownership, notes = ""): creates your roster profile.
• ask_person(from_id, to_id, question): confirms the recipient exists, then posts a question.
• check_inbox(user_id): returns pending questions plus sender roster context.
• propose_response(user_id, message_id, draft_text): saves a draft only.
• send_response(user_id, message_id, final_text): delivers the answer after explicit human approval.
• check_replies(user_id, since = "1970-01-01T00:00:00+00:00"): polls answers.

HTTP API

• GET /health
• POST /messages with { "from_id": "umar", "to_id": "john", "question": "..." }
• GET /inbox/{user_id}
• POST /messages/{id}/draft with { "draft_text": "..." }
• POST /messages/{id}/respond with { "final_text": "..." }
• GET /replies/{user_id}?since=<timestamp>
• POST /roster with { "id": "john", "name": "John", "ownership": ["alpha-repo"], "notes": "" }
• GET /roster/{id}