README
¶
slicc-cli
slicc is SLICC's command line for seven, the SLICC on *.sliccy.ai. It is one binary for macOS, Windows and Linux. It launches and links browsers, and shares a machine's network, compute and browsers with a running seven over a WebRTC link. npx sliccy and Sliccstart.app run this binary. It replaces slicc-node and slicc-swift.
Status: being built. slicc (the default flow), slicc attach (with the cdp capability), slicc <join-url> follow, remote control with prompt, watch and abort, host folders with --mount, slicc browsers, slicc launch, update, --version and --help work so far, plus a hidden diagnostic, slicc <join-url> follow --signal-only [--timeout 2m]. It attaches through the tray hub, prints a summary of the leader's offer (its size, media sections, candidate count and DTLS fingerprint) and the ICE server URLs (credentials are never printed), and exits without answering. The link protocol is drafted alongside seven's link exit and moves into this README once both sides pass a shared test.
Commands (planned)
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
slicc |
pick browsers in a small TUI; Enter launches or attaches to the best match, opens seven and links it (works now; see The default) |
slicc attach --cdp <url> |
link a seven that is open in an already-running CDP browser (works now; see Local setup) |
slicc launch |
launch a browser with CDP in a separate SLICC profile and print its CDP URL |
slicc <join-url> follow [--exit] [--runner …] [--cdp <url>] [--mount <path>] |
follow a seven's tray from another machine and offer its network, compute (over SSH), browsers or folders (--exit, --runner, --cdp and --mount work now; see Remote setup) |
slicc <join-url> prompt <text>, watch, abort |
send a prompt to seven's agent and stream its answer, follow the agent as it works, or abort its run; --cdp <url> instead of a join URL links locally (works now; see Remote control) |
slicc browsers --json |
list running CDP endpoints and installed browsers, ranked |
slicc update [--check] |
replace this binary with the latest release (works now; see Updates) |
Install
- npm:
npm install -g @ai-ecoverse/slicc, ornpx @ai-ecoverse/slicc. The package is a small Node launcher; npm picks one of the platform packages@ai-ecoverse/slicc-<os>-<arch>(darwin,linux,windows×amd64,arm64) throughoptionalDependenciesand theirosandcpufields. The launcher runs that binary with the same arguments, stdio and environment plusSLICC_LAUNCHER=npm, forwardsSIGTERM,SIGHUP,SIGQUITandSIGUSR2to it, andSIGINTtoo when stdin is not a terminal (a terminal's Ctrl-C already reaches the binary; on Windows the console delivers Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break to both). It exits with the binary's exit code, or dies of the same signal. An install with--omit=optionalhas no binary, and the launcher says so. - GitHub releases: every release of
ai-ecoverse/slicc-clicarriesslicc-<os>-<arch>(.exeon Windows) for all six targets, plusSHA256SUMS. See Verifying a download. - Go:
go install github.com/ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli/cmd/slicc@latest. See Install with Go.
Install with Go
go install github.com/ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli/cmd/slicc@latest puts slicc in $GOBIN (default $(go env GOPATH)/bin). It needs Go 1.26.5 or newer, the go line of go.mod. An older Go from 1.21 on fetches that toolchain itself unless GOTOOLCHAIN=local is set. @v<version> picks a release instead of the latest.
The binary is built from source on your machine. It has no Developer ID signature, no notarization and no build attestation. Its integrity comes from the Go checksum database (sum.golang.org), which pins the hash of every release's source. On macOS a binary you build yourself isn't quarantined, so Gatekeeper doesn't stop it. Signed binaries come from the GitHub releases, from npm (npx sliccy@next, npx @ai-ecoverse/slicc), and from slicc update.
A go-installed slicc reports its module version (slicc 1.25.2 for @v1.25.2). It counts as a release build for telemetry and the update notice, but slicc update doesn't replace it; see Updates.
Coming from SLICC six
npx sliccy (sliccy@latest) is still SLICC six: its node-server, with six's UI on www.sliccy.ai. npx sliccy@next runs this binary, which links browsers to seven on seven.sliccy.ai. Six stays available as npx sliccy@6.
Six's flags. slicc with no command stops at a flag of six's node-server before it discovers or launches anything. So does an unknown command followed by one. It prints this line on stderr and exits 2:
slicc: <flag> is a SLICC six option. This is the new SLICC (seven). For SLICC six, run: npx sliccy@6 <your args>
<your args>is the command line as given, with arguments quoted where needed, for a POSIX shell or, on Windows, for PowerShell. A join URL is shown as<join-url>, since it is never printed.--flag valueand--flag=valueboth count.- With no command, Go's flag syntax applies, so
-electroncounts as well. - The first six flag is the one named.
The flags come from six's packages/node-server/src/runtime-flags.ts, at slicc e44ee9d2c (6.247.17):
| six flag | six's parser |
|---|---|
-v |
runtime-flags.ts:159 |
--serve-only |
runtime-flags.ts:163 |
--hosted |
runtime-flags.ts:167 |
--kill |
runtime-flags.ts:171 |
--install-cli |
runtime-flags.ts:175 |
--computer-demo |
runtime-flags.ts:179 |
--cdp-port |
runtime-flags.ts:188 |
--log-level |
runtime-flags.ts:196 |
--log-dir |
runtime-flags.ts:203 |
--prompt |
runtime-flags.ts:207, :256 |
--env-file |
runtime-flags.ts:211, :258 |
--install-dir |
runtime-flags.ts:219, :260 |
--lead |
runtime-flags.ts:223, :333 |
--join |
runtime-flags.ts:228, :333 |
--electron-app |
runtime-flags.ts:237, :336 |
--electron |
runtime-flags.ts:336 |
--cloud |
cloud/dispatch.ts:108 (next to runtime-flags.ts) |
Six's --version, version, --profile and --mount are seven flags too, and keep their seven meaning. Six's --mount <os-path>:<vfs-path> is refused with a hint; see Host folders.
What changed:
| six | seven's slicc |
|---|---|
npx sliccy (six's UI on www.sliccy.ai) |
npx sliccy@next (seven on seven.sliccy.ai); six stays at npx sliccy@6 |
a global slicc from npm i -g sliccy |
npm i -g sliccy@next installs sliccy and slicc, and @ai-ecoverse/slicc installs slicc. Install only one of them globally, since both provide slicc |
six's Go follower, also called slicc (--install-cli, install-cli | sh) |
whichever slicc comes first on PATH runs; slicc --version prints 6.x for six's |
--serve-only --cdp-port=9222 |
slicc --cdp http://127.0.0.1:9222, or slicc attach --cdp … |
--mount=~/proj:/workspace/proj |
--mount ~/proj[:proj][:ro], a name rather than a path; the folder is then mounted in seven |
--profile leader (QA), SLICC_USER_DATA_DIR |
--profile <name>, a SLICC profile (see slicc launch) |
--prompt "…" |
slicc prompt --cdp <url> "…" once the link is up |
--lead [url], WORKER_BASE_URL |
--page <url> and --origin <origin> |
--electron <app>, --kill |
slicc --browser chrome --browser electron:<slug>; quit the app first |
--log-level, --log-dir |
SLICC_DEBUG=1, on stderr |
-v |
-V or --version |
slicc <url> follow bash -c |
slicc <url> follow --runner bash -c |
slicc <url> follow --eval python -i |
slicc <url> follow --runner sh -c --eval python3 -i |
follow --no-banner, --plain |
no banner; --plain exists on slicc, prompt and watch |
watch <scoop>, exec, wait, model, thinking, new-session, *-cloud, list-sessions, --cloud, --hosted, --install-cli, --computer-demo |
not available |
slicc update (six's follower) |
six's follower updates from ai-ecoverse/slicc, and this one from ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli; moving over means reinstalling |
Environment variables.
- Gone:
PORT,CHROME_PATH,SLICC_USER_DATA_DIR,SLICC_CDP_LAUNCH_TIMEOUT_MS,WORKER_BASE_URL,SLICC_TRAY_WORKER_BASE_URL,SLICC_SECRETS_FILE,E2B_API_KEY,SLICC_JOIN_FILE,CHROME_USER_DATA_DIR,SLICC_CHROME_GPU,SLICC_CHROME_MOCK_KEYCHAIN,SLICC_BRIDGE_TOKEN,SLICC_PROMPT_SETTLE,SLICC_ABORT_CONFIRM,SLICC_NO_TUI(use--plain),SLICC_LOG_LEVEL,SLICC_LOG_FORMAT,COLUMNS,SLICC_INSTALL_DIR. - Kept:
SLICC_DEBUG,SLICC_NO_TELEMETRY,SLICC_NO_UPDATE_CHECK,SLICC_UPDATE_API_BASE,OPTEL_RATE,OPTEL_DEBUG,NO_COLOR. - New:
SLICC_TELEMETRY_URL,SLICC_LAUNCHER(set by npm),SLICC_DISCOVERY(tests).
Files.
- Not read:
~/.slicc/secrets.env,~/.slicc/session-id,~/.slicc/logs/and~/.slicc/cloud-sessions.json. - Moved into seven:
~/.slicc/crontaband~/.slicc/webhooks/now live inside seven's kernel, not on the host. - Update cache: six's Go follower caches its update check in
<user cache dir>/slicc/update-check.json, and this binary usesupdate-check-seven.jsonnext to it. Both files have the same shape, so with one shared file, each binary would show the other's version and hold back the other's check. - Kept by this binary:
<config>/slicc/holdsssh_host_ed25519_key,tray-certs.json,tray-join.jsonandseven-profiles/. - Profiles: six's Chrome profiles are
~/Library/Application Support/Slicc/profiles/browser-coding-agent-chrome[-<port>]on macOS,$XDG_STATE_HOME/slicc/profileson Linux and%LOCALAPPDATA%\Slicc\profileson Windows (chrome-launch.ts:119-148). seven's live in<config>/slicc/seven-profiles, so a--profilenever opens six's logins, and discovery never lists six's Chrome as a SLICC profile.
Verifying a download
Put the binary and the release's SHA256SUMS in one folder, then check:
- Checksum on macOS and Linux:
shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing. On Linuxsha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missingdoes the same. - Checksum on Windows (PowerShell):
(Get-FileHash slicc-windows-amd64.exe -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()must equal the hash on that file's line inSHA256SUMS(Select-String slicc-windows-amd64.exe SHA256SUMS). - Provenance:
gh attestation verify <file> --repo ai-ecoverse/slicc-clichecks the GitHub build-provenance attestation (Sigstore) that the release workflow made for that exact file.
Signing:
- macOS: the binaries are signed with a Developer ID, with the hardened runtime, and notarized. A bare binary can't carry a stapled ticket (only apps, disk images and installer packages can), so Gatekeeper checks the notarization online the first time it runs. Inside Sliccstart.app the binary is stapled with the app.
- Windows: the binaries are unsigned for now. Authenticode signing through Azure Trusted Signing comes before general availability. Until then a browser download gets a SmartScreen warning, and AppLocker, WDAC or Intune policies can block the binary.
Updates
slicc update replaces the running binary (symlinks resolved) with the latest GitHub release of ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli. It downloads the asset for this OS and CPU and checks it against the release's SHA256SUMS. The new binary has to answer --version with the release's version before anything is replaced. The swap is a rename next to the old binary; on Windows the running binary is first moved aside to <name>.old, which the next run deletes. slicc update --check only reports.
The version. A release build has its version linked in (-X main.version=<version>). Without one, slicc reads its Go build info: a binary built by go install …@<version> (or go run) from a downloaded module, with a checksum in the build info, reports that module version without the leading v. Anything else built from a checkout reports dev.
update refuses, with exit code 1:
- a go-installed binary (no linked version, and a downloaded module with a checksum in its build info): it prints
update it with `go install github.com/ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli/cmd/slicc@latest`; - a development build (any version that isn't plain
X.Y.Z);--checkstill prints the latest release; - an npm install (
SLICC_LAUNCHER=npm, or a path throughnode_modules), which updates through npm. The message names the commands:npm install -g @ai-ecoverse/slicc@latestandnpx @ai-ecoverse/slicc@latest, orsliccy@nextfor both when the binary came withsliccy(anode_modules/sliccyon its path, or next to itsnode_modules). Under npx (an_npxdir on the path) it names only the npx command; - a binary inside an app bundle (
*.app/Contents/…), which the app updates.
These checks come first, so --check refuses the same way and nothing asks GitHub.
Release builds outside npm and app bundles print a notice on stderr when a newer release exists: slicc X is available (you have Y); run `slicc update` . A go-installed release says run `go install github.com/ai-ecoverse/slicc-cli/cmd/slicc@latest` instead. The notice comes from a cache (<user cache dir>/slicc/update-check-seven.json; six's Go follower uses update-check.json, see Coming from SLICC six), and a background check refreshes it at most once every 24 hours, so no run waits on the check for more than 2 seconds. --version, update, and any command line with --help, -h or -help print no notice.
Telemetry
Release builds (a plain X.Y.Z version, linked in or, for go install, from the module version) send operational telemetry through go-optel with the app id slicc-cli, sampled once per process (1 in 100 by default):
enter, with the subcommand assource, from a fixed list (abort,attach,browsers,follow,launch,prompt,update,watch,defaultfor no command (no arguments, or only flags),joinfor a bare join URL, otherwiseunknown). No other argument is ever sent.error, for operational failures, from a fixed set of sources (update,signal,link,browser,ssh,cdp). Messages pass through go-optel's sanitizer, which strips URLs and paths.
--version, and any command line with --help, -h or -help (such as slicc update --help), send nothing, and development builds never configure a client.
Environment
| variable | effect |
|---|---|
SLICC_NO_TELEMETRY=1 |
send no telemetry |
SLICC_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 |
no update notice and no background check |
SLICC_UPDATE_API_BASE |
GitHub API base for update and the notice (default https://api.github.com), for mirrors and tests |
SLICC_TELEMETRY_URL |
telemetry collector base (default https://rum.hlx.page/) |
OPTEL_RATE, OPTEL_DEBUG |
go-optel's sampling rate and beacon logging |
SLICC_LAUNCHER |
set to npm by the npm launcher; removed from the environment that slicc passes on |
SLICC_DISCOVERY |
test-only: limits browser discovery, see Development |
The default: slicc
slicc [--browser <id>]... [--cdp <url>]... [--page <url>] [--origin <origin>]... [--profile <name>] [--headless]
[--name <name>] [--kernel-port <n>] [--no-kernel] [--allow <rule>]... [--deny <rule>]... [--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro]]...
[--yes] [--plain] [--json]
[--runner <argv…> [--]] [--shell <argv…> [--]] [--eval <argv…> [--]] [--eval-quiet <dur>] [--sftp | --no-sftp]
slicc with no command (npx sliccy) finds browsers, launches or attaches to the best one, opens seven in it and links it. It serves the link until it is told to stop: q or Ctrl-C in the dashboard, or SIGINT or SIGTERM. Then it says bye to seven, closes the browsers this run launched (as slicc launch does), leaves the browsers it attached to running, and exits 0. If the browser that hosts seven goes away, slicc closes the rest and exits 0 too. Setup failures (no browser, a launch or attach that fails) exit 1, and bad flags exit 2.
Discovery is slicc browsers' discovery and ranking (see Browsers), with each --cdp URL added and the --page origin counted as a seven origin.
Going with a browser. The first browser hosts seven:
- a running endpoint with a seven tab open: slicc attaches to it;
- a running endpoint without one: slicc opens
--pagein a new tab (Target.createTarget) and attaches; - an installed browser: slicc launches it as
slicc launch --url <page>does, in its SLICC profile (--profile, or the one picked withp; default: the browser id), with the seven flags and prefs, and--headless=newwith--headless, then attaches.
Without --browser, the first row of the ranking that can host seven is chosen, an endpoint slicc didn't launch included. When that happens without the picker, slicc says so on stderr, for an endpoint that isn't in a SLICC profile and that no --cdp named: slicc: using Google Chrome (profile default) at http://127.0.0.1:9222, which slicc didn't launch; opened a new seven tab. Use --browser or --cdp to choose another. It says found a seven tab when one was open already. The profile is default for a browser's default user-data dir, the base name of the user-data dir otherwise, and left out (with its parentheses) when unknown. With --json the line comes as the foreign-browser event too. Picking a row in the picker, --browser, or a --cdp for that endpoint means the user chose it, and there is no notice. An Electron app can't host seven. Each further browser is an extra: an installed one is launched without a start page, and an endpoint is used as it is. Then the link is set up as for slicc attach (see Local setup): over CDP with the browser that hosts seven, the first page tab on an allowed origin.
What the link offers: net (tcp, resolve), http, and cdp with the browser that hosts seven (seven: true) and every extra, under the local policy with all of their debugging ports protected; and kernel services on --kernel-port (default 80; --no-kernel turns them off) when seven offers kernel-in (see Kernel services); and ssh only with --runner (see SSH server); and fs with each --mount folder (see Host folders). seven gets full control of every listed browser, the one it runs in too. The cdp list (HELLO browsers) has only the browser that hosts seven and the extras picked with --browser or in the picker; the other browsers discovery found are never offered.
The cdp list follows the browsers: an extra that stops answering is taken off the list (browser-gone), and listed again with the same id when it answers on the same endpoint again (browser-back).
Flags.
--browser <id>: an id fromslicc browsers(an installed id such aschrome, orcdp:<host>:<port>), or a name, case-insensitively. Repeatable: the first hosts seven, the others are extras. Without it, the best match that can host seven.--cdp <url>: also consider this CDP endpoint, asslicc browsers --cdp.--page <url>: the seven page, defaulthttps://seven.sliccy.ai/. It must behttporhttps, and its origin is accepted as a seven origin.--origin,--name,--allow,--deny,--kernel-port,--no-kernel,--mount, and the compute flags--runner,--shell,--eval,--eval-quiet,--sftp,--no-sftp: as forslicc attach. Without--runnerthere is nossh.--profile <name>: the SLICC profile for a launched browser that hosts seven.--headless: launch browsers without a window.--yes,--plain: no picker.--json: NDJSON events, below.- A flag of SLICC six's points back to six and exits 2 (see Coming from SLICC six). Any other flag, or an argument, is an error.
The picker comes up when stdin and stdout are both terminals and none of --yes, --browser, --plain or --json is given. It lists the ranking best first, one row each, with its state: CDP :<port> and seven open for a running endpoint, installed · profile <name> (or new SLICC profile <name> when the profile doesn't exist yet) for a browser slicc would launch, and installed · Electron for an Electron app. The first row is marked best match. A list longer than the terminal scrolls with the cursor.
| key | what it does |
|---|---|
↑ ↓ (k, j) |
move |
| space | select or unselect the row; the first selected hosts seven, and the rest are extra cdp browsers, in the order selected |
| Enter | go: with the selected rows, or with the highlighted row when nothing is selected |
p |
choose the highlighted browser's SLICC profile: its default, an existing profile in the profiles dir, or new profile… with a name (letters, digits, ., _, -) |
| Esc | back, in the profile chooser |
q, Ctrl-C |
quit; in the dashboard, close down as described above |
The dashboard follows: the linked browsers (launched or attached, their CDP port, hosts seven or extra, and gone while one doesn't answer), the seven tab, the link state (waiting for seven, connecting, linked with its uptime, or reconnecting after a link is lost, while slicc waits for seven to offer again), the capabilities offered, the policy summary, compute ssh via <runner> with --runner, the kernel services URL, stream counts per kind (open and total, never contents), the last status lines, and the update notice, which then isn't printed on stderr. NO_COLOR turns colors off.
Plain mode (no terminal, --yes, --browser or --plain): no picker and no dashboard, just the default, with status lines on stderr (slicc: launched …, slicc: attached to …, slicc: offering …; policy: …; compute: ssh via <runner>, slicc: linked with "<name>" in <tab>, slicc: link lost: …, slicc: <name> quit …, slicc: <name> is back …, slicc: closed <ids>). It never writes ANSI escapes or cursor codes. SLICC_DEBUG=1 adds diagnostics.
--json prints NDJSON events on stdout and nothing else there, for Sliccstart (slicc --json --browser <id>). Errors are also printed on stderr. Every event has "schema": 1 and event. Fields marked ? are left out when empty; new fields and events may be added, and existing ones keep their meaning.
discovered:entries, the ranked list in the shape ofslicc browsers --json(always a list).launched:browser(the id),name,version?,role(sevenorextra),pid,profile?,profileDir?,cdp,webSocketDebuggerUrl.attached:browser,name,version?,role,launched?(truewhen this run launched it),cdp,webSocketDebuggerUrl?. Forsevenslicc is connected to it over CDP; anextrais listed forcdp.foreign-browser:browser,name,profile?,cdp,openedTab(truewhen slicc opened the seven tab,falsewhen one was open). It followsattachedwhen the browser hosting seven is an endpoint slicc didn't launch and the user didn't choose it (see above). The same line goes to stderr.linked:peer?(the name in seven's HELLO),tab?(the seven tab's URL),caps,policy(the summary).link-lost:reason?when slicc or seven closed the link (slicc is exiting, seven'sbyereason,replaced by a new offer), ormessage?for a failure. seven sets the link up again after a reload, and a newlinkedfollows.browser-gone,browser-back:browser,name,role. A browser stopped answering and left the cdp list, or answers again and is back on it.closed:browsers, the ids slicc closed (always a list). It is the last event of every run that got past choosing its browsers.error:message, andbrowser?when closing that browser failed. A setup error ends the run with exit 1.
{"schema":1,"event":"discovered","entries":[…]}
{"schema":1,"event":"launched","browser":"chrome","name":"Google Chrome","version":"154.0.8037.98","role":"seven","pid":4242,"profile":"chrome","profileDir":"…/slicc/seven-profiles/chrome","cdp":"http://127.0.0.1:53211","webSocketDebuggerUrl":"ws://127.0.0.1:53211/devtools/browser/…"}
{"schema":1,"event":"attached","browser":"chrome","name":"Google Chrome","version":"154.0.8037.98","role":"seven","launched":true,"cdp":"http://127.0.0.1:53211","webSocketDebuggerUrl":"ws://127.0.0.1:53211/devtools/browser/…"}
{"schema":1,"event":"linked","tab":"https://seven.sliccy.ai/","peer":"seven","caps":["net","http","cdp"],"policy":"every public address, this machine, and the local network"}
{"schema":1,"event":"link-lost","reason":"slicc is exiting"}
{"schema":1,"event":"closed","browsers":["chrome"]}
Browsers
slicc browsers [--json] [--cdp <url>]... [--no-bundle-scan]
Lists running CDP endpoints and installed browsers, best match first. The browser tables (ids, names, bundle ids, install and user-data paths, Electron apps), the ranking tiers, the seven flags and prefs and the process-scan rules come from slicc-browsers' catalog.json, which slicc-cdp's playwright-cli reads too. Its conformance corpus runs in test/integration/corpus_test.go.
Running endpoints come from four places:
DevToolsActivePortfiles in the default user-data dirs of the browsers below, in each SLICC profile under the profiles dir (seeslicc launch), and on Linux in the flatpak (~/.var/app/<id>/config/…) and snap (~/snap/chromium/common/chromium) dirs. The file's port must answer/json/versionwith the websocket path on the file's second line, otherwise the file is stale and ignored. A file without a second line starting with/is ignored too.GET /json/versionon127.0.0.1:9222to9229.- The process list (
ps -ax -o pid= -o command=; on WindowsGet-CimInstance Win32_ProcesswithProcessIdandCommandLine, as JSON): each process started with--remote-debugging-port=<n>or--remote-debugging-port <n>. Pid 0,sliccitself, and commands run by a wrapper (node,npx,tsx,npm,open,bash,zsh,sh,csh,fish,dash,timeout,env,sudo,caffeinate,cmd,powershell,pwsh) are skipped. Port 0 means the port is in theDevToolsActivePortof the process's--user-data-dir(its value runs to the next whitespace followed by--or to the end, so paths with spaces work, and a quoted value runs to the matching quote), checked as above; without one, or with one under aslicc/profilesfolder (six's), the process is skipped. Any other port is asked for/json/versionon127.0.0.1. The exact rules are in slicc-browsers. - Each
--cdpURL:http(s)://host:port,ws(s)://host:port/devtools/browser/<id>,host:portor a bare port. One that doesn't answer is reported on stderr and left out; the exit status stays 0.
Endpoints are merged by host and port. A DevToolsActivePort file wins over --cdp, which wins over the process list, which wins over the port probe. For each endpoint, /json/version gives the name, version and webSocketDebuggerUrl, and /json/list gives the seven tabs: page targets whose origin is https://<label>.sliccy.ai, other than www (:443 is the same origin, any other port isn't). An endpoint's cdp has its host in lower case, with localhost and ::1 written as 127.0.0.1. A DevToolsActivePort whose port is open but serves no /json/version (Chrome's opt-in remote debugging of a running browser) is listed as wsOnly, with the websocket URL from the file and no tab check.
Discovery only reads. Every source, the port probe included, sends each endpoint GET /json/version and GET /json/list and nothing else: no WebSocket, no navigation, no new tab. Its HTTP client never follows a redirect (a 3xx counts as no answer) and never uses a proxy from the environment. The same client does every other read of a CDP endpoint: /json/version and the WebSocket handshake when slicc and attach connect, and the cdp capability's /json/version and WebSocket for each stream. A DevToolsActivePort or ws:// --cdp URL whose port serves no /json/version gets a TCP connect, closed at once, to tell wsOnly from stale. The targets in /json/list that aren't seven tabs are dropped as soon as the list is parsed: their URLs, titles and ids are never logged (SLICC_DEBUG=1 included), cached, written to disk, printed (--json, the picker, plain mode), sent over the link, or put in telemetry or error messages. Only the seven tabs' id, url and title are kept. Attaching to a browser, and anything else that talks to it over CDP, happens only once a browser has been chosen to host seven (see The default).
Installed browsers, by id: chrome, edge, brave, opera, vivaldi, arc, atlas, dia, chrome-beta, chrome-dev, chrome-canary, brave-beta, brave-nightly, edge-beta, edge-dev, edge-canary, vivaldi-snapshot, chrome-for-testing, chromium. Electron apps get electron:<slug of the name>, such as electron:slack. When a browser is found twice, the first find keeps the id.
- macOS:
/Applicationsand~/Applications, plusmdfindby bundle id. Name, version and executable come from each bundle'sInfo.plist. An app is an Electron app when it hasContents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.frameworkorMSWebView2.framework.~/Applications/<Name> Debug.app(a Sliccstart debug build) replaces/Applications/<Name>.app. Claude and 1Password block remote debugging and are listed withdebugSupport: "disabled". With--no-bundle-scan, nothing inside an app bundle is read except for debug builds, which avoids macOS App Management prompts: browsers are matched by bundle id or app name, Electron apps by a list of known bundle ids, and versions come from Spotlight (mdls). Those Electron apps havedebugSupport: "unknown". - Windows:
StartMenuInternetandApp Pathsin the registry (current user, then machine), then the known paths under%ProgramFiles%,%ProgramFiles(x86)%and%LOCALAPPDATA%. The version is the highest version-named directory next to the executable. Electron apps are directories under%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs,%ProgramFiles%and%ProgramFiles(x86)%withresources\app.asar(orresources\app) and Chromium's.pak/.binfiles, and Squirrel installs (%LOCALAPPDATA%\<app>\Update.exewithapp-<version>dirs). - Linux: snaps (
/snap/bin/<name>), names onPATH(such asgoogle-chrome-stable,chromium,microsoft-edge-stable,brave-browser), flatpaks (~/.local/share/flatpak/app/<id>,/var/lib/flatpak/app/<id>) and.desktopfiles in the XDG, flatpak and snap application dirs. Versions come from/var/lib/dpkg/status, a snap'smeta/snap.yaml, or else<browser> --version. A.desktopprogram whose directory hasresources/app.asar(orresources/app) and Chromium's data files is an Electron app.
Ranking. Tiers, in order: 1 an endpoint with seven open, 2 any other running endpoint, 3 Chrome stable, 4 other Chromium browsers, 5 Electron apps. Endpoints sort by host, then port. Browsers sort in the id order above, Electron apps by name, then path. Versions below MinChromiumMajor (116) are left out: for endpoints by the Chrome/<major> in the user agent, and for installed Chrome, Edge and Chromium by their version, which is the Chromium version. Other browsers' versions are not Chromium versions and are not filtered.
--json prints one document. Fields marked ? are left out when empty; new fields may be added, existing ones keep their meaning. playwright-cli list --json prints the same shape. This section is its spec; slicc-browsers' schema/browsers.schema.json is a JSON Schema copy of it.
{
"schema": 1,
"minChromium": 116,
"entries": [
{
"id": "cdp:127.0.0.1:9222",
"kind": "endpoint",
"tier": 1,
"name": "Google Chrome",
"version": "154.0.8037.98",
"endpoint": {
"cdp": "http://127.0.0.1:9222",
"webSocketDebuggerUrl": "ws://127.0.0.1:9222/devtools/browser/…",
"name": "Google Chrome",
"version": "154.0.8037.98",
"product": "Chrome/154.0.8037.98",
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 …",
"source": "devtools-active-port",
"browser": "chrome",
"userDataDir": "/Users/me/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome",
"sevenOpen": true,
"sevenTabs": [{ "id": "…", "url": "https://lars.sliccy.ai/", "title": "seven" }]
}
},
{
"id": "chrome",
"kind": "installed",
"tier": 3,
"name": "Google Chrome",
"version": "154.0.8037.98",
"installed": {
"id": "chrome",
"name": "Google Chrome",
"engine": "chromium",
"channel": "stable",
"version": "154.0.8037.98",
"path": "/Applications/Google Chrome.app",
"executable": "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome",
"bundleId": "com.google.Chrome",
"userDataDir": "/Users/me/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome",
"debugSupport": "supported"
}
}
]
}
- Entry:
id(an installed id, orcdp:<host>:<port>),kind(endpointorinstalled),tier(1–5),name,version?, and eitherendpointorinstalled. endpoint:cdp(the HTTP base URL),webSocketDebuggerUrl,name,version?,product?anduserAgent?(from/json/version),source(devtools-active-port,flag,processorprobe),browser?(the installed id whose user-data dir held the file),userDataDir?(the dir that held the file, or a process's--user-data-dir),profile?(the SLICC profile name),wsOnly?,sevenOpen,sevenTabs(always a list).installed:id,name,engine(chromiumorelectron),channel?,version?,path(the.app, executable or flatpak dir),executable(for a flatpak, theflatpakbinary),bundleId?,via?(snaporflatpak),package?(the snap or flatpak id),userDataDir?(the browser's default),debugSupport(supported,disabledorunknown),debugBuild?.
Without --json, the same list is a table: id, name, version, state and where.
slicc launch [--browser <id>] [--profile <name>] [--url <url>] [--headless] [--no-seven-flags] [--json]
Launches a browser with CDP and keeps running until interrupted (Ctrl-C, SIGINT or SIGTERM; on Windows Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break). Then it closes the browser it started and exits 0. If the browser exits by itself, slicc launch exits 0 too.
--browsertakes an installed id fromslicc browsers(or its name, case-insensitively). The default is the best installed Chromium browser in the ranking above.- Chromium browsers always get a separate SLICC profile,
<config dir>/slicc/seven-profiles/<name>, because Chrome 136 and later ignore CDP flags on the default profile. The config dir is~/Library/Application Supporton macOS,%APPDATA%on Windows and$XDG_CONFIG_HOME(or~/.config) on Linux. A snap's profiles live in~/snap/<snap>/common/slicc/seven-profiles, the only place it can write. The profiles dir is shared with slicc-cdp'splaywright-cli, whoseopenlaunches into the same<name>dirs. Both tools reuse a browser that is still running there, through itsDevToolsActivePort.--profileis the name (letters, digits,.,_,-; default: the browser id). A profile another browser process still holds is refused. - Older profiles. Earlier versions kept profiles in
<config dir>/slicc/profiles. On macOS's default case-insensitive volume, that is the same folder as SLICC six's~/Library/Application Support/Slicc/profiles.slicc,slicc browsersandslicc launchmove them once, and do the same for each snap'sslicc/profiles.- Each profile dir is renamed into
seven-profiles, which is created when missing.playwright-climay already have created it. - Once every profile has been looked at, the move writes
seven-profiles/.migrated-from-profilesand never runs again. A run that is cut short picks up where it stopped next time. - A name that already exists in
seven-profilesstays in the old folder, with the noticeslicc: profile <name> stays in <old>, since <new>/<name> already exists. - Left alone: six's profiles (
browser-coding-agent-chromeandbrowser-coding-agent-chrome-<port>), dotfiles (six's.profile-migration-complete), and anything that isn't a valid profile name. - A profile whose
SingletonLockpoints at a live process stays where it is, with a one-line notice on stderr:slicc: profile <name> is in use by process <pid>, so it stays in <old>; quit that browser, then move it to <new>. slicc/profilesis never scanned or launched into afterwards.
- Each profile dir is renamed into
- Before the launch, a stale
DevToolsActivePort, Chrome'sSingleton*files and the session-restore snapshot are removed, and the last exit is marked clean, so only the start page opens. - Before each launch, the seven prefs are merged into the profile's
Default/Preferences, which is created if missing:tab_freezing_enabled: false,performance_tuning.tab_freezing.enabled: false, Memory Saver off (performance_tuning.high_efficiency_mode.state: 0), and[*.]sliccy.aiplus each extra allowed origin's host as tab-discard exceptions. The exceptions go into the listperformance_tuning.tab_discarding.exceptions(six's form) and into the mapperformance_tuning.tab_discarding.exceptions_with_time, which Chrome 154 reads and shows under "Always keep these sites active". Existing keys, exceptions and timestamps are kept, and a file that already has everything isn't rewritten. A Preferences file that isn't a JSON object is left alone.--no-seven-flagsskips these prefs too. - Chromium flags:
--remote-debugging-port=0 --user-data-dir=<profile> --no-first-run --no-default-browser-check, the seven flags below,--headless=newwith--headless, then--url. - The seven flags keep a seven tab's kernel running while the tab is in the background:
--disable-background-timer-throttling,--disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows,--disable-renderer-backgrounding,--disable-background-tracing, and--disable-features=LocalNetworkAccessChecks,LocalNetworkAccessChecksWebSockets,IntensiveWakeUpThrottling,HighEfficiencyModeAvailable,InfiniteTabsFreezing,InfiniteTabsFreezingOnMemoryPressure,CPUMeasurementInFreezingPolicy,MemoryMeasurementInFreezingPolicy,AllowDevtoolsConnectedDiscard. Chromium ignores feature names it doesn't know.--no-seven-flags(LaunchOptions.NoSevenFlags) leaves them all out, along with the seven prefs above. Chromium keeps only one--disable-featuresvalue, so every--disable-featuresfrom the seven flags and fromLaunchOptions.ExtraArgsis merged into one switch, in order and without duplicates. The CDP port is read from the profile'sDevToolsActivePortonce/json/versionanswers with the same websocket path (30 s limit). On macOS a browser with a window starts throughopen -n -W -a <app> --args …, so camera and microphone permissions belong to the browser, not the terminal;--headlessruns the executable directly. A flatpak starts withflatpak run --filesystem=<profile> <id>. - Electron apps keep their own data and get
--remote-debugging-port=<port>, the first free port from 9333 up, so they never take 9222–9229. An app that is already running is refused, since a second instance would hand off to it; quit it first. Apps withdebugSupport: "disabled"are refused. - Shutdown:
Browser.closeover CDP; if the browser is still running 5 s later, a signal (SIGTERMto the browser's process group and main process;taskkill /Ton Windows), then after 3 s a kill (SIGKILL;taskkill /F /T). The browser runs in its own process group (CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUPon Windows), so a terminal Ctrl-C reaches onlyslicc.
Plain output: the CDP HTTP URL on stdout, status lines on stderr. With --json, NDJSON events on stdout:
{"event":"launched","id","name","version","engine","pid","profile","profileDir","cdp","webSocketDebuggerUrl"}(version,profileandprofileDirare left out when empty);{"event":"closed"}afterslicc launchclosed the browser;{"event":"exited"}when the browser exited by itself;{"event":"error","message"}, then exit 1.
Local setup: slicc attach
slicc attach --cdp <url> [--cdp-extra <url>]... [--origin <origin>]... [--signal cdp|stdio] [--name <name>] [--allow <rule>]... [--deny <rule>]...
[--runner <argv…> [--]] [--shell <argv…> [--]] [--eval <argv…> [--]] [--eval-quiet <dur>] [--sftp | --no-sftp] [--kernel-port <n>] [--no-kernel]
[--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro]]...
attach links a seven that is open in a running CDP browser and serves the link until it is interrupted (SIGINT, SIGTERM), or until stdin closes with --signal stdio. Status lines go to stderr, and SLICC_DEBUG=1 adds diagnostics, pion's included. pion never writes to stderr itself.
Flags.
--cdp: the browser's endpoint.http://host:portis looked up throughGET /json/version, andws://…is used as is. slicc talks to the browser WebSocket only and attaches to the tab withTarget.attachToTarget { flatten: true }. It names one browser; a second--cdpis an error. This browser is also listed for thecdpcapability, withseven: true.--cdp-extra: another browser seven may drive over the link (repeatable), in any formslicc browsers --cdptakes. Each must answer whenattachstarts.--origin: also accept seven on this origin (scheme://host[:port]), repeatable.https://<label>.sliccy.aiis always accepted, exceptwww.--signal:cdp(default) orstdio.--name: the link'snameandhostin HELLO. The default name isslicc on <host>, with this machine's short host name, lower-cased.--allow,--deny: policy rules on top of the local default (see Network policy). The--cdpand--cdp-extraports and endpoint addresses are denied.--runner <argv…>: offer compute over SSH (capssh, see SSH server). Each command runs as<argv…> <command>. The argv is every word after--runnerup to a lone--or the end of the command line, so--runner bash -cor--runner docker exec -i box sh -c -- --name box. An argv can't contain a lone--itself.--runner=…is refused. Without--runnerthe link has nosshcapability, and the flags below are refused.--shell <argv…>: the interactive form forsshwithout a command, in the same argv syntax. The default is derived from the runner.--eval <argv…>and--eval-quiet <duration>: the REPL behind theslicc-evalsubsystem (for example--eval python3 -i), and the silence that ends one response (default500ms).--sftp,--no-sftp: serve thesftpsubsystem or not. The default is on only for a plain local shell as the runner.--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro]: share this folder with seven's kernel (capfs, repeatable); see Host folders.--kernel-port: the local port for kernel services (1–65535, default80).--no-kernel: no kernel services; nothing listens.
Setup over CDP.
- slicc picks the first page tab whose URL has an allowed origin. Until there is one it says
waiting for a seven taband watches for new tabs. - It attaches, grants the tab's origin
local-network-access,local-networkandloopback-networkwithBrowser.setPermission(best effort), callsRuntime.addBinding { name: "sliccLinkSend" }, thenRuntime.enable. - For each new default execution context of the main frame whose origin is allowed, slicc mints a nonce (16 random bytes, base64url). It then calls
globalThis.sliccLinkReceive({ "t": "hello", "v": 1, "nonce", "node" })in that context.nodeis a random id persliccprocess (16 random bytes, base64url), the same in every hello and HELLO of that process, so seven can tell a secondsliccon the same browser (aslicc prompt --cdp …next to the bridge) from a restart of the same one. The call is retried every 100 ms to 1 s untilsliccLinkReceiveis a function. - seven answers through
sliccLinkSend(JSON.stringify(message)):{ "t": "offer", "nonce", "sdp" };{ "t": "candidate", "nonce", "candidate" }, wherecandidateisRTCIceCandidate.toJSON(), ornullat the end of gathering;{ "t": "bye", "nonce", "reason" }.
- slicc sends
answer, its owncandidates and, when it exits,byein the same shapes throughglobalThis.sliccLinkReceive?.(message), in the same context.
What setup logs. Status lines and SLICC_DEBUG=1 diagnostics name only allowed origins. A context on another origin (an iframe, an extension) is logged as ignored a context on another origin, and a seven tab that navigates to another origin as the seven tab left seven, without the new origin.
Rules for incoming setup messages.
- A binding call counts only when it comes from that main-frame context and carries its nonce. Calls from iframes, workers, other contexts and other origins, and stale nonces, are ignored.
- Each offer starts a new link and replaces the current one.
- A navigation or reload ends the link, and the next allowed context starts the setup again with a new nonce.
- A closed tab ends the link, and slicc waits for another seven tab.
Setup over stdio (--signal stdio), for a test harness that owns CDP itself:
- The same messages go as NDJSON: slicc writes
hello,answer,candidateandbyelines to stdout, and readsoffer,candidateandbyelines from stdin. Messages with another nonce are ignored. - The harness writes
{"t":"hello"}to stdin to get a freshhellowith a new nonce, for example after it reloaded the page. --cdpis optional here. When given, it names the debugging port to deny and theseven: truebrowser forcdp.
ICE.
- No STUN or TURN, so only host candidates are used, loopback included.
- Chrome's
<uuid>.localcandidates are resolved with mDNS in query-only mode. - The link is declared failed after 15 s without connectivity.
Link
One WebRTC peer connection. seven offers and the node answers. The node:
- Control channel: expects
slicc.link.v1from the page. It sends its HELLO as the first (text) message, and closes the link when the peer's first message isn't a valid HELLO withrole: "page"andv≥ 1, when no HELLO arrives within 10 s, or on any text message after HELLO. - Streams: accepts streams on their own
slicc.link.v1.streamchannel or on the control channel. A stream lives on the channel its OPEN came on, and frames for that id on other channels are ignored. - Its own streams: opens them on a channel of their own, or on the control channel once it has 256 stream channels open. It closes a stream's channel once both sides sent END, or after a RESET. A stream whose channel closes early is reset locally with
ECONNRESET. - Reading: reads every channel all the time and buffers up to the window. Stream frames that arrive before the peer's HELLO are held until it arrives. The SCTP receive buffer is 4 MiB.
- Frames:
type u8 | stream id u32 BE | payload. OPEN, OPENED, DATA, END, RESET (ERRNOorERRNO: message) and CREDIT (u32bytes consumed). DATA carries at most 65 536 bytes. - Credit: at most 256 KiB of uncredited DATA per stream and direction. The node credits bytes once it has written them on, for
tcponce the socket write returned. - Resets the stream with
EPROTO: DATA or END before OPENED or after the peer's END, empty DATA, DATA past the window, CREDIT of 0 or past what was sent, an unexpected OPENED, or an OPEN without a JSONkind. - Resets with
EOPNOTSUPP: an OPEN for a kind it doesn't serve. - Closes the link: an unknown frame type, a short or malformed frame (END with a payload, CREDIT that isn't 4 bytes), stream id 0, a reused id, an id with the wrong parity (page streams are odd, node streams even), or a second OPEN on a stream channel.
HELLO from attach: { "v": 1, "role": "node", "name", "host", "version", "mode": "local", "node", "caps": ["net", "http", "cdp"], "routes": { "prefixes": [], "exit": true }, "policy": { "allow", "deny", "summary" }, "browsers": [ … ] }. cdp and browsers are there when at least one browser is listed (see cdp). With --runner, caps adds "ssh" and HELLO adds "sshHostKey": "ssh-ed25519 AAAA…", the host key in authorized_keys form, so the page can write <host>.slicc.internal <key> into the kernel's known_hosts. With --mount, caps adds "fs" and HELLO adds "mounts" (see Host folders).
ssh (cap ssh), page → node, with --runner only:
- OPEN
{ "kind": "ssh" }, OPENED{}at once. The stream's bytes are one SSH connection to the node's SSH server. - The node ends the stream with END when the SSH connection ends. If the page hasn't sent END 10 s later, the node resets it with
ECONNRESET. - Without
--runnerthe OPEN is reset withEOPNOTSUPP.
tcp (cap net), page → node:
- OPEN
{ "kind": "tcp", "host", "port" }.hostis an IP literal or a name for the system resolver. The dial goes through the policy and gives up after 30 s. - OPENED
{ "localAddr", "remoteAddr" }. - END half-closes the socket (
CloseWrite), and the socket's EOF becomes END. - RESET codes:
ECONNREFUSED,ENETUNREACH,EHOSTUNREACH,ETIMEDOUT,ECONNRESET(also for a socket error mid-stream),EACCESfor a policy refusal,ENOTFOUNDfor a name that doesn't resolve, andEPROTOfor an OPEN without a host or with a port outside 1–65535.
resolve (cap net), page → node, usually on the control channel:
- OPEN
{ "kind": "resolve", "name", "family" }, wherefamilyis4,6or0(or missing) for both. - OPENED
{ "addresses": [...], "ttl": 30 }, then END from the node. The page sends END too. - A name goes to the system resolver. An IP literal (
[::1]too) is answered as itself, and::ffff:a.b.c.dasa.b.c.d. Addresses are deduplicated, and those of the other family are left out. - Addresses the policy refuses on every port are dropped (see Network policy).
addresses: []means "not mine": the name doesn't exist (NXDOMAIN, or any other failure but a timeout), has no address of that family, or every address was dropped.- RESET codes:
ETIMEDOUTwhen the lookup times out (30 s at most), andEPROTOfor an OPEN without a name or with anotherfamily.
http (cap http), page → node. slicc-node's raw fetch (its README, Request and Response) carried on a stream:
- OPEN
{ "kind": "http" }, answered OPENED{}at once. - The page sends a
u32BE length, that many bytes of UTF-8 JSON{ "url", "method", "headers": [[name, value], …] }(at most 1 MiB), then the request body, then END. - The node sends a
u32BE length, the JSON{ "status", "statusText", "headers": [[name, value], …], "url" }, then the body, then END.urlis the request's. - Request head:
urlmust behttp:orhttps:without credentials, andmethodan HTTP token other thanCONNECT,TRACEandTRACK.DELETE,GET,HEAD,OPTIONS,POSTandPUTare upper-cased in any case. Header names must be tokens, and values Latin-1 without control characters other than tab once leading and trailing whitespace is trimmed; each character is sent as one byte. - Request headers: dropped are the hop-by-hop headers (
Connection, the fieldsConnectionnames,Keep-Alive,Proxy-Connection,TE,Trailer,Transfer-Encoding,Upgrade), the ones the node owns (Host,Content-Length,Accept-Encoding,Expect), andProxy-Authorization. Repeated names are joined with,, exceptCookie, which joins with;. The node addsAccept-Encoding: gzip, deflate, br, or nothing when the request hasRangeorIf-Range, so ranged bodies stay unencoded. It adds noUser-Agent. - Request body: streamed under the window, with no size cap, and not sent for
GETandHEAD(it is read and dropped). A body that ends within its first 1 MiB goes with its exactContent-Length. A longer one goes with the head'sContent-Lengthwhen that is one valid number, otherwise chunked (HTTP/1.1) or as an unsized HTTP/2 body. - Upstream: a client that never follows redirects and never uses a proxy from the environment. It dials through the policy (connect timeout 30 s), verifies TLS with the system roots, and speaks HTTP/1.1 or HTTP/2. A body has no overall timeout.
- Response headers: in name order, lower-cased, repeated names joined with
,, then eachSet-Cookieas its own entry. Hop-by-hop headers and the fieldsConnectionnames are dropped. Values are read as Latin-1, one character per byte. - Decoding:
gzip,x-gzip,deflate(zlib or raw) andbr, stacked in any order and undone from the last listed, withidentityignored. When every listed coding was undone,Content-EncodingandContent-Lengthare dropped; a list with any other coding is passed on as it came, with both headers.Content-Encoding: identityalone is dropped too. A response without a body (HEAD,1xx,204,205,304) keeps both headers and has no bytes after the head. - RESET before the response head:
EPROTOfor a malformed head or one of the refusals above, and for a206with a coding the node would decode, since itsContent-Rangewouldn't match. A failed fetch is<code>: fetch failed: <reason>, withtcp's codes:EACCESfor a policy refusal,ENOTFOUNDfor a name that doesn't resolve,ETIMEDOUT,ECONNRESET, andECONNREFUSEDfor anything else, TLS failures included. - After the head: an upstream error or a broken coding mid-body is
RESET ECONNRESET.
kernel (page cap kernel-in), node → page:
- OPEN
{ "kind": "kernel", "port" }, sent only to a page whose HELLO listskernel-in. The page dials that kernel port and answers OPENED or RESET (ECONNREFUSEDwhen nothing listens). See Kernel services. - Then raw bytes both ways: the node's first DATA is everything it has read from the browser's connection so far, request head included. END half-closes, as for
tcp.
cdp (browser control)
Warning: a seven with the
cdpcapability has full control of every listed browser: its tabs, cookies, stored passwords and logged-in sessions, files it can download, and anything a page in it can reach. That includes the browser seven runs in (seven: true), whether slicc launched it or not: withsliccorslicc attachon your everyday browser, seven can drive all of that browser, without a further prompt. List only browsers you would let that seven use as you. Forfollowthat is a seven on another machine.
Only browsers the user named are listed: the one seven runs in, --cdp and --cdp-extra for attach, the extras picked with --browser or in the picker for slicc, and --cdp for follow. A browser discovery found but nobody picked is not.
HELLO lists the browsers: "browsers": [{ "id": "chrome", "name": "Chrome (headless)", "version": "154.0.8037.98", "seven": true }]. Every entry has all four fields.
idis the browser kind, then-2,-3… for a second or third of the same kind. The kind comes from/json/version:electronfor an Electron user agent, else by productchrome(alsoHeadlessChrome, and browsers such as Brave that reportChrome),edge(Edg),opera(OPR), else the product lower-cased, elsechromium.- An id keeps its meaning for the life of the node. A removed id is never given to another browser, and the same endpoint (CDP host and port) added again gets its old id back.
nameandversioncome from the endpoint's/json/version, as inslicc browsers.seven: truemarks the browser that hosts this seven tab (attach --cdp).
OPEN { "kind": "cdp", "browser": "<id>" }, page → node. For each stream the node reads the browser's /json/version again and opens a fresh WebSocket to its webSocketDebuggerUrl, so each stream is its own CDP client with its own sessions. A wsOnly browser is dialled at its websocket URL directly. Dial and handshake together get 10 s.
- OPENED:
{ "product", "protocolVersion" }, theBrowserandProtocol-Versionfields of/json/version(fromBrowser.getVersionfor awsOnlybrowser). - RESET:
ENOENTfor an id that isn't listed,ECONNREFUSEDwhen the browser doesn't answer,EPROTOfor an OPEN withoutbrowser.
Bytes, both directions: a sequence of messages, each a u32 BE length plus one UTF-8 CDP JSON message of at most 64 MiB (67 108 864 bytes). The node sends each page message as one WebSocket text message, and each text message from the browser as one stream message. A length over 64 MiB from the page, or a browser message over 64 MiB, is RESET EMSGSIZE, and a page END in the middle of a message is RESET EPROTO. Browser messages that start with {"method":"Network.webSocketFrameReceived" or {"method":"Network.webSocketFrameSent" are dropped: seven runs inside a browser it may debug, so those events would carry the CDP traffic itself and grow without bound (parity with slicc-node's /cdp).
Closing.
- The browser closes the socket with a normal close (1000): the node sends END, then discards whatever the page still sends until its END.
- The browser socket fails or closes any other way:
RESET ECONNRESET. - END from the page: the node closes the socket with a normal close, then sends END.
- RESET from the page, or the link going down: the socket is closed at once.
List changes. The node checks every listed browser's debugging port every 2 s. One that fails twice in a row is removed: its open streams get RESET ECONNRESET: browser quit, and a later OPEN for it gets ENOENT. Once its port answers again it is listed again under the same id. A browser removed through the API (Registry.Remove, for the TUI) has its streams reset with ECONNRESET: browser removed.
browsers updates (page cap browsers), node → page. When the list changes while a link is up and the page's HELLO has browsers in caps, the node opens OPEN { "kind": "browsers", "browsers": [ … ] } on the control channel with the full current list in HELLO's shape. It replaces the previous list; there are no deltas. The page answers OPENED {} and END, and the node sends END. Updates are sent one at a time per link, a change that comes while one is in flight is sent after it, with the list as it is then, and an update the page doesn't finish within 10 s is reset with ETIMEDOUT. A change between the HELLO and the link coming up is sent as an update right away.
test/integration/testdata/link/link.js is a page-side implementation of the link (framing, credit, both channel layouts, the violation rules, and resolve and raw-fetch helpers) that the integration tests run in Chrome against slicc attach. cdp.js next to it is a CDP client over cdp streams, fs.js an op-shaped client for fs streams (call, list, read, write, watch), and page.js answers browsers and mounts updates. page.js keeps one link per node id from the hello. For tray links (no hello node) it replaces an older link with the same fingerprint only when HELLO's node matches, as seven does. agent.js is a fake agent behind the page's agent cap: the tests queue scripted runs, emit transcript events, hold and release a run, reset watch streams, and turn the cap off. Loaded with ?kernel, the test page lists kernel-in and answers kernel OPENs with kernel.js, a small HTTP and WebSocket echo server in the page.
Kernel services
seven's kernel runs servers (vite, python -m http.server), and kernel port N is http://N.kernel.localhost/. seven's service worker carries subresources itself, but not top-level navigations or WebSockets. *.kernel.localhost resolves to loopback, so attach runs a listener that carries those connections into the page as kernel streams.
Listener.
- It binds
127.0.0.1:<kernel port>(default80, which macOS lets any user bind) when the first page whose HELLO listskernel-inlinks up, and keeps it untilattachexits. With--kernel-port 8080the URLs carry the port:http://5173.kernel.localhost:8080/.--no-kernelturns it off, and remote nodes never listen. - If the port can't be bound (something else uses it, or Linux refuses an unprivileged bind on
80),attachprintskernel services are off: cannot listen on 127.0.0.1:<port> (<reason>); try --kernel-portand runs on without it. It tries once. - The kernel port is denied in the network policy from startup, like the browser's debugging port, unless
--no-kernelis given.
Each connection.
- The node reads the first request head, at most 64 KiB and within 30 s. A connection that sends no complete head in time is closed without an answer.
- The request line must be
<method token> <target> HTTP/1.0orHTTP/1.1, and the head must hold exactly oneHost. - The
Hostmust be<1–65535>.kernel.localhost, in any case, with no port or the listener's own port, no leading zeros and no trailing dot. - Port
9222(seven's CDP facade) is refused here, before anything is sent to the page. - The node opens a
kernelstream to the page that linked most recently and is still linked. When that page goes, the one linked before it takes new connections. Open connections stay where they are. - It sends what it has read, then pipes bytes both ways with half-close, without parsing anything else. Keep-alive, chunked bodies and WebSocket upgrades pass through as they are, and a connection belongs to the host of its first request.
Errors are plain text (Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8) with X-Proxy-Error: 1, Cache-Control: no-store and Connection: close:
| case | answer |
|---|---|
Host not <port>.kernel.localhost |
421 only <port>.kernel.localhost is served here |
malformed request line, or not exactly one Host |
400 malformed request head |
| head over 64 KiB | 431 request head too large |
port 9222 |
502 kernel port 9222: EACCES |
no page with kernel-in linked, or the link closes before OPENED |
502 no seven page connected |
the page answers RESET ECONNREFUSED |
502 nothing listening on kernel port N |
the page answers another RESET |
502 kernel port N: <reason> (printable ASCII, at most 200 characters) |
no OPENED within 10 s |
504 kernel port N did not answer |
The browser's connection waits unread for OPENED.
Security. The Host check defends against DNS rebinding. Kernel services are reachable like any dev server on localhost: by any local process, and by any web page Chrome lets reach loopback. Use --no-kernel to keep them inside the page.
Host folders
--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro] shares a folder of this machine with seven's kernel, which mounts it with its hostfs driver. It is repeatable and works on slicc, slicc attach and slicc <join-url> follow. This is slicc-node's hostfs (its README, Host folders), with the same operations and the same rules, carried on fs link streams instead of HTTP. There are no tokens: the link is the trust boundary, as for ssh, and seven decides which kernel mounts it creates. With follow, the folders go to the seven on the other machine.
Export.
- A trailing
:romakes the folder read-only. After that, the text after the last:is the name if it isn't empty and has no/or\, soC:\workis a path andC:\work:projis namedproj. The default name is the folder's own. - SLICC six's form,
<os-path>:<vfs-path>, is refused with exit 2 before anything starts:--mount <spec> is SLICC six's form, <os-path>:<vfs-path>. This is the new SLICC (seven): use --mount <path>[:<name>][:ro], such as --mount <path>:<name>, then mount the folder in seven., with the last component of the VFS path as the name. A spec counts as six's when, without:ro, it has no name and the text after its last:starts with/, unless the text before it is a drive letter (C:/work) or the whole spec is an existing folder. - The folder is resolved with
realpathat start. A missing path or a file is skipped with--mount <spec>: not an existing folder, skipping, a name of.or..withinvalid name, skipping, and a second folder under a name already used withthe name <name> is taken, skipping. - Names never reveal host paths, and neither does anything else on the link.
- Without a folder, the node doesn't advertise
fs, and anfsOPEN getsEOPNOTSUPP.
HELLO. caps lists fs, and "mounts" lists the folders:
"mounts": [{ "name": "project", "readonly": false,
"capabilities": { "maxIo": 16777216, "symlinks": true, "chmod": true,
"caseInsensitive": true, "normalization": "nfd-insensitive", "ranges": true } }]
capabilitiesis slicc-node's grant answer, so seven hands it to the driver unchanged.symlinksandchmodarefalseon Windows andtrueelsewhere.caseInsensitiveis probed per folder on its own volume. The last component of the folder's path that has letters is looked up again with its case swapped, and the probe istruewhen that finds the same file. When no component has letters, it istrueon macOS and Windows.normalizationisnfd-insensitiveon macOS andnoneelsewhere.ranges: truesayssetattrtakessize, so the kernel reads and writes in pages.
Streams. Each operation is one stream, OPEN { "kind": "fs", "mount", "readonly"?, "op", …arguments }. An OPEN is one frame, so at most 64 KiB.
- The node answers OPENED (followed by DATA for
listandread), then END. The page sends END once it has OPENED. - An error is
RESET <ERRNO>: <message>, before OPENED or, forlist,read,writeandwatch, after it. readonly: trueon an OPEN makes that callEROFSif it writes, opens for writing or changes the namespace, even on a writable folder. A:rofolder is that way for every call.readandlistmay go on the control channel or on their own stream channel. Pages should give reads over 64 KiB their own channel.writeandwatchbelong on their own channel.
Paths are relative to the folder, /-separated, with "" (or a missing or null path) for the root. Empty and . components are ignored.
..and a leading/areEACCES, and NUL isEINVAL. On Windows\and:areEINVALtoo, which also rules out alternate data streams and drive letters.- Every operation resolves the parent directory with
realpath, and refuses it withEACCESwhen it lies outside the folder. - The last component gets lstat semantics. The kernel follows symlinks itself, so
statreports a symlink as one,liston a symlink isENOTDIR, andopenon a symlink isELOOP. - Operations that change the namespace run one at a time, and no other operation runs alongside them. The lock covers every link and every folder of the node, so no page can swap a directory for a symlink between the check and the use.
Operations, with slicc-node's arguments and answers:
| op | arguments | answer |
|---|---|---|
stat |
path |
OPENED attr |
list |
path |
OPENED {}, then NDJSON lines {"name","attr"} as DATA; an entry that vanishes meanwhile is left out |
mkdir |
path |
{}; not recursive, mode 0777 minus the umask |
rmdir |
path |
{} |
unlink |
path |
{}; EISDIR for a directory |
rename |
from, to |
{}, rename(2); it replaces a file or an empty directory, a directory onto a non-empty one is ENOTEMPTY, a directory onto a file ENOTDIR, a file onto a directory EISDIR |
symlink |
target, path |
{}; target is stored as given; EPERM on Windows |
readlink |
path |
{ "target" }; EINVAL for anything but a symlink |
setattr |
path, size?, mode?, mtime? (ms) |
{}; size truncates or extends with zeros, like truncate(2), then mode and mtime apply. size on a directory is EISDIR, size or mode on a symlink is EINVAL, and mtime doesn't follow a symlink |
statfs |
{ "bsize", "blocks", "bfree", "bavail" } of the folder's volume |
|
open |
path, write?, create?, truncate?, exclusive?, mode? |
{ "fh", "attr" } |
read |
fh, offset, size (≤ maxIo), ifMatch? |
OPENED { "etag", "size", "offset", "length" }, then length bytes as DATA |
write |
fh, offset |
OPENED {}; the page sends the bytes, then END, and the node ENDs once they are written |
release |
fh |
{ "attr" } for a write handle, {} otherwise |
watch |
mounts (no mount) |
OPENED {}, then NDJSON lines as DATA |
attris{ "kind": "file"|"directory"|"symlink", "size", "mtime" (ms, fractional), "mode" (permission bits), "ino", "etag" }.etagis"<size>-<mtimeNs>-<ino>", quotes included, soattr.etagandifMatchcompare as plain strings.- The folder's root can't be removed or renamed, or replaced by a rename (
EBUSY). - Arguments:
write,create,truncate,exclusiveandreadonlycount when they are truthy, as in JavaScript.- Offsets and sizes are integers from 0 to 2^53−1,
modean integer up to0o7777, andmtimea number.fhis a positive integer, and any otherfhisEBADF. - A
path,from,toortargetthat isn't a string isEINVAL, and so is any other argument of the wrong type,nullincluded. - An unknown
op, or noop, isEINVAL. Amountthat isn't exported isENOENTwithno such folder.
Handles. open without write, create, truncate or exclusive gives a name handle, which holds nothing open between calls. Any of those flags gives a write handle, which keeps the file open (read and write) until release.
create,exclusive(withcreate),truncateandmode(default0666minus the umask) apply atopen, and their errors come back there. A directory isEISDIR(EEXISTwithcreateandexclusive), anything but a regular fileEINVAL.- Handles are numbered per link from 1. A link holds at most 4096 per folder, and the next
openisEMFILE. - An
fhsent with anothermountthan the one it was opened on isEBADF, and so is one already released. - When the link closes, its handles close. What was written stays, as with a crashed local process.
Reads. A read on a name handle opens the file again, through the path rules. When ifMatch is given and differs from the file's current etag, it is ESTALE with file changed since it was opened, so the kernel starts over instead of mixing two versions. A read on a write handle reads its descriptor and ignores ifMatch.
- OPENED carries the file's
etagandsizewith theoffsetasked for and thelengththat follows. The read is short at EOF, andlengthis 0 past it. - If the file shrinks while the bytes are being sent, the stream is
RESET ESTALE.
Writes happen in place, like open(2) and pwrite(2), in any order and with holes. Writing in place keeps hard links, extended attributes, ACLs and ownership. Programs that want atomic replacement write a temporary file and rename it, and those are operations too.
- Before OPENED, the node checks the call:
EROFSfor a read-only folder orreadonly: true,EINVALfor a badoffset,EBADFfor an unknown handle, one from another folder, or a name handle. - Each DATA is written at its place before it is credited, so the stream window bounds the memory used. More than
maxIobytes in one call isRESET EINVAL, and what came before stays written. - After the page's END and the last write, the node sends END. A page RESET leaves what was written.
Watch. OPEN { "kind": "fs", "op": "watch", "mounts": ["project", …] } streams NDJSON lines until the page sends END or the link closes:
{"mount":"project","paths":["src/a.ts","src"]}
{"mount":"project","all":true}
{"ping":1}
- A missing or empty
mounts, or one that isn't a list of strings, isEINVAL, and a name that isn't exported isENOENT. pathsname what changed and its parent directory (""for the root), coalesced over 50 ms. Past 256 paths the line isall, and so is a change the watcher can't name (the root itself, an event-queue overflow).- A watcher that fails or can't start is retried every second. It sends one
allwhen it is lost and one when it is back. A folder that is renamed away or removed is lost until it comes back. - A ping goes out every 15 s.
- Changes seven made itself come back too.
- One watcher per folder serves every watch stream on every link, and it lingers 5 s after the last stream ends, so replacing a watch is cheap.
- A page that doesn't read gets its backlog folded into one
allper folder instead of a growing queue.
The watcher per OS:
- Linux: inotify through fsnotify, one watch per directory, so the node walks the folder at start and adds every new directory. Symlinks aren't followed. A tree past
fs.inotify.max_user_watchesmakes the watcher fail, which is then retried every second. - macOS: one FSEvents stream on the folder (
FSEventStreamCreatewith file events, through purego, so the binary stays free of cgo). It holds no descriptor on anything in the tree and never follows symlinks, so tree size doesn't matter. A dropped or coalesced batch (MustScanSubDirs) is anall, and a folder that is moved or removed (RootChanged) is lost until it comes back. - Windows: one
ReadDirectoryChangesWon the folder withbWatchSubtree, which is what libuv does. A handle on every directory would stop Windows from renaming any of their parents.
Mount updates (page cap mounts). When folders are added or removed while a link is up (fs.Server.Add and Remove, for the TUI), the node opens OPEN { "kind": "mounts", "mounts": [ … ] } on the control channel, with the full list in HELLO's shape. It replaces the previous list, and there are no deltas. The page answers OPENED {} and END, and the node sends END. Updates go one at a time per link, and one the page doesn't finish within 10 s is reset with ETIMEDOUT. A removed folder's handles close (EBADF if the name comes back), its operations are ENOENT, and a watch stream covering it ends with RESET ENOENT: no such folder. --mount alone never changes the set.
Errors. The code is the POSIX name, EIO when there is none. The message is libuv's lower-case text for it (no such file or directory), or slicc-node's own for the cases it names (path escapes the folder, read-only folder, file changed since it was opened, the folder root cannot be moved or removed). It never contains a host path. Windows errors are mapped the way libuv maps them, for example ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED to EPERM and ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION to EBUSY.
Windows.
- Paths go through
\\?\andGetFinalPathNameByHandle, so device names (CON,NUL) and 8.3 short names are plain names inside the folder. - Files are opened with
FILE_SHARE_DELETEand without following reparse points. - Symlinks and junctions both show as
kind: "symlink",readlinkworks on both, andunlinkremoves the link itself. inois the file index, andmodeis0666, or0444for a read-only file, plus0111for a directory.setattrmodesets or clears the read-only attribute.unlinkclears the read-only attribute first, asDeleteFilewould refuse otherwise.renamegives the POSIX answers above, replacing an empty directory itself.
Network policy
A node checks every address it connects to for the link's tcp, http and ssh forwarding, and drops refused addresses from resolve answers. The check runs on each address actually connected, after DNS and for every Happy Eyeballs attempt, so a name can't rebind past it. A refusal is EACCES.
Rules. --allow and --deny take CIDR or CIDR:port, repeated or comma-separated: 10.0.0.0/8, 127.0.0.1/32:9222, [::1]/128:9222. A bare address is a single-host rule (127.0.0.1, [::1]:22). Host bits are masked off, and ::ffff:a.b.c.d rules become IPv4 rules. A rule that can never match is rejected: one inside 64:ff9b::/96, 64:ff9b:1::/48, 2002::/16, 2001::/32, 0.0.0.0/8 or ::/128.
Precedence. The longest prefix wins. At the same prefix, a rule with a port wins over one without. At a full tie, a user flag wins over a default rule, so --allow 192.168.0.0/16 opens exactly that range. Between two user flags, deny wins. An address no rule matches is allowed.
Normalization, before matching:
- IPv4-mapped IPv6 (
::ffff:a.b.c.d) is checked as IPv4. - NAT64 (
64:ff9b::/96) is checked as the IPv4 in its last 32 bits, and 6to4 (2002::/16) as the IPv4 in bits 16–47. - Local-use NAT64 (
64:ff9b:1::/48), Teredo (2001::/32),0.0.0.0/8and::are always denied, whatever the rules say.
Remote default (a node following a tray from another machine). Every public address is allowed. Denied:
- loopback:
127.0.0.0/8,::1/128; - private:
10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16; - CGNAT and tailnets:
100.64.0.0/10; - link-local and cloud metadata:
169.254.0.0/16,fe80::/10; - ULA:
fc00::/7; - multicast:
224.0.0.0/4,ff00::/8; - reserved and documentation:
240.0.0.0/4,255.255.255.255/32,192.0.0.0/24,192.0.2.0/24,198.18.0.0/15,198.51.100.0/24,203.0.113.0/24,2001:db8::/32,100::/64; - IPv4-compatible
::/96(deprecated) and SIIT::ffff:0:0:0/96.
Local default (the bridge to the browser slicc controls). The remote default, with loopback and the private ranges (127.0.0.0/8, ::1/128, 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, fc00::/7) allowed instead of denied, so this machine and the LAN are reachable. --deny 127.0.0.0/8 and --deny 192.168.0.0/16 take loopback and the LAN back out.
Protected ports, in both defaults. The debugging port of every browser the node serves over cdp (attach --cdp and --cdp-extra, follow --cdp) and any port the node itself listens on are denied, so a tcp stream can't get around the cdp capability:
- on loopback, each as
127.0.0.0/8:port,127.0.0.1/32:portand[::1]/128:port, so--allow 127.0.0.1/32doesn't reopen them; - on every address of this machine, as
<address>/32:portor<address>/128:port. The interfaces are enumerated at check time and cached for 5 seconds, so a new interface counts. If they can't be enumerated, those ports are denied on every address.
Browser endpoints. Each listed cdp browser's own endpoints are denied too, so a browser on another machine (--cdp http://10.0.0.5:9222 --allow 10.0.0.0/8) is reachable only through cdp:
- the host and port of its CDP URL, and of the
webSocketDebuggerUrlit reports; - a host that is a name is resolved when the browser is added (the
--hostsfile first, then the system resolver), and every address it resolves to is denied on that port; - while the browser is listed, its names are resolved again on every 2 s check, and new addresses are added to the old ones, so nothing is dropped while it's listed. IP literals aren't looked up again;
- when the browser is listed again after it stopped answering, its endpoints are resolved again and replace the old ones. If resolving fails, the old ones stay.
They are listed in HELLO's policy.deny as <address>/32:port or [<address>]/128:port.
Only a user allow for exactly the same address and port reopens one of these.
resolve filtering. An address is kept when the policy allows it on at least one port. When every address is dropped, the answer is an empty list.
HELLO. policy.summary names the default and lists the --allow and --deny rules on top of it. policy.allow and policy.deny list the --allow and --deny rules plus the protected ports' loopback denies and the browser endpoints, not the default ranges or the per-interface denies.
SSH server
A node started with a runner serves SSH (golang.org/x/crypto/ssh) on each ssh link stream. It never listens on a port.
Auth. none is accepted, because the link is the trust boundary. The user name is ignored. Everything runs as the user who started slicc, in their home directory.
Host key. One ed25519 key per machine, slicc/ssh_host_ed25519_key in the user config directory (~/Library/Application Support on macOS, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or ~/.config on Linux, %AppData% on Windows). It is created on first use with mode 0600, and a looser mode is tightened to 0600 when it is loaded. HELLO carries its public key in authorized_keys form as sshHostKey.
No runner. Every session channel is refused as administratively prohibited, with the reason.
exec runs <runner argv…> <command>, the command as one last argument. shell runs the runner's interactive form:
- a runner ending in
-cdrops it, and adds-lwhen the word before-cissh,bash,zsh,dash,ksh,mksh,ashorfish:bash -cgivesbash -l,docker exec -i box sh -cgivesdocker exec -i box sh -l,python3 -cgivespython3; - a runner ending in
/c,/Cor-Commanddrops it:cmd.exe /cgivescmd.exe; - for any other runner,
shellprints why on stderr and exits 1.
A command that can't start exits 127 with the reason on stderr.
Sessions.
pty-reqandwindow-change: a PTY fromcreack/ptyon Unix (the command gets its own session and controlling terminal) and ConPTY on Windows.TERMcomes frompty-req.env: any variable with a valid name is accepted and added toslicc's environment.signal: on UnixABRT,ALRM,FPE,HUP,ILL,INT,KILL,PIPE,QUIT,SEGV,TERM,USR1andUSR2go to the command's process group, or with a PTY to the terminal's foreground process group. On Windows,INTon a PTY is^C, andABRT,HUP,INT,KILL,QUITandTERMotherwise end the process.- The end:
exit-status, orexit-signalfor a Unix command killed by one of the signals above (exit-status128+n for any other). After the command exits, its output is read until EOF or 2 s of silence, so a background job that keeps stdout open doesn't hold the session. A session closed while its command runs sends itHUP, and stopping the server sendsKILLto every running command. On Windows each command runs in its own job object, so ending it ends everything it started, and anything it left running ends with the session.
sftp subsystem (pkg/sftp): this machine's files as the user who started slicc, starting in the home directory. A runner that sandboxes commands (docker exec …) doesn't sandbox sftp, so sftp is on by default only when the runner's executable is a plain local shell: bash, sh, zsh, fish, pwsh, powershell or cmd, by basename, ignoring case and .exe. When it's off, the subsystem request is refused.
slicc-eval subsystem: one persistent REPL per node (for example python3 -i), started on first use and shared by every session, so state survives between them. Input is read in lines. The lines available at once are written to the REPL together, and its output is forwarded (stdout and stderr apart) until it has been quiet for 500 ms. At EOF the session exits 0. INT interrupts the REPL's current computation on Unix (Windows ignores it), and other signals go to the REPL as for exec. If the REPL exits, the session prints its exit code on stderr and exits 1, and the next session starts a new REPL. Without a REPL the subsystem exits 1 with the reason.
Forwarding. direct-tcpip dials through the node's policy (see Network policy). A refused address is administratively prohibited with the policy's message, and a failed connect is connect failed. Without a policy every target is refused. Remote forwarding (tcpip-forward), agent and X11 forwarding are refused.
Remote setup: slicc <join-url> follow
slicc <join-url> follow [--exit] [--allow <rule>]... [--deny <rule>]... [--name <name>] [--cdp <url>]...
[--runner <argv…> [--]] [--shell <argv…> [--]] [--eval <argv…> [--]] [--eval-quiet <dur>] [--sftp | --no-sftp]
[--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro]]...
follow links this machine to a seven on another machine through the tray hub (see Tray hub signaling). It serves the link until interrupted (SIGINT, SIGTERM) and reconnects when the link drops. Status lines go to stderr, and SLICC_DEBUG=1 adds diagnostics. The join URL is never printed.
Flags.
--exit: offer this machine's network to seven, astcpandresolvestreams (capnet) andhttpstreams (caphttp) under the remote policy, so public addresses only by default. Without--exit, all three are refused withEOPNOTSUPP.--allow,--deny: policy rules on top of the remote default (see Network policy).--name: the link'snameandhostin HELLO, as forattach.--runner,--shell,--eval,--eval-quiet,--sftp,--no-sftp: compute over SSH (capssh), exactly as forattach.direct-tcpipforwarding goes through the remote policy, so it reaches public addresses only unless--allowsays otherwise.--runnerworks with or without--exit.--cdp <url>: let seven drive this browser over the link (repeatable, in any formslicc browsers --cdptakes; each must answer whenfollowstarts). Seecdp, and its warning: the seven on the other machine gets full control of every browser listed. No browser isseven: true. Without--cdp,followdoesn't offercdp, and acdpOPEN is refused withEOPNOTSUPP. Each browser's debugging port and its own endpoint addresses are denied totcp,httpandsshforwarding.--mount <path>[:<name>][:ro]: share this folder with the seven on the other machine (capfs, repeatable); see Host folders. It can read the folder, and change it unless:ro.
HELLO from follow: { "v": 1, "role": "node", "name", "host", "version", "mode": "remote", "node", "caps", "routes": { "prefixes": [], "exit" }, "policy" }. caps holds net and http with --exit, ssh with --runner (plus sshHostKey), cdp (and HELLO browsers) with --cdp, fs (and HELLO mounts) with --mount, and always join.
Identity. The device is its DTLS certificate. follow keeps one ECDSA P-256 certificate per hub origin (scheme://host:port), valid for 20 years, in <config>/slicc/tray-certs.json (mode 0600). Every link to that hub uses it, so the fingerprint stays the same across reconnects, restarts and updates. The first run on a hub mints it and says new device, fingerprint sha-256 …; later runs say device, fingerprint …. Every dial attaches with a fresh controllerId, which is only a routing handle.
join (cap join), page → node. OPEN { "kind": "join", "url" } carries a rotated join URL (see Rotation below). The node answers OPENED {} then END, or RESET EACCES when the URL is not a join URL on the hub it follows.
unlink (cap join), page → node. OPEN { "kind": "unlink" }. The node answers OPENED {} then END, deletes the join state and the certificate for that hub, closes the link, says unlinked by <name> with the name from seven's HELLO, and exits 0. A non-retryable bootstrap.failed with code UNLINKED does the same, with the name from the last link to that hub. seven sends it after the node's answer and then drops the peer connection. The next follow mints a new certificate, so seven sees a new device.
Reconnects. A link that drops, a link not up within 45 s of the offer, a failed bootstrap and any other signaling error lead to a new dial. Dials are spaced 1 s apart at first, doubling up to 30 s, each wait randomized by ±25 %, and back to 1 s after a link was up. A bootstrap the hub restarts (a retryable bootstrap.failed) starts a new peer connection without a new dial. The node keeps polling the bootstrap after its answer until seven's HELLO arrives, then stops. A link that closes before HELLO waits up to 3 s for a failure code from the hub, and without one it is an ordinary reconnect.
Stops with exit 1 and says why on INVALID_JOIN_CAPABILITY, TRAY_EXPIRED or TRAY_SUPERSEDED_MISSING_JOIN_URL from the hub, and on UNTRUSTED, UNSUPPORTED_RUNTIME or NO_FINGERPRINT (an internal error: the answer had no SHA-256 fingerprint) from seven. The device's fingerprint is always SHA-256.
Remote control: slicc prompt, watch and abort
slicc <join-url> prompt [--steer | --reject] [--thinking] [--json] [--plain] [--abort-on-interrupt] <text>|@file|-
slicc <join-url> watch [--thinking] [--json] [--plain]
slicc <join-url> abort
slicc prompt --cdp <url> [--origin <origin>]... [flags] <text>|@file|-
slicc watch --cdp <url> [--origin <origin>]... [flags]
slicc abort --cdp <url> [--origin <origin>]...
slicc prompt|watch|abort --signal stdio [flags] …
These commands talk to seven's agent over a link that offers nothing to seven (caps: []).
- With a join URL: slicc dials the tray as
followdoes (see Remote setup), with the same device certificate, so seven sees the same device. Afollowalready running on this machine keeps its link, because the two processes have differentnodeids. These commands never handlejoinorunlink. When seven has unlinked the device they sayseven unlinked this deviceand exit 1, and they leave the join state and the certificate alone. - With
--cdp: slicc links to the seven tab in that browser asattachdoes (see Local setup), with--originas there. A runningsliccorattachon that browser keeps its link. - With
--signal stdio(for a test harness that owns CDP itself): the local setup messages go as NDJSON on stdin and stdout, exactly as forattach --signal stdio, and--cdpisn't needed.- stdout also carries the events, as with
--json. A line with anonceis a setup message, and every other line is an event. promptcan't read its text from stdin (-exits 2).
- stdout also carries the events, as with
- Setup: slicc waits up to 1 minute for seven's HELLO, then gives up with exit 1.
- No permission: without
agentin seven's HELLO, slicc saysthis seven doesn't allow remote control from this device; turn it on in seven's Linked devicesand exits 3. A local link getsagentby default. A remote one gets it once Allow remote control is on for this device. - Privacy: prompt text and event contents never go to telemetry or logs, and the join URL is never printed.
prompt sends one prompt and streams the run it belongs to.
- Prompt text: the words after the flags, joined with spaces.
@filereads a file, and-or@-reads stdin. Trailing newlines are dropped.- An empty prompt, text that isn't UTF-8, or a prompt over 16 MiB exits 2.
- A prompt up to 60 KiB goes in the OPEN as
text. A longer one goes as DATA after it (seeagentbelow).
- When seven is busy: by default the prompt is queued as a follow-up (
whenBusy: "followUp").--steersteers the running turn, and--rejectdoesn't send it at all: slicc saysseven is busyand exits 1.--steerand--rejectcan't be combined. - Output: the assistant's text goes to stdout as it streams. Separate text entries are separated by a blank line, and stdout ends with a newline.
- Tool calls, tool results, notices and errors go to stderr, and so does thinking with
--thinking. - The prompt's own
userevent isn't shown.
- Tool calls, tool results, notices and errors go to stderr, and so does thinking with
--json: the events are printed on stdout instead, one NDJSON line each, exactly as seven sent them, includingdeliveredand the finalend. Nothing is rendered.- Exit status:
0when the run ends withendstop;1forenderror(the run failed: <message>), forendaborted(the run was aborted), and for a stream or link that ends beforeend(lost the link to seven; the run goes on there);2for bad usage;3without permission;130on Ctrl-C orSIGTERM.
- Ctrl-C leaves the run going in seven. With
--abort-on-interrupt, slicc first opensabort.
watch follows the agent until Ctrl-C or SIGTERM, then exits 0.
- Output:
userevents go to stdout as> <text>, on one line. Assistant text goes to stdout as forprompt, and a line ends at each run's end. Everything else goes to stderr, as forprompt, plusrun ended: <reason>for a run that didn't end withstop.--jsonprints the events instead. - Status lines on stderr:
slicc: watching <name>,slicc: lost the link to <name>; reconnecting, and for the tray<reason>; trying again in <wait>. - Reconnects: when the stream ends or is reset, slicc opens a new
watchon the same link. When the link goes, it sets up a new one, through the tray again or by waiting for seven over CDP. Waits start at 1 s, double up to 30 s with ±25 % jitter, and go back to 1 s once a stream opens. - Resuming: each new stream asks for
since, the id of the last event slicc saw, so nothing still in the transcript is lost. Nothing is shown twice either. Fortextandthinking, slicc counts the bytes it has shown per entry and skips that many from the entry's replay. Any other entry is skipped when its id was already seen.runevents have no id and aren't replayed. When seven answersgap: true, slicc printssome events were missed. - Exit status:
1when the link can't be set up for good (a terminal tray failure, or the CDP connection closing),2for bad usage,3without permission.
abort aborts the agent's current run. It prints slicc: aborted the run, or slicc: nothing was running, and exits 0. Otherwise it exits 1 on errors, 3 without permission and 130 on Ctrl-C.
Styling. When a stream is a terminal (and TERM isn't dumb), its lines are styled:
- tool calls
⚙ <name> <summary>; - results
↳ <summary>, or✗ <summary>for a failure; - notices
• <text>, and errors✗ <message> <detail>; - thinking dim and italic, and prompts in
watchbold.
NO_COLOR keeps the layout without colors. When stdout and stderr are the same terminal, a line on one first ends an unfinished line on the other.
Otherwise, or with --plain, there are no escape codes:
tool <name>: <summary>,tool <name> ok: <summary>,tool <name> failed: <summary>;notice: <text>,error: <message> (<detail>);thinking: <text>.
Summaries are one line of at most 200 characters. Escape sequences and control characters other than newline and tab are removed from everything seven sends before it's shown.
agent (page cap agent), node → page
- Who may: the node opens
agentstreams only to a page whose HELLO listsagent, and the page refuses them withEACCESotherwise. - Several processes, one device: the hello and HELLO carry the process's
nodeid. seven replaces an older link of the same device (any local link, or the same fingerprint over the tray) only whennodematches. Over the tray it decides once HELLO arrives.
prompt: OPEN { "kind": "agent", "op": "prompt", "text", "whenBusy": "followUp" | "steer" | "reject", "thinking"?: true } on its own channel.
- Answer: OPENED
{ "delivered": "run" | "steer" | "follow-up" }once the agent took it. Arejectwhile busy isRESET EBUSY. - Then DATA: NDJSON events, starting at this prompt's own
userevent, until the run that includes it ends. The last line is{"t":"end","reason":"stop"|"aborted"|"error","message"?}, then END. The node sends END right after OPENED. - Long prompts: a prompt over 60 KiB goes as
"length": <bytes>instead oftext.- The page answers OPENED
{}at once. - The node sends exactly that many bytes of UTF-8 as DATA, then END. A different count is
RESET EPROTO. - The page then delivers it. Its first line is
{"t":"delivered","delivered"}, or it resets withEBUSYinstead.
- The page answers OPENED
- Aborting: a RESET from the node, or a closed link, doesn't abort the run. Only
abortdoes.
watch: OPEN { "kind": "agent", "op": "watch", "since"?: "<entry id>", "thinking"?: true } on its own channel.
- Answer: OPENED
{ "head": "<entry id>", "gap"?: true }, then NDJSON events until either side resets. - Without
since: the events start at the next one. - With
since: the page first replayssince's own entry when it'stextorthinking(its whole text so far, as onedelta), then every entry after it.gap: truemeans the transcript no longer holdssince, and the events start at the next one.
abort: OPEN { "kind": "agent", "op": "abort" }, answered OPENED { "aborted": true | false } (false when nothing was running), then END.
Events, one JSON object per line:
| event | meaning |
|---|---|
{"t":"user","id","text","delivered"} |
a prompt |
{"t":"text","id","delta"} |
assistant text as it streams |
{"t":"thinking","id","delta"} |
thinking, only on streams opened with thinking |
{"t":"tool","id","call","name","summary"} |
a tool call, with a one-line summary such as the bash command |
{"t":"tool-result","id","call","ok","summary"} |
its result |
{"t":"run","state":"start"|"end","reason"?} |
a run starts or ends |
{"t":"notice","id","text"} |
retries, compactions, rewinds |
{"t":"error","id","message","detail"?} |
an error |
{"t":"delivered","delivered"} |
a long prompt was taken (prompt only) |
{"t":"end","reason","message"?} |
the last line of a prompt stream |
- Ids:
idis the transcript entry id, anddeltalines for oneidarrive in order. - Limits:
summaryis at most 200 characters. Credentials and tool output beyond the summary are never sent. - Unknown events: the node ignores events and fields it doesn't know.
Tray hub signaling (remote setup)
A node on another machine sets up its link through the tray hub, the slicc-tray-hub worker on www.sliccy.ai. seven is the tray leader and the node is a follower. The wire contract is six's packages/shared-ts/src/tray-signaling.ts. The node only signals over it and never speaks six's tray-sync messages.
Join URL. https://<host>/join/<token>. Plain http is accepted only for loopback hosts. The join URL is the secret: the node never prints it, its token, or the token's secret part, in output, logs or errors.
Attach. POST <join-url> with { "controllerId", "runtime": "slicc-link/1" }. The runtime tag lets seven tell link nodes from six's followers; the hub passes it on in follower.join_requested, and the node sends it again on retry. wait is retried after retryAfterMs (clamped to 50 ms–30 s) with the same controller id. signal starts a bootstrap and carries the TURN and STUN iceServers for the peer connection. fail (INVALID_JOIN_CAPABILITY, TRAY_EXPIRED) is terminal.
Supersede. The node does not follow HTTP redirects itself. A superseded tray's replacement is read from the Link header (rel="successor-version"), then a 3xx Location (with json dropped from its query), then the body's result.joinUrl when code is TRAY_SUPERSEDED. The 308 redirect and the older 409 fail shapes are both accepted. A replacement must itself be a valid join URL. Each hop uses a fresh controller id, and a dial follows at most five hops before it fails with TRAY_SUPERSEDED_CHAIN_EXHAUSTED. A supersede seen during a bootstrap ends it with TRAY_SUPERSEDED, and the next dial starts at the replacement.
Bootstrap. The node polls { "action": "poll", "controllerId", "bootstrapId", "cursor" } once a second, and takes the leader's bootstrap.offer and bootstrap.ice_candidate events in order. It posts answer, then its own ice-candidates. Candidates gathered before the answer is posted are held and sent right after it. A bootstrap.failed that is retryable, with retriesRemaining above 0, is retried with { "action": "retry" } after its retryAfterMs. That mints a new bootstrap, so the peer connection starts over. Any other failure ends the bootstrap. When no offer arrives within 30 s, the bootstrap ends with OFFER_TIMEOUT.
Rotation. When seven creates a new join URL it doesn't supersede the old tray, so a follower learns the new URL from seven over its link. The node accepts it only on the hub origin it currently follows (same scheme, host and port), and only as a valid join URL. It stores the URL as current for the join URL it was given, keeps the running link, and dials the new URL on its next reconnect. It never prints the URL.
Requests. Each HTTP attempt has a 30 s timeout. A logical request gets 8 s and up to four attempts. Network errors, HTTP 5xx and non-JSON bodies are retried with a backoff of 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s. JSON refusals below 500 are not retried.
Join URL state. The node remembers the current join URL for each join URL it was given, so it reconnects after a network change or restart without walking the supersede chain again. The state lives in <config>/slicc/tray-join.json, where <config> is ~/Library/Application Support on macOS, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or ~/.config on Linux, and %AppData% on Windows. The directory is mode 0700 and the file 0600, written atomically. Entries are keyed by the SHA-256 of the given join URL, and at most 16 are kept.
Development
Go 1.26 and Node ≥ 24 (for the lint tools). npm run build writes bin/slicc. npm run lint runs the slicc lint tools, gofmt, go mod tidy -diff, go vet and golangci-lint. npm test runs the integration tests in test/integration/, which build the binary and drive it. Unit tests stay next to the code and out of git (npm run test:unit). go build and npm run build link no version, so these binaries report dev. npm run dist cross-builds all six targets into artifacts/release/ with SHA256SUMS, unsigned. npm run npm:stage then stages the npm packages into dist/npm/, and npm run npm:check packs them with npm publish --dry-run.
Test names: --hosts <file> (test-only, left out of --help). slicc attach and slicc <join-url> follow take a hosts file, so tests get deterministic names without public DNS. Each line is <ip> <name> [<name>…], and # starts a comment. Names match case-insensitively, with or without a trailing dot, and a name on several lines gets every address, in file order. Wherever the node resolves a name (resolve, tcp by name, http, and the policy's browser endpoints), a name in the file gets the file's addresses of the requested family, possibly none, and never the system resolver's. Other names go to the system resolver. The policy applies afterwards as usual: resolve drops refused addresses, and a dial to a refused address is EACCES. tcp and http try the addresses in file order. A file that can't be read or parsed exits 2. A name mapped to a loopback address only helps the node's own dials, http and tcp by name: a seven kernel that gets a loopback address from resolve dials its own loopback, because loopback never goes out through an exit. For end-to-end exit tests, map test names to a non-loopback address of the machine.
Front ends and capabilities follow a node's links with node.Node.Subscribe(func(node.Event)) (unsubscribe func()). Events: connecting (an offer was answered), linked (the peer's HELLO arrived, in Peer), link-down (Reason when the node closed the link: seven's bye reason, replaced by a new offer or slicc is exiting; otherwise Err for a failure; a failed answer has no Link), and stream-open and stream-close for each page-opened stream, with its kind. Every event but a failed answer carries its *link.Link. A link's link-down comes before the next link's connecting, but its streams' stream-close can come after its link-down. Events are delivered synchronously on the node's and the link's goroutines, so a subscriber must return quickly and never block; one that needs to wait hands the event to its own goroutine.
Test isolation: SLICC_DISCOVERY (test-only). When it is set, browser discovery (slicc browsers, the default flow, and browser.Discover in the same process) never probes ports 9222–9229, never reads the process list, and finds only --cdp URLs, plus:
isolated, or any value not listed here: nothing else;installed: installed browsers too;home: installed browsers, and theDevToolsActivePortfiles under the home and config dirs from the environment (HOME,APPDATA,LOCALAPPDATA,XDG_CONFIG_HOME).
In the same process, probe ports, dirs and a process list passed in explicitly (Options.ProbePorts, Options.Home, Options.ProfilesDir, and Options.Processes, which returns the output of the process-list command) are still used. Options.Transport and Options.Dial replace discovery's HTTP transport and TCP dial; the corpus test fakes every server with them, and its process list is fake too. test/integration's TestMain sets SLICC_DISCOVERY=isolated and points HOME, APPDATA and the XDG dirs (and USERPROFILE and LOCALAPPDATA except on Windows, where a Chrome started with temporary ones never writes DevToolsActivePort) at a temporary directory for itself and every slicc it starts, so no test can reach the browsers of the machine it runs on. Tests opt in to more with a fake home or fake endpoints. The Chrome the harness starts itself gets the real environment.
Port guard. On CI (CI set), or with SLICC_TEST_PORT_GUARD=1, TestMain holds 127.0.0.1:9222 to 9229 (and [::1] where it can) for the whole run, and the run fails if anything connects to them, other than the one test that lends a port to its own fake browser. On CI a port it can't hold fails the run. Off CI it is off by default, so a developer's own Chrome on those ports is never touched; the guarded tests then skip.
On macOS, a headless Chrome started with HOME pointed at a temporary dir may never load a page (seen on a developer Mac, not on CI). So on macOS the test that has slicc launch Chrome for seven runs it with the real HOME and a unique --profile, which it deletes afterwards.
The real-Chrome tests in test/integration/ launch headless, so they run the executable directly. A windowed launch on macOS goes through open -n -W -a, which CI doesn't cover: on GitHub's macOS runners, Chrome started that way never writes DevToolsActivePort.
Releases
semantic-release cuts releases from main in .github/workflows/release.yml, on a macOS runner:
scripts/release-plan.mjsasks semantic-release (dry run) for the next version, and stops when there is none.scripts/package.sh <version>buildsdarwin,linuxandwindows×amd64,arm64withCGO_ENABLED=0,-trimpathand-X main.version=<version>. It signs and notarizes the darwin binaries and writesSHA256SUMS. It would sign the windows binaries with jsign against Azure Trusted Signing, but that configuration isn't complete yet, so releases ship them unsigned for now. Without a group's signing secrets (forks, pull requests, Windows today) it warns and leaves those binaries unsigned.scripts/npm-stage.mjsstages@ai-ecoverse/sliccand the six platform packages intodist/npm/. It also stages the same launcher assliccy(with two bins,sliccyandslicc, and a short preview README) intodist/npm-next/, as version7.0.0-next.<version>, with exactoptionalDependencieson this release's platform packages.npx sliccy@nextruns the bin named after the package,sliccy, and both bins run the same launcher.--bin <name>(repeatable) overrides the bins of any staged launcher.actions/attest-build-provenanceattests every binary.- semantic-release checks the version again (
dist/VERSION, andscripts/go-major.mjs, see below), tags, creates the GitHub release with every binary andSHA256SUMS, thenscripts/npm-publish.mjspublishes the platform packages and the launcher through npm trusted publishing (OIDC, with provenance), and thensliccywith--tag next. Versions already on npm are skipped. Before publishingsliccy, the script checks that every exact-pinnedoptionalDependenciesversion is on the registry, waits up toSLICC_REGISTRY_WAIT_SECONDS(default 900) for freshly published ones to appear, and fails otherwise, so asliccyversion never points at missing platform packages. scripts/go-warm.sh <version>, once the tag is onorigin, asksproxy.golang.orgfor the module atv<version>(go list -mwith a scratch module cache) and askspkg.go.devto fetch it. The proxy fetch is retried briefly; thepkg.go.devfetch is one attempt of at most 10 s, since the proxy fetch already gets the version indexed. Both only warn, and the step can't fail the release.
Go module versions. In Go a pushed tag is the release: proxy.golang.org caches it, sum.golang.org records its hash for good, and pkg.go.dev indexes it.
- Never move or delete a pushed tag. The checksum database would then reject that version for every user. A bad version gets a
retractdirective ingo.mod, and a new release. - Major versions. A module at v2 or above needs
/vNat the end of its module path, orgo install …@latestnever sees it.scripts/go-major.mjs <version>fails the release when the version's major doesn't fit the module path ingo.mod(no suffix allows v0 and v1,/vNallows only vN).release-plan.mjsruns the same check, so it fails before the build. ABREAKING CHANGEcommit therefore needs a deliberate module-path change first.
Recovering sliccy@next. When a release tagged and published its platform packages but sliccy didn't go out (a registry that lagged past the wait, say), gh workflow run release.yml --ref main -f sliccy_next_only=true publishes it without a new release. On main only, that run skips the release job and runs scripts/sliccy-next.mjs. The script takes the latest vX.Y.Z tag reachable from HEAD, stages sliccy@7.0.0-next.<version> with the launcher (npm/slicc.js) from that tag and exact optionalDependencies on that version's platform packages, and publishes it through npm-publish.mjs with --tag next. The same guards apply: the SLICCY_NEXT_PUBLISH gate, the tag and version checks, the registry check, and a version that is already published is skipped. Only the latest release can be recovered, so next never moves backwards.
On pull requests the same workflow runs as a dry run: an unsigned build of all six targets, the npm packages and sliccy (with --tag next) packed with --dry-run, scripts/sliccy-next.mjs --dry-run (the recovery path against the latest real release, registry check included), and each binary run with --version on its own OS and CPU.
The workflow reads these repository secrets. Each group is optional, and a missing group leaves its binaries unsigned:
- macOS signing:
APPLE_CERTIFICATE_BASE64,APPLE_DEVELOPER_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD; - notarization:
APPLE_API_KEY_ID,APPLE_API_KEY_ISSUER_ID,APPLE_API_KEY_P8_BASE64; - Windows signing:
AZURE_TENANT_ID,AZURE_CLIENT_ID,AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_ENDPOINT,AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_ACCOUNT,AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_PROFILE, andAZURE_CLIENT_SECRETunless the app registration trusts this workflow through a federated credential (OIDC).
npm needs no token. npm run trust (fledgling) configures trusted publishing for the seven packages listed under fledgling.include in package.json. Publishing to npm is off until the repository variable SLICC_NPM_PUBLISH is true, and sliccy stays off until SLICCY_NEXT_PUBLISH is true; until then a release skips them with a notice.
sliccy only ever goes to the next dist-tag, so npx sliccy keeps running SLICC six and npx sliccy@next runs this binary. npm-publish.mjs refuses, even in a dry run, to publish sliccy with any tag but next or with a version that doesn't match ^7\.0\.0-next\.. Nothing here changes sliccy's other dist-tags.