How to build a custom adapter/plugin for OpenACP?

[0xMag1ci4n]

I want to build a custom adapter for OpenACP to support WhatsApp (or another platform). What interface do I need to implement and how does the plugin system work?

[jasondbranding]

OpenACP has a plugin system for creating custom adapters (e.g. WhatsApp, Matrix, Line, etc.).

What is a plugin: An npm package that exports an AdapterFactory interface:

interface AdapterFactory {
  name: string;
  createAdapter(core: OpenACPCore, config: ChannelConfig): ChannelAdapter;
}

The plugin must export adapterFactory or a default export conforming to this interface.

How to create a plugin:

1. Create a new npm package
2. Implement the ChannelAdapter abstract class (handles sendMessage, sendPermissionRequest, sendNotification, session thread creation)
3. Export an AdapterFactory with a createAdapter() method
4. Publish to npm

How to install a plugin:

openacp install <package-name>    # Install plugin
openacp uninstall <package-name>  # Remove plugin
openacp plugins                   # List installed plugins

Plugins are installed to ~/.openacp/plugins/. After installing, configure the channel in config:

{
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "enabled": true,
      "adapter": "openacp-whatsapp-adapter"
    }
  }
}

Related: Plugin System · Building Adapters · Adapter Reference