bytedance--deer-flow/backend/docs/IM_CHANNEL_CONNECTIONS.md

IM Channel Connections

DeerFlow supports user-owned IM channel bindings for Telegram, Slack, Discord, Feishu/Lark, DingTalk, WeChat, and WeCom. The feature reuses the existing channels.* runtime configuration, so it works in local and private deployments with the same outbound transports already supported by DeerFlow.

No public IP, OAuth callback URL, or provider webhook is required in this implementation.

This document covers both architecture (how the bind / dispatch / file pipeline fits together) and configuration / operations (the existing config.yaml knobs and security notes). For the high-level orientation, see AGENTS.md → "IM Channels System".

---

Architecture Overview

A user-owned IM channel connection is a per-DeerFlow-user bind layer layered on top of the existing provider bot credentials in channels.*. The connection layer adds three things the bot credentials alone cannot give you:

1. Owner identity — each (provider, external account, workspace) maps to exactly one DeerFlow account (owner_user_id). Every run created from that connection runs in the owner's bucket (memory, uploads, outputs, custom agent).
2. One-time bind codes — the browser Connect flow mints a short-lived secrets.token_urlsafe(16) code (600 s TTL, single-use) and surfaces it only in the initiating user's browser. The platform worker consumes /connect <code> (Telegram uses /start <code> over a deep link) before applying any allowed_users filter, so a not-yet-allowlisted user can complete their first bind.
3. Strict ownership transfer — the latest successful bind wins; upsert_connection revokes other owners' active rows for the same external identity. The DB-enforced partial unique index uq_channel_connection_active_identity (WHERE status != 'revoked') makes the invariant race-free across concurrent writers.

Connect codes are deliberately bind-time defenses, not chat-time defenses. After binding, ordinary allowed_users continue to gate regular messages exactly as before.

Connect-code Flow

The browser initiates; the provider worker consumes the code; the manager never sees the code itself.

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    participant Browser as Browser (Settings)
    participant Gateway as Gateway<br/>/api/channels/...
    participant Store as SQL store<br/>channel_oauth_states
    participant Worker as Provider worker<br/>(Telegram/Slack/...)
    participant Repo as ChannelConnection repo<br/>(upsert_connection)

    Browser->>Gateway: POST /api/channels/{provider}/connect
    Gateway->>Store: insert code (token_urlsafe(16), TTL=600s, single-use)
    Gateway-->>Browser: code + (Telegram: deep-link URL)

    Note over Browser,Worker: User sends /connect <code> (or /start <code>) to the provider bot

    Worker->>Store: consume_oauth_state(code)
    alt valid + unexpired
        Store-->>Worker: ok (state consumed once)
        Worker->>Repo: upsert_connection(provider, external_account_id, workspace_id, owner_user_id)
        Repo-->>Worker: connection row (active)
        Worker-->>Browser: success reply (via channel callback)
    else invalid / expired / used
        Store-->>Worker: reject
        Worker-->>Browser: rejected (no reply in chat)
    end

    Note over Repo: Partial unique index uq_channel_connection_active_identity<br/>revokes prior owner's active row for the same identity

Single-active-owner Transfer

The partial unique index is the source of truth — application code never has to "revoke the previous owner" explicitly because the upsert that re-uses an identity fails on conflict and the loser retries against the now-visible revoked state.

graph LR
    classDef prior fill:#E5D2C4,stroke:#806A5B,color:#30251E
    classDef new fill:#C9D7D2,stroke:#5D706A,color:#21302C
    classDef db fill:#D7D3E8,stroke:#6B6680,color:#29263A

    Prior["Prior owner<br/>connection_id=A<br/>status=connected"]:::prior
    New["New owner<br/>connection_id=B"]:::new
    Upsert["upsert_connection()<br/>(owner_user_id=B)"]:::new
    Idx["Partial unique index<br/>uq_channel_connection_active_identity<br/>WHERE status != 'revoked'"]:::db

    Prior -->|"loser: revoke"| Idx
    New -->|"winner: insert"| Idx
    Upsert -->|"trigger"| Idx
    Idx -->|"returns"| Prior
    Idx -.->|"retry against new state"| Upsert

After the dust settles:

graph LR
    classDef winner fill:#C9D7D2,stroke:#5D706A,color:#21302C
    classDef loser fill:#D7D3E8,stroke:#6B6680,color:#29263A

    New["connection_id=B<br/>owner=B<br/>status=connected"]:::winner
    Old["connection_id=A<br/>owner=A<br/>status=revoked"]:::loser

    New --- Old

The same invariant protects the find_connection_by_external_identity lookup used by ChannelManager._get_bound_identity_rejection — a non-revoked row can resolve to exactly one owner at any time.

Provider Message Flow Once Bound

After a connection is bound, every inbound message walks the same path through ChannelManager. Slack/Discord (no streaming) and Feishu/Telegram (streaming) diverge only at the run boundary.

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    participant Platform as Provider<br/>(Slack/Telegram/...)
    participant Worker as Provider worker
    participant Bus as MessageBus<br/>InboundMessage queue
    participant Mgr as ChannelManager
    participant Client as langgraph_sdk<br/>async client
    participant Gateway as Gateway<br/>/api/* routers

    Platform->>Worker: inbound chat message<br/>(resolved to connection_id + owner_user_id)
    Worker->>Bus: publish_inbound(InboundMessage)
    Bus->>Mgr: msg = get_inbound()
    Mgr->>Mgr: _channel_storage_user_id(msg)<br/>→ owner-bound user_id
    Mgr->>Mgr: _get_bound_identity_rejection()<br/>(re-check identity by provider+ext+ws)
    Mgr->>Client: _get_or_create_thread(thread_id or new)
    Client->>Gateway: threads.create(metadata={channel_source})
    Gateway-->>Client: thread_id
    Mgr->>Mgr: receive_file(msg, thread_id, user_id=...)<br/>(owner-bound bucket)
    Mgr->>Mgr: _ingest_inbound_files(thread_id, user_id=...)

    alt channel supports streaming
        Mgr->>Client: runs.stream(messages-tuple + values)
        loop each chunk
            Client-->>Mgr: delta / values snapshot
            Mgr->>Bus: publish_outbound(is_final=False)
        end
    else Slack/Discord (no streaming)
        Mgr->>Client: runs.wait()
        Client-->>Mgr: final state
    end

    Mgr->>Bus: publish_outbound(is_final=True)
    Bus->>Worker: outbound callback
    Worker->>Platform: post reply (Telegram editMessageText,<br/>Feishu patch card, etc.)

Sync vs Streaming Channels

The two paths split on ChannelRunPolicy.supports_streaming (per-channel registration in CHANNEL_CAPABILITIES):

graph TB
    classDef sync fill:#E5D2C4,stroke:#806A5B,color:#30251E
    classDef stream fill:#C9D7D2,stroke:#5D706A,color:#21302C

    Msg["InboundMessage<br/>(channel, chat_id, text, files)"]:::sync
    Sync1["Slack"]:::sync
    Sync2["Discord"]:::sync
    Sync3["DingTalk"]:::sync
    Wait["runs.wait()<br/>→ extract final AI text"]:::sync
    Out1["publish_outbound(is_final=True)"]:::sync

    Stream1["Feishu"]:::stream
    Stream2["Telegram"]:::stream
    Stream3["WeCom (AI card)"]:::stream
    Stream["runs.stream(messages-tuple + values)"]:::stream
    Mid1["publish_outbound(is_final=False)<br/>throttled"]:::stream
    Mid2["Telegram: edit placeholder message<br/>Feishu: patch running card<br/>WeCom: PUT /v1.0/card/streaming"]:::stream
    Final["publish_outbound(is_final=True)"]:::stream

    Msg --> Sync1 --> Wait --> Out1
    Msg --> Sync2 --> Wait --> Out1
    Msg --> Sync3 --> Wait --> Out1

    Msg --> Stream1 --> Stream --> Mid1 --> Mid2 --> Final
    Msg --> Stream2 --> Stream --> Mid1 --> Mid2 --> Final
    Msg --> Stream3 --> Stream --> Mid1 --> Mid2 --> Final

For the special GitHub case (fire_and_forget=True channel policy), the manager calls runs.create() and returns once the run is pending — no outbound reply, because GitHub agents post via the gh CLI from inside their sandbox. See GITHUB_AGENTS.md for the full GitHub flow.

Owner-scoped File Storage

ChannelManager resolves the storage owner once at the top of _handle_chat via _channel_storage_user_id(msg) and threads that value through the entire file pipeline. The same identity is used as the run user_id in run_context and as the bucket for memory, uploads, and outputs — so the bucket the agent reads/writes is always the bucket where channel files were staged.

flowchart TB
    classDef owner fill:#D8CFC4,stroke:#6E6259,color:#2F2A26
    classDef resolve fill:#C9D7D2,stroke:#5D706A,color:#21302C
    classDef bucket fill:#D7D3E8,stroke:#6B6680,color:#29263A
    classDef agent fill:#E5D2C4,stroke:#806A5B,color:#30251E

    Inbound["InboundMessage<br/>connection_id, owner_user_id, workspace_id"]:::owner
    Resolve["_channel_storage_user_id(msg)<br/>sanitized + fall back to safe(msg.user_id)"]:::resolve
    UserID["user_id = OWNER"]:::resolve

    RunID["run_context['user_id']<br/>(run identity)"]:::agent
    RunUploads["ensure_uploads_dir(thread_id, user_id=OWNER)"]:::bucket
    Ingest["_ingest_inbound_files(user_id=OWNER)"]:::bucket
    Receive["Channel.receive_file(msg, thread_id, user_id=OWNER)"]:::bucket
    Resolved["_resolve_attachments(user_id=OWNER)"]:::bucket
    Artifact["_prepare_artifact_delivery(user_id=OWNER)"]:::bucket
    Memory["_resolve_memory_user_id<br/>(make_safe_user_id match)"]:::bucket

    Bucket["backend/.deer-flow/users/OWNER/.../user-data/{uploads,outputs}"]:::bucket

    Inbound --> Resolve --> UserID
    UserID --> RunID
    UserID --> Receive
    UserID --> Ingest
    UserID --> RunUploads
    UserID --> Resolved
    UserID --> Artifact
    UserID --> Memory
    RunUploads --> Bucket
    Ingest --> Bucket
    Receive --> Bucket
    Resolved --> Bucket
    Artifact --> Bucket

The cached value is reused across the blocking (runs.wait) and streaming (_handle_streaming_chat) paths — even if a future Channel.receive_file returns a rewritten InboundMessage, uploads and artifact delivery still target the same bucket.

IM File Attachment Pipeline

Inbound files (images, documents) walk through Channel.receive_file for materialization, then _ingest_inbound_files for owner-bound staging. The agent sees the staged path via the <uploaded_files> block injected into its context.

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    participant IM as Provider message<br/>(file attachment)
    participant Worker as Provider worker
    participant Mgr as ChannelManager
    participant Ch as Channel impl<br/>.receive_file
    participant FS as Uploads directory<br/>users/OWNER/.../uploads/
    participant Agent as Agent run

    IM->>Worker: message with file URL/bytes
    Worker->>Mgr: InboundMessage(files=[...], connection_id, owner_user_id)
    Mgr->>Mgr: storage_user_id = _channel_storage_user_id(msg)
    Mgr->>Ch: receive_file(msg, thread_id, user_id=storage_user_id)
    Note over Ch: provider-specific download<br/>(WeCom: decrypt_file;<br/>WeChat: read_bytes; others: HTTP GET)
    Ch->>FS: write_upload_file_no_symlink(<br/>uploads/OWNER/.../<br/>, safe_name, data)
    Ch-->>Mgr: msg with text rewritten to include <uploaded_files>
    Mgr->>Mgr: _ingest_inbound_files(<br/>thread_id, msg, user_id=storage_user_id)
    Mgr->>Agent: HumanMessage with <uploaded_files> block<br/>(paths under /mnt/user-data/uploads/)
    Agent->>FS: read_file / view_image (sandbox)

Cross-references

• AGENTS.md → "IM Channels System" — the index view in backend/AGENTS.md (configuration knobs, message flow, component list)
• GITHUB_AGENTS.md — webhook-driven GitHub channel, agent bindings, fan-out, token lifecycle
• app/channels/manager.py — dispatcher, _channel_storage_user_id, _handle_chat, _handle_streaming_chat
• deerflow.persistence.channel_connections — SQL tables (channel_connections, channel_oauth_states, channel_conversations, channel_credentials) and upsert_connection / consume_oauth_state / find_connection_by_external_identity

---

Configuration

Configure the actual IM bots under the existing channels block:

channels:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

  slack:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: $SLACK_BOT_TOKEN
    app_token: $SLACK_APP_TOKEN

  discord:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: $DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN

  feishu:
    enabled: true
    app_id: $FEISHU_APP_ID
    app_secret: $FEISHU_APP_SECRET

  dingtalk:
    enabled: true
    client_id: $DINGTALK_CLIENT_ID
    client_secret: $DINGTALK_CLIENT_SECRET

  wechat:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: $WECHAT_BOT_TOKEN

  wecom:
    enabled: true
    bot_id: $WECOM_BOT_ID
    bot_secret: $WECOM_BOT_SECRET

Then enable user bindings in channel_connections:

channel_connections:
  enabled: true
  # Auth-enabled deployments require ordinary IM messages to come from a
  # connected DeerFlow user by default. Set this to false only for legacy
  # operator-owned/open-bot deployments that intentionally route unbound
  # platform users to platform-ID user buckets.
  require_bound_identity: true

  telegram:
    enabled: true
    bot_username: $TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME

  slack:
    enabled: true

  discord:
    enabled: true

  feishu:
    enabled: true

  dingtalk:
    enabled: true

  wechat:
    enabled: true

  wecom:
    enabled: true

channel_connections does not duplicate provider secrets. It only controls the browser-facing connect UI and stores per-user binding records. Telegram needs bot_username only so the frontend can open a deep link.

When channel_connections.enabled and require_bound_identity are true, auth-enabled deployments reject ordinary unbound IM messages before creating a DeerFlow thread or run. Users must connect the channel from DeerFlow Settings first. Auth-disabled local mode still routes channel messages to the auth-disabled default user, and legacy open-bot behavior can be restored explicitly with require_bound_identity: false.

Upgrade note: existing auth-enabled deployments that already have channel_connections.enabled: true will start rejecting ordinary unbound IM messages after this field is introduced because require_bound_identity defaults to true. Legacy operator-owned/open-bot deployments that intentionally allow unbound platform users to create DeerFlow runs should set require_bound_identity: false before upgrading and restart the service.

Connect Flow

Telegram:

• The frontend creates a short one-time code.
• The Connect button opens https://t.me/<bot_username>?start=<code>.
• The existing Telegram long-polling worker receives /start <code> and binds that Telegram chat/user to the current DeerFlow user.

Slack:

• The frontend creates a short one-time code.
• The UI shows Send /connect <code> to the DeerFlow Slack bot.
• The existing Slack Socket Mode worker receives the message and binds the Slack user/team to the current DeerFlow user.

Discord:

• The frontend creates a short one-time code.
• The UI shows Send /connect <code> to the DeerFlow Discord bot.
• The existing Discord Gateway worker receives the message and binds the Discord user/guild to the current DeerFlow user.

Feishu/Lark, DingTalk, WeChat, and WeCom:

• The frontend creates a short one-time code.
• The UI shows Send /connect <code> to the DeerFlow <Provider> bot.
• The already-running long-connection or polling worker receives the message and binds the platform user/workspace identity to the current DeerFlow user.

Codes use 128 bits of randomness, expire after 10 minutes, and are single-use.

For providers with an allowed_users allowlist (Telegram, Slack, DingTalk, WeChat, …), a valid /connect <code> (or Telegram /start <code>) is consumed before the allowlist is checked. This is intentional: a user who is not yet on the allowlist — and whose platform identity the bot has therefore never seen — can still complete their first browser-initiated bind. After binding, allowed_users continues to gate ordinary (non-bind) messages as before.

Runtime Model

Connection records live in SQL tables under deerflow.persistence.channel_connections:

• channel_connections: owner user, provider identity, workspace/guild/team, status, metadata.
• channel_oauth_states: one-time connect codes and Telegram deep-link state.
• channel_conversations: connection-scoped IM conversation to DeerFlow thread mapping.
• channel_credentials: reserved for future provider-token flows, not used by the local/private binding flow.

Incoming messages that resolve to a connection carry connection_id, owner_user_id, and workspace_id. ChannelManager uses owner_user_id as the DeerFlow run user id and preserves the raw platform user id as channel_user_id.

Runtime provider credentials are deployment-level bot secrets, not user-owned connection credentials. They can come from channels.* in config.yaml or from the browser runtime setup flow, which persists them through ChannelRuntimeConfigStore so local/private deployments can configure bots without editing YAML. The runtime store is a local plaintext JSON fallback with owner-only file permissions (0600); use it only where the DeerFlow data directory is already trusted as secret storage. WeChat QR login auth state follows the same local-runtime model and may persist a QR-derived bot token in the channel state directory.

Security Notes

• Browser APIs remain authenticated and CSRF-protected.
• Connect codes are 128-bit random, short-lived, and single-use.
• Runtime provider bot tokens are shared deployment secrets. Runtime setup responses mask password fields, and mutating runtime/channel-worker APIs require an admin user.
• Stored per-connection credentials use the channel_credentials encryption path. If stored credential material cannot be decrypted, DeerFlow treats it as unavailable instead of using corrupt secrets.
• The local plaintext runtime credential fallback is documented above; prefer deployment-managed environment/config secrets for non-local deployments until a dedicated secret backend is configured.
• allowed_users is not a bind-time defense. Because connect codes are processed before the allowlist (see Connect Flow), anyone who possesses a valid code can consume it — not only allowlisted users. Bind security therefore rests entirely on the code's confidentiality: it is 128-bit random, expires after 10 minutes, is single-use, and is shown only in the initiating user's browser (never echoed back to chat). Treat connect codes like one-time passwords and do not forward them.
• An external identity — (provider, external account, workspace/team/guild) — has at most one active owner. The most recent successful bind wins: connecting an identity that another DeerFlow user already holds transfers ownership and revokes the previous owner's binding (and its stored credentials). This is enforced at the database layer, so two users racing to bind the same identity cannot both end up connected.
• Provider bot tokens remain in channels.* and are never returned to the browser.
• Stored per-connection credentials are encrypted. If stored credential material cannot be decrypted, DeerFlow treats it as unavailable instead of using corrupt secrets.
• This implementation does not add public provider callback or webhook routes.