Matrix Setup Guide

This guide walks you through connecting cc-connect to Matrix, the open standard for decentralized communication. Once set up, you can chat with your local AI agent from any Matrix client (Element, FluffyChat, Nheko, etc.).

Prerequisites

A Matrix account on any homeserver (public like matrix.org, or self-hosted)
A machine that can run cc-connect (no public IP needed)
Claude Code (or another supported agent) installed and configured

Advantage: Uses /sync long polling — no public IP, no domain, no reverse proxy needed. Works behind NAT and firewalls.

Step 1: Create a Matrix Account

If you don't already have a Matrix account:

Visit https://app.element.io (or your self-hosted Element instance)
Click Create Account
Choose a homeserver (the default matrix.org works for most users)
Complete registration

You can also use any existing Matrix account — a dedicated bot account is recommended but not required.

Step 2: Get Your Access Token

You need an access token so cc-connect can authenticate as your Matrix user.

Via curl (Recommended)

Use curl to create a dedicated device with its own device ID. This ensures E2EE (end-to-end encryption) works correctly:

curl -XPOST "https://matrix.org/_matrix/client/v3/login" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"m.login.password","user":"your-username","password":"your-password","device_id":"CC-CONNECT"}'

The response contains "access_token": "syt_...". Copy it for the config.

Recommended: Set device_id to CC-CONNECT or another recognizable name. A dedicated device ensures encryption keys are distributed correctly.

Via Element (Web/Desktop)

Log in to Element (app.element.io)
Open Settings (click your avatar → Settings)
Go to Help & About → scroll to Advanced
Click Access Token → copy the token

Note: Tokens from Element reuse Element's device ID, which may cause E2EE issues. Creating a dedicated device via curl is recommended.

Warning: Treat your access token like a password. Anyone with it can send messages as you. If it leaks, you can invalidate it by logging out of all sessions in Element.

Step 3: Find Your User ID (Optional)

Your user ID looks like @username:matrix.org. cc-connect can auto-detect it from the access token, but you can also specify it explicitly in config.

In Element: click your avatar — your user ID is shown at the top.

Step 4: Configure cc-connect

Add the Matrix platform to your config.toml:

[[projects]]
name = "my-project"

[projects.agent]
type = "claudecode"

[projects.agent.options]
work_dir = "/path/to/your/project"
mode = "default"

[[projects.platforms]]
type = "matrix"

[projects.platforms.options]
homeserver = "https://matrix.org"
access_token = "syt_xxx_xxx"

# ── Optional settings ────────────────────────────────────────
# user_id = "@bot:matrix.org"        # auto-detected if omitted
# allow_from = "*"                   # "*" = all users, or "id1,id2"
# auto_join = true                   # auto-accept room invites (default: true)
# auto_verify = true                 # auto-accept SAS key verification (default: true)
# cross_signing_password = ""        # bot account password for cross-signing setup (one-time)
# share_session_in_channel = false   # true = all users share one session per room
# group_reply_all = false            # true = respond to all messages in group rooms
# proxy = ""                         # HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy, e.g. "http://proxy:8080"

Common mistake: homeserver must include the scheme (https://) and must be the same server your account is registered on.

Step 5: Start cc-connect

cc-connect
# Or specify a config file
cc-connect -config /path/to/config.toml

You should see logs like:

level=INFO msg="matrix: E2EE enabled" device_id=CC-CONNECT
level=INFO msg="matrix: connected" user=@bot:matrix.org
level=INFO msg="platform started" project=my-project platform=matrix
level=INFO msg="cc-connect is running" projects=1

If you see E2EE not available, encryption initialization failed. Encrypted rooms won't work. See the FAQ below.

Step 6: Start Chatting

6.1 Direct Message

Open your Matrix client (Element, FluffyChat, etc.)
Start a new DM with the bot's user ID (e.g. @bot:matrix.org)
Send a message — cc-connect will respond

6. Group Chat

Create or open a room
Invite the bot's user ID to the room
The bot will auto-join if auto_join = true (default)
Send messages in the room

Note: In group rooms, the bot responds when mentioned (e.g. @bot:matrix.org) or when group_reply_all = true is set.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Matrix Homeserver                         │
│                                                              │
│   User Message ──→ /sync endpoint ◄── Long Polling          │
│                          ▲                                   │
└──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           │ HTTPS (no public IP needed)
                           ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Your Local Machine                         │
│                                                              │
│   cc-connect ◄──► Claude Code CLI ◄──► Your Project Code    │
│                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Configuration Reference

Option	Required	Default	Description
`homeserver`	Yes	—	Matrix homeserver URL (e.g. `https://matrix.org`)
`access_token`	Yes	—	Access token for authentication
`user_id`	No	auto-detected	Matrix user ID (e.g. `@bot:matrix.org`)
`allow_from`	No	`"*"`	Comma-separated user IDs allowed to interact, or `"*"` for all
`auto_join`	No	`true`	Automatically accept room invitations
`auto_verify`	No	`true`	Auto-accept SAS key verification requests
`cross_signing_password`	No	`""`	Bot account password for cross-signing key setup (one-time, needed on first run or when keys are reset). Can also be set via `MATRIX_CROSS_SIGNING_PASSWORD` environment variable (takes precedence over config file)
`share_session_in_channel`	No	`false`	Share a single agent session among all users in a room
`group_reply_all`	No	`false`	Respond to all messages in group rooms (not just mentions)
`proxy`	No	`""`	HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy URL

FAQ

Q: Bot doesn't respond to messages?

Is cc-connect running and showing matrix: connected in logs?
Is the access token valid? Try regenerating it.
In group rooms, is the bot mentioned or is group_reply_all = true set?
If logs show E2EE not available or decrypt failed, see E2EE questions below.

Q: How to restrict who can use the bot?

Set allow_from to a comma-separated list of Matrix user IDs:

allow_from = "@alice:matrix.org,@bob:matrix.org"

Q: Bot doesn't join rooms?

Make sure auto_join = true (this is the default). If the bot was already invited before cc-connect started, re-invite it.

Q: E2EE (End-to-End Encryption)

cc-connect supports encrypted rooms (E2EE) when built with the goolm build tag. If you see matrix: E2EE enabled at startup, encryption is working. If you see matrix: E2EE not available (build with -tags goolm to enable), rebuild with E2EE support:

Data storage: E2EE crypto data is stored under ~/.cc-connect/ (created with 0700 permissions):

matrix-crypto-<device_id>.db — encryption key database (one per device)

matrix-cross-signing-<device_id>.json — cross-signing seed (one per device)

To reset E2EE (e.g. after changing device or reinstalling), delete these files and restart cc-connect:
rm ~/.cc-connect/matrix-crypto-*.db* ~/.cc-connect/matrix-cross-signing-*.json

go build -tags goolm ./cmd/cc-connect

Note: To remove the red question mark ("encrypted by a device not verified by its owner") on bot messages, cross-signing must be set up. cc-connect does this automatically on first run, but some servers require cross_signing_password in config for the initial setup. See the red question mark FAQ below.

Logs show "E2EE not available"?

Possible causes and fixes:

device ID not available from whoami — The server didn't return a device ID. Create a dedicated device via curl with device_id.
not marked as shared, but there are keys on the server — Old crypto data conflicts with the current device. cc-connect tries to auto-recover. If it persists, delete old crypto databases and cross-signing seeds: rm ~/.cc-connect/matrix-crypto-*.db* ~/.cc-connect/matrix-cross-signing-*.json
mismatching device ID in client and crypto store — The token's device ID doesn't match the crypto database. Delete the database and seeds: rm ~/.cc-connect/matrix-crypto-*.db* ~/.cc-connect/matrix-cross-signing-*.json

Logs show "decrypt failed: no session found"?

The sender's client didn't send the encryption key to the bot's device. This usually happens when:

Reusing Element's access token — Element's device ID conflicts with the bot's encryption keys. Create a dedicated device via curl (see Step 2).
Just changed the access token — The sender's client may not have discovered the bot's new device yet. Wait 1-2 minutes and send a new message.
Corrupted crypto database — Delete and restart: rm ~/.cc-connect/matrix-crypto-*.db* ~/.cc-connect/matrix-cross-signing-*.json

How to get a dedicated access token (recommended)?

Use the Matrix API to create a dedicated device, avoiding conflicts with Element or other apps:

# Replace homeserver URL, username, and password
curl -XPOST "https://your-homeserver.com/_matrix/client/v3/login" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "m.login.password",
    "user": "your-bot-username",
    "password": "your-password",
    "device_id": "CC-CONNECT"
  }'

The access_token in the response can be used in config. The device_id will be CC-CONNECT, easy to identify and manage.

Red question mark on bot messages ("encrypted by a device not verified by its owner")?

This means the bot's device hasn't been cross-signed. cc-connect automatically sets up cross-signing on first run, but some Matrix servers require password authentication (UIA) to publish the cross-signing keys.

If logs show no supported UIA flow for cross-signing, provide the bot account's password. You can set it in config:

cross_signing_password = "your-bot-password"

Or preferably via environment variable (avoids storing the password in the config file):

export MATRIX_CROSS_SIGNING_PASSWORD="your-bot-password"

The environment variable takes precedence over the config file value. This is a one-time operation — once cross-signing keys are published and saved, remove the password from config or unset the environment variable.

How to verify the bot's device?

cc-connect auto-accepts SAS key verification requests (when auto_verify = true, which is the default). To verify from Element:

Open a DM with the bot
Click the bot's avatar → Verify (or go to Settings → Security → find the bot's device)
The bot will automatically accept and confirm the verification
Element will show the device as verified

After verification, encrypted messages from the bot will no longer show warnings.

Q: How to use a self-hosted Matrix server?

Set homeserver to your server's URL (e.g. https://synapse.example.com). Make sure the URL is reachable from the machine running cc-connect.

Q: How to use a proxy?

proxy = "http://proxy-host:8080"
# or SOCKS5:
proxy = "socks5://proxy-host:1080"

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Matrix Setup Guide

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a Matrix Account

Step 2: Get Your Access Token

Via curl (Recommended)

Via Element (Web/Desktop)

Step 3: Find Your User ID (Optional)

Step 4: Configure cc-connect

Step 5: Start cc-connect

Step 6: Start Chatting

6.1 Direct Message

6. Group Chat

Architecture

Configuration Reference

FAQ

Q: Bot doesn't respond to messages?

Q: How to restrict who can use the bot?

Q: Bot doesn't join rooms?

Q: E2EE (End-to-End Encryption)

Logs show "E2EE not available"?

Logs show "decrypt failed: no session found"?

How to get a dedicated access token (recommended)?

Red question mark on bot messages ("encrypted by a device not verified by its owner")?

How to verify the bot's device?

Q: How to use a self-hosted Matrix server?

Q: How to use a proxy?

References

See Also

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Matrix Setup Guide

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a Matrix Account

Step 2: Get Your Access Token

Via curl (Recommended)

Via Element (Web/Desktop)

Step 3: Find Your User ID (Optional)

Step 4: Configure cc-connect

Step 5: Start cc-connect

Step 6: Start Chatting

6.1 Direct Message

6. Group Chat

Architecture

Configuration Reference

FAQ

Q: Bot doesn't respond to messages?

Q: How to restrict who can use the bot?

Q: Bot doesn't join rooms?

Q: E2EE (End-to-End Encryption)

Logs show "E2EE not available"?

Logs show "decrypt failed: no session found"?

How to get a dedicated access token (recommended)?

Red question mark on bot messages ("encrypted by a device not verified by its owner")?

How to verify the bot's device?

Q: How to use a self-hosted Matrix server?

Q: How to use a proxy?

References

See Also