What is crow-cli in Glueprint?
crow-cli is an open-source, minimal coding agent written entirely in Python and licensed under Apache 2.0. It splits into a reasoning agent (crow-cli) and an MCP toolserver (crow-mcp) built on FastMCP, with SQLAlchemy for persistent session storage. It targets OpenAI-compatible LLM APIs with runtime model switching, and includes a self-hosted SearXNG search stack that needs no API keys. Notable internals include a PTY-backed terminal tool and LLM-based context compaction past a 120k-token threshold.
Minimal ACP Native Coding Agent.
crow-cli connects over the open Agent Client Protocol. One generic adapter implements the protocol's client side, so crow-cli gets the same surfaces as every other harness.
Everything below works with the crow-cli CLI you have today — no migration, no new account for the model, no lock-in. Uninstall Glueprint and your terminal workflow is exactly as it was.
Set up crow-cli on a host.
Installation is host-specific: repeat these steps anywhere this agent should execute. Portal and mobile can control the session afterward, but the process remains on that host.
Open the ACP catalog
On each execution host, open Settings -> Agents -> Browse ACP catalog and choose crow-cli.
Install and initialize
Glueprint installs the registry distribution for crow-cli, starts it, and completes the ACP initialize handshake.
Start a project session
Choose crow-cli from a project or worktree and use the capabilities reported by that installed build.
How the connection works.
Glueprint adds orchestration and shared surfaces without taking ownership of the coding agent or its provider account.
Glueprint finds the crow-cli binary you installed and spawns it, then speaks the Agent Client Protocol — JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio — to drive it. Same CLI, same authentication; Glueprint just wraps the session.
Message chunks, tool calls, and tool-call updates from crow-cli arrive as protocol notifications and render as the same live, typed timeline every Glueprint session gets — watchable from desktop, browser, or phone.
When crow-cli asks to write a file or run a command, the protocol's permission request surfaces as an inline approval card on whatever device you're holding. Approve, deny, or auto-allow per tool.
Because crow-cli speaks ACP, adding it is a catalog entry, not an engineering project — the same adapter runs every other agent in the registry, so you can tile them side by side.
Capabilities and discovery.
The status labels separate guaranteed integration behavior from features owned or announced by the installed agent.
| Capability | Status | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Python, Apache 2.0, no heavy frameworks | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Two-layer reasoning agent plus MCP toolserver | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| OpenAI-compatible APIs with runtime model switching | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Self-hosted SearXNG search, no API keys | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Context compaction past a 120k-token threshold | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
Authentication, ownership, and limits.
Glueprint is the environment around the agent. Credentials, model access, and vendor-specific behavior stay where their owner designed them.
Watch every crow-cli prompt, tool call, and diff stream in real time — desktop, web portal, iOS and Android. The session runs on your machine; the view follows you.
Permission prompts arrive as approval cards wherever you are. Kick off a refactor at your desk, approve the file writes from the couch.
Run several crow-cli sessions side by side, each in its own git worktree, with diffs, history, and a three-pane conflict resolver alongside.
Tile crow-cli next to Claude Code, Codex, and the rest of the ACP fleet in the Command Center. The protocol differs; the surface doesn't.
Promote it to an assistant: persona, constitution, long-term memory, and a daily journal on disk, loaded into every wake.
Wake it on cron: triage the inbox every 30 minutes, sweep PRs at 9am, run the nightly cleanup. Quiet hours and watermarks prevent re-fires.
Messages, sessions, and output tokens computed from session logs — compare crow-cli against Claude Code, Codex, and your other ACP agents.
Remote viewing rides AES-256-GCM envelope encryption. The relay routes; it cannot read.
Common questions
Can I run crow-cli with Glueprint?
Yes. crow-cli is registered in the official Agent Client Protocol registry, and Glueprint implements the protocol's client side. It spawns the crow-cli CLI you already installed and drives it over JSON-RPC 2.0 — adding live sessions, inline approvals, worktrees, and remote control.
Do I need a separate crow-cli subscription or API key?
No. Glueprint doesn't resell model access. crow-cli authenticates exactly the way its vendor designed — its own login, subscription, or API key. Glueprint spawns the binary and speaks the protocol; it doesn't sit between you and the model provider.
Can I run crow-cli from my phone?
Sessions always run on your machines — a laptop, a desktop, or a server with the headless daemon. The iOS and Android app streams crow-cli sessions live, lets you send follow-ups, and handles permission approvals from anywhere.
Can I run crow-cli next to Claude Code and Codex?
Yes — that's the point. Each harness is an adapter; sessions from all of them tile into the same Command Center, share the same task boards, and roll up in the same per-harness analytics.
Is my session content private?
Yes. Remote viewing routes AES-256-GCM-encrypted envelopes through the relay, which stores a wrapped key it cannot open — decryption happens on your devices. On the free local tier, session content never leaves your machine at all. See security.