rz

Universal messaging for AI agents. If it runs in a terminal, it can talk.

Works with any AI coding agent — Claude Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, or any process that reads terminal input. No SDK, no framework — just a CLI tool that injects messages into terminals.

Three ways to run:

rz run — inside cmux or zellij (spawns panes, auto-detects)
rz agent — in any plain terminal (PTY wrapping, no multiplexer needed)
NATS — bridge agents across machines, multiplexers, or both

Fork of rz by @HodlOg. Zellij support based on meepo/rz.

Install

cargo install rz-agent

From source (macOS requires codesign):

git clone https://github.com/iliasoroka1/rz
cd rz
make install

Crates

Crate	Description
`rz-agent`	CLI binary — all backends and transports
`rz-agent-protocol`	`@@RZ:` wire format library
`rz-hub`	Zellij WASM plugin (build separately)

Quick start

Any terminal (no multiplexer)

# Start NATS (one-time setup)
nats-server -js
export RZ_HUB=nats://localhost:4222    # add to your shell profile

# Terminal 1: run an agent
rz agent --name worker -- claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Terminal 2: run another agent
rz agent --name lead -- claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Terminal 3: send a message
rz send worker "refactor the auth module"

rz agent wraps any command in a PTY and subscribes to NATS. Messages arrive as @@RZ: lines injected directly into the child's terminal input. Works with any agent that reads from stdin — Claude Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, or even plain bash.

┌──────────────┐       ┌──────────┐       ┌───────────────────────┐
│ rz send      │──pub──│  NATS    │──sub──│ rz agent --name X     │
│ worker "msg" │       │ agent.X  │       │  └─ injects @@RZ:     │
└──────────────┘       └──────────┘       │     into child's PTY  │
                                          │                       │
                                          │  child = claude, gemini│
                                          │  opencode, bash, ...  │
                                          └───────────────────────┘

Inside a multiplexer (cmux / zellij)

# Auto-detects cmux or zellij, spawns panes
rz run --name lead -p "refactor auth" claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
rz run --name coder -p "implement tokens" claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Observe and interact
rz list                    # see who's alive
rz log lead                # read lead's messages
rz send lead "wrap up"     # intervene

Cross-machine (NATS)

Agents on different machines, in different multiplexers, or in plain terminals — all talk through NATS:

# Machine A (cmux)
export RZ_HUB=nats://nats.example.com:4222
rz run --name worker claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Machine B (plain terminal, no multiplexer)
export RZ_HUB=nats://nats.example.com:4222
rz agent --name reviewer -- claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Machine C (zellij)
export RZ_HUB=nats://nats.example.com:4222
rz send worker "implement feature X"
rz send reviewer "review worker's changes"

JetStream enabled (nats-server -js) gives durable delivery — messages survive agent restarts.

How it works

Every message is a single line: @@RZ:<json>

{"id":"a1b2","from":"lead","to":"worker","kind":{"kind":"chat","body":{"text":"do X"}},"ts":1774488000}

The @@RZ: prefix lets agents distinguish protocol messages from normal terminal output. When an agent receives one, it processes the instruction and replies with rz send.

Message kinds

Kind	Purpose
`chat`	General communication (the only one you need)
`ping` / `pong`	Liveness check
`error`	Error report
`timer`	Self-scheduled wakeup

Backends

Backend	How to use	Best for
PTY agent	`rz agent --name X -- <cmd>`	Any terminal, SSH, CI, remote servers
cmux	`rz run --name X <cmd>` (auto-detected)	Claude Code desktop app
zellij	`rz run --name X <cmd>` (auto-detected)	Zellij terminal users

Transports

Transport	Delivery	Best for
`nats`	Publish to NATS subject `agent.<name>`	Cross-machine, cross-backend, PTY agents
`cmux`	Paste into cmux surface	Local cmux agents
`zellij`	Paste into zellij pane	Local zellij agents
`file`	Write to `~/.rz/mailboxes/<name>/inbox/`	Universal fallback
`http`	POST to URL	Network agents, APIs

Commands

Run agents

Command	Description
`rz agent --name X -- <cmd>`	Run agent in any terminal (PTY + NATS)
`rz run <cmd> --name X -p "task"`	Spawn agent in multiplexer pane
`rz list` / `rz ps`	List all agents
`rz close <target>` / `rz kill`	Close a pane/surface

Send messages

Command	Description
`rz send <target> "msg"`	Send message (auto-routes)
`rz send --wait 30 <target> "msg"`	Send and wait for reply
`rz broadcast "msg"`	Send to all agents

Discovery

Command	Description
`rz id`	Print this agent's ID
`rz register --name X --transport T`	Register in `~/.rz/registry.json`
`rz deregister X`	Remove from registry
`rz ping <target>`	Check liveness

NATS

Command	Description
`rz listen <name> --deliver <method>`	Subscribe and deliver locally
`rz timer 30 "label"`	Schedule a self-wakeup

Delivery methods: stdout, file, cmux:<id>, zellij:<pane_id>

Observe

Command	Description
`rz log <target>`	Show `@@RZ:` messages
`rz dump <target>`	Full scrollback
`rz gather <ids...>`	Collect last message from each

Workspace

Command	Description
`rz init`	Create shared workspace
`rz dir`	Print workspace path

Project structure

rz/
├── crates/
│   ├── rz-protocol/        # @@RZ: wire format
│   ├── rz-cli/
│   │   ├── main.rs           # CLI + auto-detect backend
│   │   ├── backend.rs        # Backend trait (CmuxBackend, ZellijBackend)
│   │   ├── pty.rs            # PTY agent (no multiplexer needed)
│   │   ├── cmux.rs           # cmux socket client
│   │   ├── zellij.rs         # zellij CLI wrapper
│   │   ├── nats_hub.rs       # NATS (JetStream + core)
│   │   ├── registry.rs       # ~/.rz/registry.json
│   │   ├── mailbox.rs        # File-based message store
│   │   ├── bootstrap.rs      # Agent bootstrap message
│   │   └── log.rs            # @@RZ: message extraction
│   └── rz-hub/               # Zellij WASM plugin (optional)
└── Makefile

Credits

Forked from rz by @HodlOg. Zellij support based on meepo/rz.

License

MIT OR Apache-2.0

rz-agent 0.7.5

rz