Inkbox Skill

API-first communication infrastructure for AI agents — email, phone, encrypted vault, and identities.

Requirements

• INKBOX_API_KEY — Inkbox API key
• node on PATH (Node.js 18+)
• INKBOX_AGENT_HANDLE is optional; use it when already configured, otherwise ask the user which identity handle to use or create

Runtime setup

Do not assume @inkbox/sdk is already installed in the skill folder.

When the SDK is missing, prefer a temporary disposable Node directory over modifying the workspace or skill folder. Use a flow like:

1. Create a temporary directory
2. Run npm init -y
3. Run npm install @inkbox/sdk
4. Write a small .mjs script there
5. Run it with node

Only install dependencies into the skill folder or workspace if the user explicitly asks.

Use .mjs scripts with standard ESM imports. Avoid relying on tsx --eval or top-level-await snippets that may be runtime-fragile.

Install & Init

npm install @inkbox/sdk

Requires Node.js ≥ 18. ESM module — no context manager needed:

import { Inkbox } from "@inkbox/sdk";

const inkbox = new Inkbox({ apiKey: process.env.INKBOX_API_KEY });

Constructor options: { apiKey: string, baseUrl?: string, timeoutMs?: number }

Core Model

Inkbox (org-level client)
├── .createIdentity(handle) → Promise\x3CAgentIdentity>
├── .getIdentity(handle)    → Promise\x3CAgentIdentity>
├── .listIdentities()       → Promise\x3CAgentIdentitySummary[]>
├── .mailboxes              → MailboxesResource
├── .phoneNumbers           → PhoneNumbersResource
├── .vault                  → VaultResource
└── .createSigningKey()     → Promise\x3CSigningKey>

AgentIdentity (identity-scoped helper)
├── .mailbox                → IdentityMailbox | null
├── .phoneNumber            → IdentityPhoneNumber | null
├── .getCredentials()       → Promise\x3CCredentials>  (requires vault unlocked)
├── mail methods            (requires assigned mailbox)
└── phone methods           (requires assigned phone number)

An identity must have a channel assigned before you can use mail/phone methods. If not assigned, an InkboxAPIError is thrown.

Identities

const identity = await inkbox.createIdentity("sales-agent");
const identity = await inkbox.getIdentity("sales-agent");
const identities = await inkbox.listIdentities();   // AgentIdentitySummary[]

await identity.update({ newHandle: "new-name" });   // rename
await identity.update({ status: "paused" });         // or "active"
await identity.refresh();                            // re-fetch from API, updates cached channels
await identity.delete();                             // unlinks channels

If INKBOX_AGENT_HANDLE is not configured, ask the user for the handle to use.

After creating a new identity:

• show the handle and mailbox address to the user
• ask whether they want to save the handle in skills.entries.\x3Cskill>.env.INKBOX_AGENT_HANDLE
• do not store the API key in plaintext config; prefer skills.entries.\x3Cskill>.apiKey with a SecretRef to INKBOX_API_KEY

Channel Management

// Create and auto-link new channels
const mailbox  = await identity.createMailbox({ displayName: "Sales Agent" });
const phone    = await identity.provisionPhoneNumber({ type: "toll_free" });   // or type: "local", state: "NY"

console.log(mailbox.emailAddress);   // e.g. "[email protected]"
console.log(phone.number);           // e.g. "+18005551234"

// Link existing channels
await identity.assignMailbox("mailbox-uuid");
await identity.assignPhoneNumber("phone-number-uuid");

// Unlink without deleting
await identity.unlinkMailbox();
await identity.unlinkPhoneNumber();

Mail

Send

Before sending, confirm recipients, subject, and body with the user.

const sent = await identity.sendEmail({
  to: ["[email protected]"],
  subject: "Hello",
  bodyText: "Hi there!",           // plain text (optional)
  bodyHtml: "\x3Cp>Hi there!\x3C/p>",    // HTML (optional)
  cc: ["[email protected]"],          // optional
  bcc: ["[email protected]"],        // optional
  inReplyToMessageId: sent.id,     // for threaded replies
  attachments: [{                  // optional
    filename: "report.pdf",
    contentType: "application/pdf",
    contentBase64: "\x3Cbase64>",
  }],
});

Read

// Iterate all messages — auto-paginated async generator
for await (const msg of identity.iterEmails()) {
  console.log(msg.subject, msg.fromAddress, msg.isRead);
}

// Filter by direction
for await (const msg of identity.iterEmails({ direction: "inbound" })) {   // or "outbound"
  ...
}

// Unread only (client-side filtered)
for await (const msg of identity.iterUnreadEmails()) {
  ...
}

// Mark as read
const ids = [];
for await (const msg of identity.iterUnreadEmails()) ids.push(msg.id);
await identity.markEmailsRead(ids);

// Get full thread (oldest-first)
const thread = await identity.getThread(msg.threadId);
for (const m of thread.messages) {
  console.log(`[${m.fromAddress}] ${m.subject}`);
}

Search

// Org-level mailbox search
const results = await inkbox.mailboxes.search(identity.mailbox.emailAddress, {
  q: "invoice",
  limit: 20,
});

This operation requires the identity to already have a mailbox provisioned.

Phone

// Place outbound call — stream audio via WebSocket
const call = await identity.placeCall({
  toNumber: "+15167251294",
  clientWebsocketUrl: "wss://your-agent.example.com/ws",
});
console.log(call.status);
console.log(call.rateLimit.callsRemaining);   // rolling 24h budget

// List calls (offset pagination)
const calls = await identity.listCalls({ limit: 10, offset: 0 });
for (const c of calls) {
  console.log(c.id, c.direction, c.remotePhoneNumber, c.status);
}

// Transcript segments (ordered by seq)
const segments = await identity.listTranscripts(calls[0].id);
for (const t of segments) {
  console.log(`[${t.party}] ${t.text}`);   // party: "local" or "remote"
}

Always confirm before placing a call.

Vault

Encrypted credential vault with client-side Argon2id key derivation and AES-256-GCM encryption. The server never sees plaintext secrets. Requires hash-wasm (included as a dependency).

Unlock & Read

import type { LoginPayload, APIKeyPayload, SSHKeyPayload, OtherPayload } from "@inkbox/sdk";

// Unlock with a vault key — derives key via Argon2id, decrypts all secrets
const unlocked = await inkbox.vault.unlock("my-Vault-key-01!");

// Optionally filter to secrets an agent identity has access to
const unlocked = await inkbox.vault.unlock("my-Vault-key-01!", { identityId: "agent-uuid" });

// All decrypted secrets from the unlock bundle
for (const secret of unlocked.secrets) {
  console.log(secret.name, secret.secretType);
  console.log(secret.payload);   // LoginPayload, APIKeyPayload, SSHKeyPayload, or OtherPayload
}

// Fetch and decrypt a single secret by ID
const secret = await unlocked.getSecret("secret-uuid");
const login = secret.payload as LoginPayload;
console.log(login.username, login.password);

Create & Update

// Create a login secret (secretType inferred from payload shape)
await unlocked.createSecret({
  name: "AWS Production",
  description: "Production IAM user",
  payload: { password: "s3cret", username: "admin", url: "https://aws.amazon.com" },
});

// Create an API key secret
await unlocked.createSecret({
  name: "GitHub PAT",
  payload: { apiKey: "ghp_xxx" },
});

// Create an SSH key secret
await unlocked.createSecret({
  name: "Deploy Key",
  payload: { privateKey: "-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----..." },
});

// Create a freeform secret
await unlocked.createSecret({
  name: "Misc",
  payload: { data: "any freeform content" },
});

// Update name/description and/or re-encrypt payload
await unlocked.updateSecret("secret-uuid", { name: "New Name" });
await unlocked.updateSecret("secret-uuid", {
  payload: { password: "new", username: "new" },
});

// Delete
await unlocked.deleteSecret("secret-uuid");

Metadata (no unlock needed)

const info    = await inkbox.vault.info();                                  // VaultInfo
const keys    = await inkbox.vault.listKeys();                              // VaultKey[]
const keys    = await inkbox.vault.listKeys({ keyType: "recovery" });       // filter by type
const secrets = await inkbox.vault.listSecrets();                           // VaultSecret[] (metadata only)
const secrets = await inkbox.vault.listSecrets({ secretType: "login" });    // filter by type
await inkbox.vault.deleteSecret("secret-uuid");                             // delete without unlocking

Payload Types

secretType is immutable after creation. To change it, delete and recreate.

Agent Credentials (identity-scoped)

Agent-facing credential access — typed, identity-scoped. The vault stays as the admin surface; identity.getCredentials() is the agent runtime surface.

import type { Credentials } from "@inkbox/sdk";

// Unlock the vault first (stores state on the client)
await inkbox.vault.unlock("my-Vault-key-01!");

const identity = await inkbox.getIdentity("support-bot");
const creds = await identity.getCredentials();

// Discovery — returns DecryptedVaultSecret[] with name/metadata
const allCreds = creds.list();
const logins   = creds.listLogins();
const apiKeys  = creds.listApiKeys();
const sshKeys  = creds.listSshKeys();

// Access by UUID — returns typed payload directly
const login  = creds.getLogin("secret-uuid");    // → LoginPayload
const apiKey = creds.getApiKey("secret-uuid");    // → APIKeyPayload
const sshKey = creds.getSshKey("secret-uuid");    // → SSHKeyPayload

// Generic access — returns DecryptedVaultSecret
const secret = creds.get("secret-uuid");

• Requires inkbox.vault.unlock() first — throws InkboxAPIError if vault is not unlocked
• Results are filtered to secrets the identity has access to (via access rules)
• Cached after first call; call identity.refresh() to clear the cache
• get* throws Error if not found, TypeError if wrong secret type

One-Time Passwords (TOTP)

TOTP secrets are stored inside LoginPayload.totp in the encrypted vault. Codes are generated client-side — no server call needed.

From an agent identity (recommended)

import { parseTotpUri } from "@inkbox/sdk";
import type { LoginPayload } from "@inkbox/sdk";

// Create a login with TOTP
const secret = await identity.createSecret({
  name: "GitHub",
  payload: {
    username: "[email protected]",
    password: "s3cret",
    totp: parseTotpUri("otpauth://totp/GitHub:[email protected]?secret=JBSWY3DPEHPK3PXP&issuer=GitHub"),
  } satisfies LoginPayload,
});

// Generate TOTP code
const code = await identity.getTotpCode(secret.id);
console.log(code.code);              // e.g. "482901"
console.log(code.secondsRemaining);  // e.g. 17

// Add/replace TOTP on existing login
await identity.setTotp(secretId, "otpauth://totp/...?secret=...");

// Remove TOTP
await identity.removeTotp(secretId);

From the unlocked vault (org-level)

const unlocked = await inkbox.vault.unlock("my-Vault-key-01!");

// Same methods available on UnlockedVault
await unlocked.setTotp(secretId, totpConfigOrUri);
await unlocked.removeTotp(secretId);
const code = await unlocked.getTotpCode(secretId);

TOTPCode fields

Org-level Resources

Mailboxes (inkbox.mailboxes)

const mailboxes = await inkbox.mailboxes.list();
const mailbox   = await inkbox.mailboxes.get("[email protected]");
const mb        = await inkbox.mailboxes.create({ agentHandle: "support", displayName: "Support Inbox" });

await inkbox.mailboxes.update(mb.emailAddress, { displayName: "New Name" });
await inkbox.mailboxes.update(mb.emailAddress, { webhookUrl: "https://example.com/hook" });
await inkbox.mailboxes.update(mb.emailAddress, { webhookUrl: null });   // remove webhook

const results = await inkbox.mailboxes.search(mb.emailAddress, { q: "invoice", limit: 20 });
await inkbox.mailboxes.delete(mb.emailAddress);

Phone Numbers (inkbox.phoneNumbers)

const numbers = await inkbox.phoneNumbers.list();
const number  = await inkbox.phoneNumbers.get("phone-number-uuid");
const num     = await inkbox.phoneNumbers.provision({ agentHandle: "my-agent", type: "toll_free" });
const local   = await inkbox.phoneNumbers.provision({ agentHandle: "my-agent", type: "local", state: "NY" });

await inkbox.phoneNumbers.update(num.id, {
  incomingCallAction: "webhook",               // "webhook", "auto_accept", or "auto_reject"
  incomingCallWebhookUrl: "https://...",
});
await inkbox.phoneNumbers.update(num.id, {
  incomingCallAction: "auto_accept",
  clientWebsocketUrl: "wss://...",
});

const hits = await inkbox.phoneNumbers.searchTranscripts(num.id, { q: "refund", party: "remote", limit: 50 });
await inkbox.phoneNumbers.release(num.id);

Webhooks & Signature Verification

Webhooks are configured directly on the mailbox or phone number — no separate registration.

import { verifyWebhook } from "@inkbox/sdk";

// Rotate signing key (plaintext returned once — save it)
const key = await inkbox.createSigningKey();

// Verify an incoming webhook request
const valid = verifyWebhook({
  payload: req.body,                                           // Buffer or string
  headers: req.headers as Record\x3Cstring, string>,
  secret: "whsec_...",
});

Headers checked: x-inkbox-signature, x-inkbox-request-id, x-inkbox-timestamp. Algorithm: HMAC-SHA256 over "{requestId}.{timestamp}.{body}".

Error Handling

import { InkboxAPIError } from "@inkbox/sdk";

try {
  const identity = await inkbox.getIdentity("unknown");
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof InkboxAPIError) {
    console.log(e.statusCode);   // HTTP status (e.g. 404)
    console.log(e.detail);       // message from API
  }
}

• If Inkbox returns 401 Unauthorized, tell the user the API key was rejected and ask them to verify or rotate INKBOX_API_KEY
• If INKBOX_AGENT_HANDLE is missing, ask the user which identity to use or create one first
• If an operation needs mailbox or phone provisioning that does not yet exist, explain what is missing and stop before guessing

Key Conventions

• All method and property names are camelCase
• iterEmails() / iterUnreadEmails() return AsyncGenerator\x3CMessage> — use for await...of
• listCalls() returns Promise\x3CPhoneCall[]> — offset pagination, not a generator
• To clear a nullable field (e.g. webhook URL), pass field: null
• No context manager needed — new Inkbox({...}) is all that's required
• All methods are async and return Promises — always await them
• Confirm before sending emails or placing calls
• Thread IDs come from message objects (threadId)
• Message IDs can be used for inReplyToMessageId
• Phone numbers must be in E.164 format (for example +15551234567)
• The identity must have a phone number assigned for phone operations
• Call IDs from listCalls can be passed to listTranscripts