URL: /cli/channel

---
title: "channel"
icon: "bell"
description: "Run the Claude Code channel that pushes cloud audit events into a session"
---

The `channel` command starts a local stdio server that polls your organization's cloud notification feed and pushes `audit_complete`, `audit_failed` and `issues_detected` events into a running Claude Code session. Claude Code launches it from your MCP config. You rarely run it directly.

See the [Claude Code channel guide](/developers/channel) for setup, the development flag and the security model.

## Usage

```bash
squirrel channel [--interval <seconds>] [--categories <list>]
```

## Options

| Option | Default | Description |
|--------|---------|-------------|
| `--interval` | `30` | Seconds between polls of the cloud feed. From 5 to 86400. Backs off on `429` and `5xx`. |
| `--categories` | `audit_complete,audit_failed,issues_detected` | Comma-separated categories to deliver. |

## Authentication

The feed needs a login session from [`squirrel auth login`](/cli/auth). API keys cannot read it. Without a login the channel sends one `login_required` event and keeps running.

## State

Delivery state is stored per organization in `~/.squirrel/channel/`, so a restart catches up exactly once.

## Protocol version

The channel always connects with the 2025-era `initialize` handshake (MCP `2025-11-25` and earlier), even when the client supports `2026-07-28`. Claude Code registers a channel only over that handshake, so `squirrel channel` never offers the newer revision. [`squirrel mcp`](/cli/mcp#supported-protocol-versions) serves both.