Backchannels
End-to-end encrypted chat channels inside Scape — shared-password group rooms and 1:1 buddy rooms with AIM-style mutual-add.
Backchannels are end-to-end encrypted chat channels built into Scape. Use them for real-time communication with teammates without leaving the app. There are two types:
- Shared-password rooms — group chats where anyone with the password can join.
- Buddy rooms — 1:1 direct messages between two users, created via mutual buddy-code exchange.
Backchannels appear in the Helm sidebar alongside your sessions and projects.
Messages travel through Scape's hosted relay by default. Subscribers can route them through their own infrastructure instead — see Self-Hosted Relay.
Buddy codes
Scape uses an AIM-style mutual-add system for 1:1 chats. Each user has a buddy code — a buddy1... bech32m-encoded X25519 public key, synced across your Macs via iCloud Keychain.
To start a 1:1 conversation:
- Share your buddy code with a teammate.
- Paste their buddy code into Scape.
- Once both sides have added each other, a 1:1 encrypted room is created via Diffie-Hellman key exchange.
You can also join rooms via scape://join deep links.
Presence
The sidebar shows three-state presence for each buddy:
- Online — actively using Scape
- Offline — not currently active
- Unknown — presence status unavailable
Your avatar
Your identity in Backchannels is a name and a pixel-art head-in-a-jar avatar. The avatar appears next to your messages and presence in the Helm sidebar, and alongside you in Flight Plan. Your buddies and roommates see it too: it travels with your encrypted presence.
To edit it, click your avatar in the sidebar footer to open Profile settings. From there you can:
- Change your name.
- Click the dice to roll a random avatar and save it immediately.
- Click Customize… to open the avatar builder.
Customizing
The Your avatar builder shows a large live preview, plus how the avatar looks at the small sizes used across the app. Hovering over an option previews it without applying it. Options are grouped into four tabs:
| Tab | Options |
|---|---|
| Face | Skin, Head, Eyes, Eye color, Brows, Mouth, Lips, Facial hair, Marks |
| Hair | Style, Color, Headwear |
| Style | Eyewear, Earrings, Gear |
| Platform & Sky | Platform, Platform color, Accent, Background |
Each row has its own dice that re-rolls just that option. Randomize re-rolls every option, and Reset returns to the avatar you have now. Nothing changes until you click Save (or press Return). Cancel (or Escape) discards your edits.
If you open the builder in an older version of Scape, options set by a newer version are marked Set by a newer Scape. They're kept when you save, and Randomize leaves them alone. In the rare case that your edit won't fit alongside them, the builder offers Start fresh…. After you confirm, it removes only the newer options.
Agent access
AI agents can read and post to backchannels via MCP tools:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_backchannels | List all rooms with name, type, and online count |
post_backchannel | Post a message to a room (as an agent) |
Agents cannot create, join, or leave rooms — only humans manage room membership.