Build or review messaging agents with Photon Spectrum (`spectrum-ts`). Use for Spectrum setup, messages and content, spaces and users, provider capabilities, iMessage/WhatsApp/Terminal integrations, custom platforms, lifecycle, or production message-processing architecture.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/photon-hq/skills --skill spectrumSpectrum
Spectrum is Photon's unified messaging SDK. Write handler logic against one app.messages stream and deliver it through iMessage, WhatsApp Business, Terminal, or a custom provider. This skill targets spectrum-ts 12.2.0; its code samples are TypeScript.
Contract gate
Identify the provider and load its topic file before writing provider-specific code. A sample is complete only when every import, method, content shape, platform ID, fallback, and thrown error belongs to spectrum-ts 12.2.0 and the selected provider contract. The universal method existing does not prove that every provider implements it; read capability-semantics.md whenever support affects correctness.
How this skill is organized
Each topic lives in its own file in this directory. Read the file relevant to the user's question.
| File | When to consult |
|---|---|
getting-started.md |
Installation, the Spectrum() app instance, multi-platform setup, the four core primitives. |
messages.md |
Receiving messages, the Message shape, narrowing on content.type, filtering own messages. |
content.md |
Content builders for outgoing messages: text, markdown, attachment, voice, contact, richlink, app, poll, group, custom. |
spaces-and-users.md |
The Space interface, typing indicators, responding, creating DMs and groups. |
reactions-and-replies.md |
message.react(...), threaded message.reply(...), when to use which. |
capability-semantics.md |
Native support vs fallback, warn-and-skip, accepted no-op, and thrown errors. |
platform-narrowing.md |
Recovering platform-specific types from generic Spectrum primitives. |
providers/imessage.md |
iMessage — separate cloud/local providers, shared/dedicated cloud line model, per-phone routing, message effects, tapbacks. |
providers/terminal.md |
Terminal TUI provider — chat sidebar, reactions, replies, attachments, slash commands. |
providers/whatsapp-business.md |
WhatsApp Business Cloud API. 1:1 only. |
custom-events-and-lifecycle.md |
Per-provider event streams (app.typing, etc.), app.stop(), signal handling. |
custom-platforms.md |
Authoring your own provider with definePlatform — full field reference. |
best-practices.md |
Production architecture patterns Photon uses internally — debounce pipeline, in-flight cancellation, carry-forward, idempotent retries, per-resource memory, job-failure audit log. |