Agent Reach

About

Agent Reach is a local CLI plus Agent Skill for giving shell-capable AI agents practical internet research access. The project describes itself as a selector, installer, health checker, and router: it installs and checks upstream tools, then the agent calls those upstream tools directly rather than going through a wrapper service.

Agent Reach should be categorized as a tools and skill-layer utility rather than a standalone MCP server. Its documentation does reference MCP-backed routes, including Exa search through mcporter, xiaohongshu-mcp for server-side XiaoHongShu access, and linkedin-scraper-mcp for fuller LinkedIn support.

Key Features

• Installs and health-checks access paths for web pages, YouTube, RSS, GitHub, Exa search, V2EX, Bilibili, Twitter/X, Reddit, XiaoHongShu, LinkedIn, Xueqiu, and Xiaoyuzhou podcast transcription where configured.
• Uses ordered backend lists per channel, with agent-reach doctor reporting which backend is active and what needs fixing.
• Registers a SKILL.md guide so compatible agents know when to call upstream commands such as Jina Reader via curl, gh CLI, yt-dlp, bili-cli, OpenCLI, twitter-cli, rdt-cli, feedparser, or mcporter.
• Provides safe and dry-run install modes for users who do not want automatic system changes.

Use Cases

• Give Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, OpenClaw, or another shell-capable agent a repeatable research setup.
• Read or summarize web pages, GitHub repositories, YouTube subtitles, Bilibili videos, RSS feeds, tweets, Reddit posts, XiaoHongShu notes, and other supported sources.
• Standardize a developer workstation or agent VM so the agent can diagnose which content channels work before a research task.

Compatibility

The official README documents Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, OpenClaw, Codex, and any agent that can execute shell commands. OpenClaw users must enable an exec-capable coding tool profile before installation. Claude Desktop setup is not documented in the official project sources reviewed.

Limitations

Agent Reach is not documented as a hosted service or a standalone MCP server with a public transport endpoint. Some channels require user-controlled credentials, browser cookies, browser sessions, QR login, or a separate API key. Cookie-based access can carry account-risk and credential-risk tradeoffs, so the project recommends using secondary accounts for platforms that require cookies. Browser actions such as form submission, multi-account isolation, and risk-control prompts are outside the core read/search scope.

Sources

• GitHub repository: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach
• English README: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/docs/README_en.md
• Install guide: https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/blob/main/docs/install.md
• Raw install guide: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/main/docs/install.md
• Update guide: https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/blob/main/docs/update.md
• Python project metadata: https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/pyproject.toml

MCP Setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• pipx recommended, or a Python virtual environment when pip is externally managed
• An AI agent or client that can execute shell commands
• OpenClaw users must enable an exec-capable coding tool profile before installation

Access requirements

• Core channels are documented as using open-source tools without paid API subscriptions
• Twitter/X, Reddit, XiaoHongShu, Xueqiu, and similar logged-in channels may require cookies or browser sessions
• GitHub private repository access and write actions require gh CLI authentication
• Xiaoyuzhou podcast transcription requires a Groq API key
• A proxy may be needed on networks that block Reddit or Twitter/X, or when server IPs are restricted

Companion app or plugin

Name: OpenCLI Chrome extension Install URL: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/opencli/ildkmabpimmkaediidaifkhjpohdnifk

• Install the OpenCLI channel with Agent Reach when desktop browser-session access is needed.
• Open the Chrome Web Store listing and click Add to Chrome.
• Run opencli doctor and confirm that the extension is connected.

Optional companion for OpenCLI-backed desktop channels such as XiaoHongShu, Reddit, Bilibili subtitles, and Twitter fallback. It is not required for the core Agent Reach install.

Client setup

Claude Code

npx skills add Panniantong/Agent-Reach@agent-reach

• Run the documented Skill install command in an environment where Claude Code can use Skills.
• The Skill auto-detects whether the agent-reach CLI is available and installs it if needed.
• Run agent-reach doctor after installation to verify available channels.

Auth:

• Follow channel-specific prompts from agent-reach doctor for cookies, browser sessions, GitHub auth, Groq key, or proxy only when needed.

The project documents Agent Reach as a Skill and installer. It is not documented as a standalone MCP server transport.

Cursor

pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip

• Run pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip.
• Run agent-reach install --env=auto.
• Run agent-reach doctor to see which channels are ready.

Auth:

• Configure optional logged-in channels only when needed, using browser cookies, OpenCLI sessions, rdt login, gh auth, QR login, or agent-reach configure commands as documented.

Exact Cursor MCP JSON configuration is not documented. Official docs describe using any agent that can execute shell commands.

Windsurf

pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip

• Run pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip.
• Run agent-reach install --env=auto.
• Run agent-reach doctor to verify channel status.

Auth:

• Use the channel-specific authentication steps reported by agent-reach doctor for optional platforms.

Exact Windsurf MCP configuration is not documented. Official docs describe shell-command based use.

Codex

pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip

• Run pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip.
• Run agent-reach install --env=auto.
• Run agent-reach doctor before relying on a channel.

Auth:

• Add cookies, browser sessions, GitHub authentication, Groq key, or proxy settings only for channels that require them.

Exact Codex MCP configuration is not documented. Official docs describe use by shell-capable agents.

Other

pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip

• Use this path for shell-capable agents that are not listed by name.
• Run pipx install https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/archive/main.zip.
• Run agent-reach install --env=auto.
• Run agent-reach doctor and follow the reported fixes.

Auth:

• For OpenClaw, enable exec first with openclaw config set tools.profile coding, then restart the Gateway and start a new conversation.
• For optional logged-in sources, provide only the credentials or browser actions requested by the documented channel.

The official README specifically mentions OpenClaw and any agent that can execute shell commands.

Authorization flow

• Run agent-reach doctor after installation to see which channels are available and which need user action.
• For cookie-based platforms, log into the website in the browser, export a Header String with Cookie-Editor, then save it with the relevant agent-reach configure command.
• Local desktop users can use agent-reach configure --from-browser chrome for Twitter/X, XiaoHongShu, and Xueqiu cookies where supported.
• For Reddit, use OpenCLI browser session on desktop or rdt login for rdt-cli.
• For server-side XiaoHongShu, use xiaohongshu-mcp with QR login and connect it through mcporter.
• For GitHub private repositories or write actions, authenticate the gh CLI.
• For Xiaoyuzhou podcast transcription, create a Groq API key and save it with agent-reach configure groq-key.

Environment variables

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Setup docs: https://github.com/Panniantong/agent-reach/blob/main/docs/install.md