Workaround: Rust-based channel servers work reliably with --dangerously-load-development-channels

Summary

We've confirmed that --dangerously-load-development-channels server:<name> reliably activates channel routing for MCP servers registered in .mcp.json, while --channels plugin:<name>@<marketplace> has multiple open bugs (#36503, #36477, #38259, #37072, #37026, #38098).

This workaround enabled us to build and ship two open-source Rust channel servers that work end-to-end with Claude Code 2.1.92:

1. hdcd-telegram — Telegram channel

Drop-in replacement for telegram@claude-plugins-official. Built in Rust for multi-agent fleet scenarios where 10+ agents each spawn their own MCP subprocess:

• 3.5 MB binary, ~5 MB RAM (vs ~100 MB Bun runtime)
• Full feature parity: 8 message types, 4 tools, access control, permission relay, voice transcription
• Compatible with existing access.json — zero migration

2. hyperdev-channels — Agent-to-agent messaging

Inter-agent coordination daemon using the same claude/channel MCP capability. Agents on different machines communicate over a mesh VPN via HTTP, with messages surfacing as <channel> tags in each agent's session.

Setup (both)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram": {
      "command": "/path/to/hdcd-telegram"
    },
    "hyperdev-channels": {
      "command": "/path/to/hdcd",
      "args": ["--mode", "stdio", "--identity", "my-agent"]
    }
  }
}

claude --dangerously-load-development-channels server:hyperdev-channels server:telegram

Why this matters

The --channels plugin: bugs effectively block the entire channel ecosystem for anyone building custom integrations. The --dangerously-load-development-channels server: path bypasses the plugin resolution layer and works. It would help the community if this workaround were documented officially, or if the underlying --channels bugs were prioritized.

Both projects are Apache-2.0.