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private-connect skill

/skills/dantelex/private-connect

This skill helps you access private services by name from anywhere without VPN or SSH, enabling quick sharing and joining of environments.

npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill private-connect

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)
SKILL.md
1.9 KB
---
name: private-connect
description: Access private services by name, from anywhere. No VPN or SSH tunnels.
homepage: https://privateconnect.co
repository: https://github.com/treadiehq/private-connect
author: Treadie
gating:
  binary: connect
---

# Private Connect

Access private services by name, from anywhere. No VPN or SSH tunnels needed.

## What it does

Private Connect lets you reach private infrastructure (databases, APIs, GPU clusters) using simple names instead of IPs and ports. Share your dev environment with teammates in seconds.

## Commands

### connect_reach
Connect to a private service by name.

**Examples:**
- "Connect me to the staging database"
- "Reach the prod API"
- "Connect to jupyter-gpu"

### connect_status
Show available services and their connection status.

**Examples:**
- "What services are available?"
- "Show my connected services"
- "Is the staging database online?"

### connect_share
Share your current environment with a teammate.

**Examples:**
- "Share my environment"
- "Create a share link that expires in 7 days"
- "Share my setup with the team for a week"

### connect_join
Join a shared environment from a teammate.

**Examples:**
- "Join share code x7k9m2"
- "Connect to Bob's environment"

### connect_clone
Clone a teammate's entire environment setup.

**Examples:**
- "Clone Alice's environment"
- "Set up my environment like the senior dev"

### connect_list_shares
List active environment shares.

**Examples:**
- "Show my active shares"
- "What environments am I sharing?"

### connect_revoke
Revoke a shared environment.

**Examples:**
- "Revoke share x7k9m2"
- "Stop sharing with the contractor"

## Setup

1. Install Private Connect:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://privateconnect.co/install.sh | bash
```

2. Authenticate:
```bash
connect up
```

3. The skill will use your authenticated session.

## Requirements

- Private Connect CLI installed and authenticated
- `connect` command available in PATH

Overview

This skill provides seamless access to private services by name from anywhere without VPNs or SSH tunnels. It turns databases, APIs, Jupyter/GPU hosts, and other private infrastructure into simple named endpoints you can connect to, share, and clone for collaboration.

How this skill works

The skill uses the Private Connect CLI session to map service names to secure, ephemeral connections and routes traffic through the authenticated agent. You issue commands to reach services, list status, create share links, join shared environments, clone setups, and revoke access. All actions rely on an installed and authenticated connect command in your PATH.

When to use it

  • Connect to private databases or APIs without exposing IPs or opening firewalls
  • Share a running dev environment with a teammate for debugging or pair programming
  • Quickly join a coworker’s environment to reproduce issues or continue work
  • Clone a senior engineer’s environment setup to match dependencies and configuration
  • Audit or list currently available private services and active shares

Best practices

  • Install and authenticate the Private Connect CLI before use and keep the client updated
  • Use short-lived share links with explicit expiry to limit blast radius
  • Name services consistently (e.g., staging-db, prod-api, jupyter-gpu) for easier discovery
  • Revoke shares promptly when collaboration ends or when access is no longer required
  • Verify service status with connect_status before attempting connections to reduce troubleshooting time

Example use cases

  • Connect to staging database by name to run migrations without exposing the database port
  • Share your Jupyter GPU session with a teammate to jointly train a model for a few hours
  • Join a colleague’s environment to reproduce a bug that only appears in their configuration
  • Clone an expert’s development environment to ensure dependency parity for a critical release
  • List all active shares before a security review to confirm no unintended exposures

FAQ

What do I need to use this skill?

You need the Private Connect CLI installed and authenticated, and the connect command must be available in your PATH.

Can I control how long a share link remains valid?

Yes. When creating a share you can specify an expiration (for example, 7 days) so the link automatically expires.