Building channels & packages

Once the assistant has explored your library and previewed a filter, it can actually build. Every write tool is needsApproval: true (agent-tools.ts:117-165), so the chat pauses and renders an Approve / Deny card before anything touches the database — nothing is written behind your back. This page breaks down each write tool and what it does for you.

Channel writes

create_channel

Creates a channel from a name, media source, media types, and a filter tree (plus optional ordering, package, number, callsign, icon, tint, description). What it does for you: turns "make me a 90s action channel" into a real, scheduled channel — but only after it has tested the filter with preview_filter, and only after you approve.

update_channel

A partial patch — you pass only the fields to change (number, package, enabled, filter, sort, tint, name, …). What it does for you: "move channel 12 into the Kids package," "rename this to Retro Toons," "tighten this filter" — targeted edits that leave everything else untouched.

delete_channel

Removes a channel. What it does for you: clears out a channel you no longer want — with an Approve / Deny gate so it never happens by accident.

update_channels (bulk)

Moves a set of channels to a package (or unassigns them) and/or enables / disables them in one shot. What it does for you: "put all my news channels in one package," "disable everything in the Sports package for now" — sweeping reorganizations without editing each channel by hand.

renumber_channels (bulk)

Sets channel numbers in bulk from an id → number mapping. What it does for you: "renumber the movie channels to start at 200" — a clean re-lay of your dial in a single approved step.

Package writes

create_package

Creates a package — a named group of channels, with optional description, icon, and tint. What it does for you: gives your lineup structure ("Kids," "Movies," "Late Night") that viewers see in the guide.

update_package

Edits a package's name, description, or appearance. What it does for you: rebrand or restyle a group without disturbing the channels inside it.

delete_package

Deletes a package; its channels become unassigned rather than deleted. What it does for you: dissolve a group you don't need while keeping the channels themselves safe.

Undo everything the AI made

clear_ai_generated

Deletes everything the assistant (or the lineup builder) created — scoped to channels, packages, or both. What it does for you: a clean, one-shot undo. Experiment freely: if you don't like what the AI produced, wipe only its work and start over.

This works because everything the assistant creates is stamped aiGenerated = true (createChannel, tools.ts:308; createPackage, tools.ts:387). That stamp is what lets clear_ai_generated delete only the rows the AI made, leaving your hand-made and preset channels and packages completely untouched (clearAiGenerated, tools.ts:411-421).

How approval works

Every tool in this list carries needsApproval: true. In the chat, that surfaces as an "Apply this change?" card with Approve / Deny — approving resumes the turn and runs the tool; denying leaves nothing changed. The mechanics of that flow (and why the decision reliably posts back rather than hanging) are covered in Using the chat.

The autonomous AI lineup builder calls these same service functions directly, without the approval wrapper — it runs unattended. Both paths stamp aiGenerated, so clear_ai_generated reverses whatever either one made. See Assistant vs the lineup builder.

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See also: Exploring your library · Using the chat · Channels · Packages