API Overview

Dinotty's external interfaces fall into three layers. This page helps you find the right API quickly.

Layers

Layer	Channel	Use case	Doc
Tabs & Panes API	HTTP REST	Create / close / rename tabs, split panes, move panes across tabs	tabs-panes-api.md
Open API	HTTP + WebSocket	Read and write existing terminals: byte streams (screen/scrollback/input/resize) + command-level semantics (run/send/read) + event subscription	open-api.md
Mission Control API	WebSocket (/ws/sync)	Programmatically open / navigate / close the MC overview	mission-control-api.md

Plus two standalone subsystem docs:

• Clipboard API - read the host's clipboard
• MCP Server - Model Context Protocol server

Find by scenario

I want to...

• Start a terminal tab from outside -> POST /api/tabs
• Connect to SSH and auto-open a tab -> POST /api/tabs/ssh/quick
• Split an existing terminal -> POST /api/tabs/:tab_id/pane
• Pull a pane into its own tab -> POST /api/tabs/extract
• Capture the current terminal screen -> GET /api/sessions/:pane_id/screen
• Inject characters into a terminal -> POST /api/sessions/:pane_id/input
• Run a command and get the exit code -> POST /api/sessions/:pane_id/run
• Subscribe to command-finished events -> WS /ws/events
• Open Mission Control remotely -> mission_control_op / toggle
• Jump to a specific workspace from MC -> mission_control_op / jump
• Read the host clipboard -> GET /api/clipboard
• Plug into Claude / LLM MCP clients -> MCP Server

Auth model

Dinotty's auth has two layers. Open API's run/send/read/WS /ws/events accept both credentials (dual-track auth):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Global Token / Session Cookie                                  │
│  - Master token configured at startup, or the cookie obtained   │
│    via POST /api/auth                                           │
│  - Covers: Tabs API, Open API (all endpoints), Clipboard,       │
│    Settings, Plugins - all /api/* endpoints                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         │  /api/sessions/{run,send,read} + /ws/events also accept
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Agent Token (dnt_*)                                            │
│  - Fine-grained token created via /api/tokens                   │
│  - Carries capabilities: terminal:read / terminal:write / etc.  │
│  - Covers: /api/sessions/{run,send,read}, /ws/events,           │
│    /api/tokens/*, /mcp/*                                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Mission Control flows through /ws/sync and uses the global token (query string ?token=<token>) or the session cookie.

Enable conditions

API	Enable condition
Tabs & Panes API	Always enabled (auth only)
Open API	Requires open_api.enabled = true in settings; run/send/read also accept Agent Token (capability check)
Mission Control API	Always enabled (over /ws/sync)
Clipboard	Always enabled; requires token or session + same-origin proof
MCP Server	Requires open_api.enabled = true and an Agent Token

Internals

For the "non-API" design layer - event system, permission model, audit logs:

• Event Bus - internal event bus
• Token Permission System - Agent Token capability model
• Audit Log & Webhook - operation audit log and external webhook delivery