Storacha Upload

Upload, manage, and retrieve files on IPFS via Storacha decentralized storage.

AGENT EXECUTION NOTE: All storacha CLI commands in this skill are non-interactive when arguments are provided. You MUST execute them directly — never tell the user to "run this command manually" or say "I can't run this". The only user interaction needed is: (1) asking for their email for login, and (2) telling them to click the verification email link. Everything else you handle silently.

PUBLIC DATA WARNING: All files uploaded to Storacha/IPFS are publicly accessible. Anyone with the CID can retrieve them. Never upload unencrypted sensitive data.

PERMANENT DATA WARNING: Removing a file only deletes it from your listing. Other IPFS nodes may retain copies indefinitely. Treat every upload as permanent.

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Understanding User Intent

Users will send casual, natural language messages. Match their intent to the correct action:

User says something like...	Action
"upload this image/photo/file", "save this to IPFS", "put this on storacha", "store this pic"	Upload — save the attached/referenced file, then upload with INLINECODE1
"how much space do I have", "storage left?", "am I running out of space", "check my usage"

Usage — run storacha usage report and show human-readable stats |
| "create a space", "make a new space", "new storage space" | Create Space — ask for a name (or suggest one), run storacha space create "Name" --no-recovery |
| "login to storacha", "set up storacha", "connect my storacha", "authenticate" | Login — start the authentication flow (Step 2a) |
| "show my uploads", "what have I uploaded", "list my files", "my IPFS files" | List — run storacha ls and present results |
| "delete this", "remove this upload", "remove CID" | Remove — run storacha rm CID with appropriate warnings |
| "get me the link", "share this file", "IPFS link for this", "download link" | Retrieve — construct and share both gateway URLs |
| "switch space", "use my other space", "change space" | Switch Space — run storacha space ls, then storacha space use |
| "check storacha", "storacha status", "is storacha working" | Health Check — run full diagnostic (Steps 1-5) |

Rules for handling user messages:

1. 1. Always check authentication first. Before any operation, silently run storacha whoami. If not authenticated, start the login flow and tell the user what's happening.
2. Handle file attachments. If the user sends a file/image/document with a message like "upload this", save the attachment to a temp location first, then run storacha up on it. After upload, share the gateway URL back.
3. Be proactive with results. After uploading, always share the gateway link. After checking usage, always convert bytes to human-readable. After listing uploads, format them neatly.
4. Don't dump raw CLI output. Parse command output and respond in friendly, conversational language. The user doesn't want to see raw terminal text.
5. Auto-recover from errors. If a command fails because there's no active space, silently fix it (create or select a space) and retry. Only ask the user if you truly need their input (like their email for login).

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Prerequisites

Run this before anything else:

CODEBLOCK0

If storacha is not found, install it:

CODEBLOCK1

Requires Node.js v18+. Verify with node -v. If missing or outdated, direct the user to nodejs.org.

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First-Time Setup & Authentication

Complete these steps in order before any upload operation.

Step 1 — Check CLI Installation

CODEBLOCK2

Expected output:
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If missing, install:
CODEBLOCK4

Then re-run the check. If install fails, verify Node.js v18+ is available.

Step 2 — Check Authentication

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If output contains did:key: → authenticated. Proceed to Step 3.

If error or no DID → not logged in. Go to Step 2a.

Step 2a — Login Flow

This is a conversation with the user. The user may be chatting from Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, or any other platform. Guide them through each step and wait for their response before moving on.

Step A — Ask for email:

If the user hasn't provided their email yet, ask:

"To use Storacha, I need to log you in. What's your email address? If you don't have a Storacha account yet, you can sign up for free at https://console.storacha.network and then give me your email."

If the user already provided their email (e.g. "login to storacha, my email is user@example.com"), skip asking and go straight to Step B.

DO NOT proceed until you have the user's email address.

Step B — Run login:

IMPORTANT: The storacha login command is NOT interactive when you pass the email as an argument. You MUST run it directly. Do NOT tell the user to run it manually. Do NOT say you can't run it. YOU run it.

CODEBLOCK6

Replace user@example.com with the actual email the user gave you. This command:

• - Takes the email as a command-line argument (no prompts, no interactive input needed)
• Sends a verification email automatically
• Blocks (waits) until the user clicks the link in their email
• Returns Agent was authorized by did:mailto:... on success

Right after running the command, message the user:

"I've started the login process. A verification link has been sent to user@example.com. Please check your inbox (and spam folder) and click the link. I'm waiting for confirmation."

DO NOT run any other commands while waiting. The CLI will automatically detect when the user clicks the link.

Step C — Handle new accounts:

If this is the user's first time, they may need to select a plan after clicking the verification link. Inform them:

"Since this is your first login, you may be asked to pick a plan on the page that opens. Here are your options:"

Plan	Price	Storage	Egress	Overage
Mild (Free)	$0/month	5 GB	5 GB	$0.15/GB
Medium

$10/month | 100 GB | 100 GB | $0.05/GB |
| Extra Spicy | $100/month | 2 TB | 2 TB | $0.03/GB |

"The free Mild plan gives you 5 GB which is enough to get started."

Step D — Confirm success:

After the CLI returns successfully, verify by running:

CODEBLOCK7

If it returns a did:key: value, tell the user:

"You're all set! Successfully logged in to Storacha."

If it fails, ask the user to try clicking the verification link again or check if they used the correct email.

Step 3 — Check Spaces

CODEBLOCK8

Expected output:
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The * marks the active space.

• - If spaces exist with * marker → active space is set. Proceed to Step 4.
• If no spaces exist → automatically create one:

  storacha space create "MyFiles" --no-recovery
  

Then tell the user: > "I've created a storage space called 'MyFiles' for you. This is where your uploads will be stored."

Space names are permanent and cannot be changed.

• - If spaces exist but none is active → pick the first one and activate it:

  storacha space use "SpaceName"
  

Then tell the user:
> "I've set 'SpaceName' as your active storage space."

Handle all of this silently without asking the user to run commands. The user is chatting — they expect you to do the work and just confirm what happened.

Step 4 — Verify Provider Registration

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Expected output includes:
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If no provider is listed, the space is not registered. Direct the user to https://console.storacha.network to register the space, or create a new space.

Step 5 — Check Storage Usage

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Expected output format:
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Parse the Size value and convert to human-readable format:

• - < 1024 → bytes
• < 1,048,576 → KB
• < 1,073,741,824 → MB
• >= 1,073,741,824 → GB

Present a status dashboard to the user:

CODEBLOCK16

If storage is above 80% of plan limit, warn the user and suggest upgrading or removing old uploads.

If the usage report returns a permission error, inform the user but note that uploads may still work.

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Core Operations

Upload a File

When a user asks to upload something (file, image, photo, document, video, etc.):

1. 1. If the user attached a file — save it to a temp location (e.g. /tmp/upload/filename.ext)
2. If the user referenced a file path — use that path directly
3. Silently verify auth and active space — run storacha whoami and storacha space ls. Fix any issues without bothering the user.
4. Upload:

CODEBLOCK17

1. 5. Parse the output and respond conversationally:

"Done! Your file is uploaded to IPFS. Here's your link:
https://storacha.link/ipfs/bafy...
Anyone with this link can access the file."

Always provide both gateway URL styles:

• - Path style: INLINECODE23
• Subdomain style: INLINECODE24

If uploading an image/photo, also mention:

"You can share this link directly — it works in any browser."

Upload a Directory

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• - Dotfiles (hidden files) are excluded by default. Use --hidden to include them.
• Use --no-wrap to upload without wrapping in a directory (loses filename in URL).

For directory uploads, files are accessible at:
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List Uploads

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Displays all uploads in the current space with their CIDs.

Remove an Upload

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To also remove underlying data shards:
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Warn the user: removal only deletes from your listing. The data may persist on other IPFS nodes indefinitely.

Retrieve / Open a File

Open in browser:
CODEBLOCK23

Download programmatically:
CODEBLOCK24

Subdomain style:

curl -o output.txt "https://CID.ipfs.storacha.link"

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Space Management

Create a space:

storacha space create "ProjectName" --no-recovery

IMPORTANT: Always use --no-recovery flag. Without it, the CLI prompts interactively for a recovery key which will hang in non-interactive environments. Space names are permanent and cannot be changed after creation.

List all spaces:

storacha space ls

The active space is marked with *.

Switch active space:

storacha space use "SpaceName"

Or by DID:
CODEBLOCK29

View space details:

storacha space info

Shows the space DID and registered providers.

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Sharing & Delegation

Create a UCAN delegation for another agent:
CODEBLOCK31

Full admin delegation:
CODEBLOCK32

List active delegations:

storacha delegation ls

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Error Handling

1. 1. "command not found: storacha" → Install CLI: INLINECODE29
2. "no proofs available for resource" → Re-login with storacha login EMAIL or switch spaces with INLINECODE31
3. "Not registered with provider" → Run storacha space info to check providers. Re-register at https://console.storacha.network or create a new space.
4. Upload hangs or times out → Check internet connection. Retry the upload. For large files, ensure stable connectivity.
5. "usage/report" permission error → This is informational only. Uploads should still work. Proceed with the operation.
6. "no spaces" or empty space list → Create a space: INLINECODE33
7. Storage limit errors → Upgrade plan at https://console.storacha.network or remove old uploads: INLINECODE34

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Quick Reference

Action	Command
Install CLI	INLINECODE35
Login

storacha login user@email.com | | Check identity | storacha whoami | | Create space | storacha space create "Name" --no-recovery (always use --no-recovery) | | List spaces | storacha space ls | | Switch space | storacha space use "Name" | | Space details | storacha space info | | Upload file | storacha up /path/to/file | | Upload directory | storacha up /path/to/dir/ | | Upload without wrap | storacha up /path --no-wrap | | Upload with dotfiles | storacha up /path --hidden | | List uploads | storacha ls | | Remove upload | storacha rm CID | | Remove with shards | storacha rm CID --shards | | Open in browser | storacha open CID | | Check usage | storacha usage report | | Create delegation | storacha delegation create DID --can store/add --output file.ucan | | List delegations | storacha delegation ls |

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Important Notes

• - Authentication is email-based using DIDs and UCAN. There are no API keys or tokens.
• Spaces are storage namespaces identified by did:key. Each space tracks its own uploads independently.
• Content-addressing means every file gets a unique CID based on its contents. Identical files produce identical CIDs.
• Filecoin backup provides cryptographic proof of storage on the Filecoin network.
• Two gateway URL styles are available:

- Path: https://storacha.link/ipfs/CID - Subdomain: https://CID.ipfs.storacha.link

• - The current CLI binary is storacha. It was previously called w3 during the web3.storage era.