What is cmd-ipc?

cmd-ipc is a TypeScript library for Inter-Process Communication (IPC) that provides a unified, type-safe command system for applications spanning multiple processes, workers, or services.

The Problem

Modern applications often need to communicate across boundaries:

• Electron apps send messages between main and renderer processes
• Web apps offload work to Web Workers for better performance
• Microservices communicate via HTTP or message queues
• AI agents call tools exposed by your application

Traditional approaches lead to type mismatches, boilerplate code for message serialization and routing, inconsistent patterns across different channels, and difficult debugging when messages get lost or malformed.

The Solution

cmd-ipc provides a Command Registry pattern that abstracts away the underlying transport while maintaining full type safety:

// Same API whether calling a local function, a Web Worker, or a remote service
const result = await registry.executeCommand('user.create', {
  name: 'John',
  email: 'john@example.com',
})

Key Benefits

• Type Safety — Full TypeScript inference with runtime validation using Valibot schemas
• Transport Agnostic — Same API for MessagePort, HTTP, WebSockets, or custom channels
• Automatic Routing — Commands route to the correct process without manual wiring
• Schema Discovery — Remote services expose their command schemas for type generation
• Event Broadcasting — Fire-and-forget events propagate to all connected processes