The connect clone command replicates a teammate’s environment by connecting to all their exposed services simultaneously.
Usage
connect clone <teammate> [options]
Arguments
Agent label or name of the teammate whose environment to clone
Options
--hub
string
default:"https://hub.privateconnect.co"
Hub server URL
--output
string
default:".env.pconnect"
Path to write generated environment variables
Skip .env file generation
Run tunnels in background (experimental)
Path to custom config file
Examples
Clone a Teammate’s Environment
Output:
🧬 Cloning environment from alex...
Found alex-macbook's environment:
● postgres → localhost:5432
● redis → localhost:6379
● api → localhost:8080
Connecting to services...
[ok] postgres → localhost:5432
[ok] redis → localhost:6379
[ok] api → localhost:8080
[ok] Cloned 3 service(s) from alex-macbook
Generated: .env.pconnect
Use with: source .env.pconnect or copy to your .env
Connection examples:
POSTGRES_URL=localhost:5432
REDIS_URL=localhost:6379
API_URL=localhost:8080
Press Ctrl+C to disconnect all services
Clone with Custom Output
connect clone staging-server --output .env.staging
Clone Without .env File
connect clone alex --no-env
List Available Teammates
Output:
👥 Teammates with clonable environments
● alex-macbook (Alex)
Services: 5 (5 online)
● postgres
● redis
● api
... and 2 more
● staging-server
Services: 3 (2 online)
● mongodb
● queue
○ worker
Clone with: connect clone <label>
Behavior
Environment Discovery
The command searches for agents by:
- Exact label match:
alex-macbook
- Exact name match:
Alex's MacBook
- Partial label match:
alex matches alex-macbook
All searches are case-insensitive.
Service Connection
For each service:
- Checks if service is online (has tunnel port)
- Attempts to use the service’s original port locally
- Auto-selects alternative port if conflict exists
- Creates TCP tunnel to the service
- Registers route in active routes for proxy
Port Conflict Resolution
Output:
Connecting to services...
[ok] postgres → localhost:15432 (was 5432)
[ok] redis → localhost:6379
[ok] api → localhost:8080
- Searches for next available port (starting at original + 1)
- Shows both the actual and intended ports
- Uses the same port consistently across sessions
Generated .env File
The .env.pconnect file contains:
# Private Connect - Cloned from alex-macbook
# Generated at 2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z
#
# Source these variables:
# source .env.pconnect
#
# Or copy the ones you need to your .env
# postgres
POSTGRES_HOST=localhost
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_URL=localhost:5432
# POSTGRES_DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/dbname
# redis
REDIS_HOST=localhost
REDIS_PORT=6379
REDIS_URL=localhost:6379
# REDIS_REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
# api
API_HOST=localhost
API_PORT=8080
API_URL=localhost:8080
# API_API_URL=http://localhost:8080
# Re-clone anytime with: connect clone alex-macbook
Shell State Integration
The command updates ~/.privateconnect/shell-state.json for shell prompt integration:
{
"services": [
{"name": "postgres", "port": 5432},
{"name": "redis", "port": 6379},
{"name": "api", "port": 8080}
],
"workingDir": "/Users/alex/project"
}
Exit Codes
0 - Successfully cloned and disconnected1 - Teammate not found, network error, or no services available
Use Cases
Onboarding
New team member clones the standard dev environment:
connect clone staging-env
source .env.pconnect
npm run dev
Debugging Production Issues
Clone production-like environment from teammate:
connect clone prod-replica
psql -h localhost -p 5432 < debug.sql
Testing Against Real Services
connect clone integration-server
npm run test:integration
Multi-Service Development
Access entire microservices stack:
connect clone backend-services
# Now you have: api, auth, payments, notifications, etc.
Troubleshooting
Teammate Not Found
Output:
[x] Could not find teammate "alex"
Tips:
• Use their agent label (shown in their terminal/dashboard)
• They might need to be online: connect up
• List available teammates: connect clone --list
No Services Exposed
Output:
[x] alex has no services exposed
They need to expose services first: connect expose <target>
# Teammate runs:
connect expose localhost:5432 --name postgres
All Services Offline
Output:
[x] No services are currently online
alex may have disconnected.
- Stopped or disconnected
- Behind a firewall
- Restarting
Port Conflicts
Output:
Connecting to services...
[ok] postgres → localhost:15432 (was 5432)
[!] mysql → failed: Port 3306 in use, no alternatives
[ok] redis → localhost:6379
[!] 1 service(s) could not connect (may be offline)