diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ad1532
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+matrix-nio>=0.24
+tomli>=2.0; python_version < "3.11"
diff --git a/scripts/gui-launch.sh b/scripts/gui-launch.sh
index d2d0756..ac7e5d7 100755
--- a/scripts/gui-launch.sh
+++ b/scripts/gui-launch.sh
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ fi
 launch_script="$(mktemp -t mb-launch)"
 {
   print -r -- '#!/bin/zsh -l'
+  # Propagate a caller-supplied session name (the bot sets this for all-projects launches).
+  [[ -n "$MB_SESSION_NAME" ]] && printf 'export MB_SESSION_NAME=%q\n' "$MB_SESSION_NAME"
   printf 'exec %q %q %q\n' "$inner" "$repo_dir" "$prompt"
 } >| "$launch_script"
 chmod +x "$launch_script"
diff --git a/src/bot.py b/src/bot.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71ee040
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/bot.py
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""matrix-bridge bot — Phase 1.
+
+A text message in a mapped room launches a Claude Code session in that repo on the Mac
+(ssh -> gui-launch.sh -> launch-claude.sh -> claude), surfaced to the phone by Remote
+Control. A message in the all-projects room fans out to every mapped repo (each session
+named "<repo> - <date>"). Launch failures are reported back into the room (fail loud).
+
+Runs on the Spark, where the SSH alias resolves. Config: ../config.toml  Creds: ../.env
+"""
+import asyncio
+import datetime
+import os
+import shlex
+
+try:
+    import tomllib  # py >= 3.11
+except ModuleNotFoundError:
+    import tomli as tomllib  # py < 3.11
+
+from nio import AsyncClient, MatrixRoom, RoomMessageText
+
+REPO_ROOT = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+
+
+def load_env(path):
+    env = {}
+    with open(path) as f:
+        for line in f:
+            line = line.strip()
+            if line and not line.startswith("#") and "=" in line:
+                k, v = line.split("=", 1)
+                env[k] = v
+    return env
+
+
+def load_config(path):
+    with open(path, "rb") as f:
+        return tomllib.load(f)
+
+
+async def main():
+    env = load_env(os.path.join(REPO_ROOT, ".env"))
+    cfg = load_config(os.path.join(REPO_ROOT, "config.toml"))
+
+    homeserver = env["MATRIX_HOMESERVER"]
+    user_id = env["MATRIX_USER"]
+    token = env["MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN"]
+    device_id = env.get("MATRIX_DEVICE_ID", "matrix-bridge-bot")
+
+    rooms = {r["room_id"]: r for r in cfg.get("room", [])}
+    all_projects_room = cfg.get("all_projects", {}).get("room_id")
+    ssh_alias = os.environ.get("MB_SSH_ALIAS") or cfg["mac"]["ssh_alias"]
+    launcher = cfg["mac"]["launcher"]
+
+    client = AsyncClient(homeserver, user_id)
+    client.restore_login(user_id=user_id, device_id=device_id, access_token=token)
+
+    async def launch(repo_dir, prompt, session_name=None):
+        """Run gui-launch.sh on the Mac over SSH. Returns (returncode, combined_output).
+
+        All user text is passed through shlex.quote so it survives the remote shell —
+        this is where the cross-shell quoting footgun is actually solved.
+        """
+        remote = f"{shlex.quote(launcher)} {shlex.quote(repo_dir)} {shlex.quote(prompt)}"
+        if session_name:
+            remote = f"MB_SESSION_NAME={shlex.quote(session_name)} " + remote
+        proc = await asyncio.create_subprocess_exec(
+            "ssh", ssh_alias, remote,
+            stdout=asyncio.subprocess.PIPE,
+            stderr=asyncio.subprocess.STDOUT,
+        )
+        out, _ = await proc.communicate()
+        return proc.returncode, out.decode(errors="replace").strip()
+
+    async def say(room_id, text):
+        await client.room_send(
+            room_id, "m.room.message", {"msgtype": "m.text", "body": text}
+        )
+
+    async def launch_one(report_room, repo, prompt, session_name=None):
+        rc, out = await launch(repo["repo_dir"], prompt, session_name)
+        if rc == 0:
+            print(f"launched {repo['label']} -> {repo['repo_dir']}", flush=True)
+            return True
+        print(f"FAILED {repo['label']}: rc={rc} {out[:300]}", flush=True)
+        await say(report_room, f"⚠️ matrix-bridge: failed to launch {repo['label']} "
+                               f"(rc={rc}): {out[:300] or 'no output'}")
+        return False
+
+    async def on_message(room: MatrixRoom, event: RoomMessageText):
+        if event.sender == user_id:
+            return  # never react to our own messages
+        prompt = event.body.strip()
+        if not prompt:
+            return
+
+        if room.room_id == all_projects_room:
+            date = datetime.date.today().isoformat()
+            print(f"[all-projects] fan-out to {len(rooms)} repos: {prompt!r}", flush=True)
+            results = await asyncio.gather(*[
+                launch_one(room.room_id, r, prompt, f"{r['label']} - {date}")
+                for r in rooms.values()
+            ])
+            await say(room.room_id,
+                      f"matrix-bridge: launched {sum(results)}/{len(rooms)} sessions ({date}).")
+        elif room.room_id in rooms:
+            r = rooms[room.room_id]
+            if await launch_one(room.room_id, r, prompt):
+                await say(room.room_id,
+                          f"matrix-bridge: launched {r['label']} — drive it on your phone.")
+
+    # Prime the sync token past existing history, THEN register the callback, so the bot
+    # only reacts to messages that arrive after startup (no backlog replay).
+    print("priming sync (skipping backlog)...", flush=True)
+    await client.sync(timeout=30000, full_state=False)
+    client.add_event_callback(on_message, RoomMessageText)
+    who = await client.whoami()
+    print(f"listening as {who.user_id}; {len(rooms)} rooms + all-projects={all_projects_room}",
+          flush=True)
+    try:
+        await client.sync_forever(timeout=30000)
+    finally:
+        await client.close()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    try:
+        asyncio.run(main())
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        pass