Local-first printing for agents and scripts

Thermal printing for agents.

A small CLI that turns files, markdown, and label templates into reliable thermal printer jobs with JSON output, per-printer queueing, ESC/POS support, and CUPS-first Brother label workflows.

Read the docs Install CLI

$ slipbridge print badge.json \
  --template badge.hbs \
  --printer cups://Brother_QL_810W \
  --json

{
  "ok": true,
  "driver": "cups",
  "media": "c62",
  "job": { "state": "queued" }
}

01 Quickstart Install, discover, print 02 Printer setup ESC/POS, CUPS, Brother 03 Queueing Durable jobs and workers 04 Labels Markdown and templates

Why it exists

Thermal printers are simple until two processes write at once.

Agents are good at generating useful little artifacts: labels, tickets, receipts, packing slips, run cards, checklists. Printers are less forgiving. Slipbridge gives agents a CLI contract that is explicit, inspectable, and boring in the right places.

One job at a time

Durable queue files and per-printer locks keep bytes from interleaving on shared endpoints.

Agent-readable output

Every important command can emit JSON, so automation can read printer ids, job states, and errors.

Receipts and labels

Use ESC/POS for receipt printers and CUPS for Brother QL label stock without changing tools.

Workflow

Discover, render, enqueue, print.

$ slipbridge printers list --json
{
  "ok": true,
  "printers": [
    { "id": "cups://Brother_QL_810W", "transport": "cups" },
    { "id": "tcp://epson-m30.local:9100", "transport": "tcp" }
  ]
}

$ slipbridge render note.md --type markdown \
  --output preview.png --media c62 --label-length-mm 100

Rendered note.md to preview.png (732x1181 px).

$ slipbridge print badge.json --template badge.hbs \
  --printer cups://Brother_QL_810W --media c62 --enqueue --json

{ "ok": true, "job": { "state": "queued" } }

Install path

Start local, then publish binaries when the release flow is ready.

Today, the safest path is building from source while the package metadata and release automation settle. The docs include the intended npm binary package structure and Cloudflare-friendly static site notes.

git clone https://github.com/slipbridge/slipbridge
cd slipbridge
cargo install --path . --force
slipbridge doctor --json

Built for real printer chores

Small enough to understand. Useful enough to keep running.

Event badges

Render a JSON payload through a Handlebars template and send it to Brother QL stock.

Agent tickets

Print short task tickets, packaging notes, checklists, and queue receipts from scripts.

Printer labs

Discover endpoints, inspect drivers, test transports, and keep the behavior reproducible.