Openclaw imsg

Name: imsg
Author: openclaw

iMessage/SMS CLI for listing chats, history, and sending messages via Messages.app.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/imsg" ~/.claude/skills/openclaw-openclaw-imsg && rm -rf "$T"

OpenClaw · Install into ~/.openclaw/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/imsg" ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-openclaw-imsg && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/imsg/SKILL.md

imsg

Use

imsg

to read and send iMessage/SMS via macOS Messages.app.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

User explicitly asks to send iMessage or SMS
Reading iMessage conversation history
Checking recent Messages.app chats
Sending to phone numbers or Apple IDs

When NOT to Use

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

Telegram messages → use
```
message
```
tool with
```
channel:telegram
```
Signal messages → use Signal channel if configured
WhatsApp messages → use WhatsApp channel if configured
Discord messages → use
```
message
```
tool with
```
channel:discord
```
Slack messages → use
```
slack
```
skill
Group chat management (adding/removing members) → not supported
Bulk/mass messaging → always confirm with user first
Replying in current conversation → just reply normally (OpenClaw routes automatically)

Requirements

macOS with Messages.app signed in
Full Disk Access for terminal
Automation permission for Messages.app (for sending)

Common Commands

List Chats

imsg chats --limit 10 --json

View History

# By chat ID
imsg history --chat-id 1 --limit 20 --json

# With attachments info
imsg history --chat-id 1 --limit 20 --attachments --json

Watch for New Messages

imsg watch --chat-id 1 --attachments

Send Messages

# Text only
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "Hello!"

# With attachment
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "Check this out" --file /path/to/image.jpg

# Specify service
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "Hi" --service imessage
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "Hi" --service sms

Service Options

```
--service imessage
```
— Force iMessage (requires recipient has iMessage)
```
--service sms
```
— Force SMS (green bubble)
```
--service auto
```
— Let Messages.app decide (default)

Safety Rules

Always confirm recipient and message content before sending
Never send to unknown numbers without explicit user approval
Be careful with attachments — confirm file path exists
Rate limit yourself — don't spam

Example Workflow

User: "Text mom that I'll be late"

# 1. Find mom's chat
imsg chats --limit 20 --json | jq '.[] | select(.displayName | contains("Mom"))'

# 2. Confirm with user
# "Found Mom at +1555123456. Send 'I'll be late' via iMessage?"

# 3. Send after confirmation
imsg send --to "+1555123456" --text "I'll be late"