Merge pull request #535 from mdahmann/fix/imessage-groupish-threads

imessage: isolate group-ish threads by chat_id

docs/providers/imessage.md

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Status: external CLI integration. Gateway spawns `imsg rpc` (JSON-RPC over stdio
 - iMessage provider backed by `imsg` on macOS.
 - Deterministic routing: replies always go back to iMessage.
 - DMs share the agent's main session; groups are isolated (`imessage:group:<chat_id>`).
+- If a multi-participant thread arrives with `is_group=false`, you can still isolate it by `chat_id` using `imessage.groups` (see “Group-ish threads” below).
 
 ## Requirements
 - macOS with Messages signed in.
@@ -24,35 +25,61 @@ Status: external CLI integration. Gateway spawns `imsg rpc` (JSON-RPC over stdio
 1) Ensure Messages is signed in on this Mac.
 2) Configure iMessage and start the gateway.
 
-### Remote/SSH variant (optional)
+### Dedicated bot macOS user (for isolated identity)
-If you want iMessage on another Mac, set `imessage.cliPath` to a wrapper that
+If you want the bot to send from a **separate iMessage identity** (and keep your personal Messages clean), use a dedicated Apple ID + a dedicated macOS user.
-execs `ssh` and runs `imsg rpc` on the remote host. Clawdbot only needs a
-stdio stream; `imsg` still runs on the remote macOS host.
 
-Example wrapper (save somewhere in your PATH and `chmod +x`):
+1) Create a dedicated Apple ID (example: `my-cool-bot@icloud.com`).
+   - Apple may require a phone number for verification / 2FA.
+2) Create a macOS user (example: `clawdshome`) and sign into it.
+3) Open Messages in that macOS user and sign into iMessage using the bot Apple ID.
+4) Enable Remote Login (System Settings → General → Sharing → Remote Login).
+5) Install `imsg`:
+   - `brew install steipete/tap/imsg`
+6) Set up SSH so `ssh <bot-macos-user>@localhost true` works without a password.
+7) Point `imessage.accounts.bot.cliPath` at an SSH wrapper that runs `imsg` as the bot user.
+
+First-run note: sending/receiving may require GUI approvals (Automation + Full Disk Access) in the *bot macOS user*. If `imsg rpc` looks stuck or exits, log into that user (Screen Sharing helps), run a one-time `imsg chats --limit 1` / `imsg send ...`, approve prompts, then retry.
+
+Example wrapper (`chmod +x`). Replace `<bot-macos-user>` with your actual macOS username:
+```bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Run an interactive SSH once first to accept host keys:
+#   ssh <bot-macos-user>@localhost true
+exec /usr/bin/ssh -o BatchMode=yes -o ConnectTimeout=5 -T <bot-macos-user>@localhost \
+  "/usr/local/bin/imsg" "$@"
+```
+
+Example config:
+```json5
+{
+  imessage: {
+    enabled: true,
+    accounts: {
+      bot: {
+        name: "Bot",
+        enabled: true,
+        cliPath: "/path/to/imsg-bot",
+        dbPath: "/Users/<bot-macos-user>/Library/Messages/chat.db"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+For single-account setups, use flat options (`imessage.cliPath`, `imessage.dbPath`) instead of the `accounts` map.
+
+### Remote/SSH variant (optional)
+If you want iMessage on another Mac, set `imessage.cliPath` to a wrapper that runs `imsg` on the remote macOS host over SSH. Clawdbot only needs stdio.
+
+Example wrapper:
 ```bash
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 exec ssh -T mac-mini imsg "$@"
 ```
 
-Notes:
+Multi-account support: use `imessage.accounts` with per-account config and optional `name`. See [`gateway/configuration`](/gateway/configuration#telegramaccounts--discordaccounts--slackaccounts--signalaccounts--imessageaccounts) for the shared pattern. Don’t commit `~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json` (it often contains tokens).
-- Remote Mac must have Messages signed in and `imsg` installed.
-- Full Disk Access + Automation prompts happen on the remote Mac.
-- Use SSH keys (no password prompt) so the gateway can launch `imsg rpc` unattended.
-
-Example:
-```json5
-{
-  imessage: {
-    enabled: true,
-    cliPath: "/usr/local/bin/imessage-remote",
-    dmPolicy: "pairing",
-    allowFrom: ["+15555550123"]
-  }
-}
-```
-
-Multi-account support: use `imessage.accounts` with per-account config and optional `name`. See [`gateway/configuration`](/gateway/configuration#telegramaccounts--discordaccounts--slackaccounts--signalaccounts--imessageaccounts) for the shared pattern.
 
 ## Access control (DMs + groups)
 DMs:
@@ -73,6 +100,27 @@ Groups:
 - `imsg` streams message events; the gateway normalizes them into the shared provider envelope.
 - Replies always route back to the same chat id or handle.
 
+## Group-ish threads (`is_group=false`)
+Some iMessage threads can have multiple participants but still arrive with `is_group=false` depending on how Messages stores the chat identifier.
+
+If you explicitly configure a `chat_id` under `imessage.groups`, Clawdbot treats that thread as a “group” for:
+- session isolation (separate `imessage:group:<chat_id>` session key)
+- group allowlisting / mention gating behavior
+
+Example:
+```json5
+{
+  imessage: {
+    groupPolicy: "allowlist",
+    groupAllowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
+    groups: {
+      "42": { "requireMention": false }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+This is useful when you want an isolated personality/model for a specific thread (see [Multi-agent routing](/concepts/multi-agent)). For filesystem isolation, see [Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing).
+
 ## Media + limits
 - Optional attachment ingestion via `imessage.includeAttachments`.
 - Media cap via `imessage.mediaMaxMb`.

src/imessage/monitor.test.ts

@@ -215,6 +215,46 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
     expect(sendMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("treats configured chat_id as a group session even when is_group is false", async () => {
+    config = {
+      ...config,
+      imessage: {
+        dmPolicy: "open",
+        allowFrom: ["*"],
+        groups: { "2": { requireMention: false } },
+      },
+    };
+
+    const run = monitorIMessageProvider();
+    await waitForSubscribe();
+
+    notificationHandler?.({
+      method: "message",
+      params: {
+        message: {
+          id: 14,
+          chat_id: 2,
+          sender: "+15550001111",
+          is_from_me: false,
+          text: "hello",
+          is_group: false,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    await flush();
+    closeResolve?.();
+    await run;
+
+    expect(replyMock).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const ctx = replyMock.mock.calls[0]?.[0] as {
+      ChatType?: string;
+      SessionKey?: string;
+    };
+    expect(ctx.ChatType).toBe("group");
+    expect(ctx.SessionKey).toBe("agent:main:imessage:group:2");
+  });
+
   it("prefixes tool and final replies with responsePrefix", async () => {
     config = {
       ...config,

src/imessage/monitor.ts

@@ -170,10 +170,36 @@ export async function monitorIMessageProvider(
     const chatId = message.chat_id ?? undefined;
     const chatGuid = message.chat_guid ?? undefined;
     const chatIdentifier = message.chat_identifier ?? undefined;
-    const isGroup = Boolean(message.is_group);
+
+    const groupIdCandidate = chatId !== undefined ? String(chatId) : undefined;
+    const groupListPolicy = groupIdCandidate
+      ? resolveProviderGroupPolicy({
+          cfg,
+          provider: "imessage",
+          accountId: accountInfo.accountId,
+          groupId: groupIdCandidate,
+        })
+      : {
+          allowlistEnabled: false,
+          allowed: true,
+          groupConfig: undefined,
+          defaultConfig: undefined,
+        };
+
+    // Some iMessage threads can have multiple participants but still report
+    // is_group=false depending on how Messages stores the identifier.
+    // If the owner explicitly configures a chat_id under imessage.groups, treat
+    // that thread as a "group" for permission gating and session isolation.
+    const treatAsGroupByConfig = Boolean(
+      groupIdCandidate &&
+        groupListPolicy.allowlistEnabled &&
+        groupListPolicy.groupConfig,
+    );
+
+    const isGroup = Boolean(message.is_group) || treatAsGroupByConfig;
     if (isGroup && !chatId) return;
 
-    const groupId = isGroup ? String(chatId) : undefined;
+    const groupId = isGroup ? groupIdCandidate : undefined;
     const storeAllowFrom = await readProviderAllowFromStore("imessage").catch(
       () => [],
     );
@@ -214,12 +240,6 @@ export async function monitorIMessageProvider(
           return;
         }
       }
-      const groupListPolicy = resolveProviderGroupPolicy({
-        cfg,
-        provider: "imessage",
-        accountId: accountInfo.accountId,
-        groupId,
-      });
       if (groupListPolicy.allowlistEnabled && !groupListPolicy.allowed) {
         logVerbose(
           `imessage: skipping group message (${groupId ?? "unknown"}) not in allowlist`,