refactor!: rename chat providers to channels
This commit is contained in:
Peter Steinberger
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docs/channels/imessage.md
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189
docs/channels/imessage.md
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---
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summary: "iMessage support via imsg (JSON-RPC over stdio), setup, and chat_id routing"
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read_when:
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- Setting up iMessage support
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- Debugging iMessage send/receive
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---
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# iMessage (imsg)
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Status: external CLI integration. Gateway spawns `imsg rpc` (JSON-RPC over stdio).
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## Quick setup (beginner)
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1) Ensure Messages is signed in on this Mac.
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2) Install `imsg`:
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- `brew install steipete/tap/imsg`
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3) Configure Clawdbot with `channels.imessage.cliPath` and `channels.imessage.dbPath`.
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4) Start the gateway and approve any macOS prompts (Automation + Full Disk Access).
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Minimal config:
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```json5
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{
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channels: {
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imessage: {
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enabled: true,
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cliPath: "/usr/local/bin/imsg",
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dbPath: "/Users/<you>/Library/Messages/chat.db"
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}
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}
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}
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```
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## What it is
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- iMessage channel backed by `imsg` on macOS.
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- Deterministic routing: replies always go back to iMessage.
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- DMs share the agent's main session; groups are isolated (`agent:<agentId>:imessage:group:<chat_id>`).
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- If a multi-participant thread arrives with `is_group=false`, you can still isolate it by `chat_id` using `channels.imessage.groups` (see “Group-ish threads” below).
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## Requirements
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- macOS with Messages signed in.
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- Full Disk Access for Clawdbot + `imsg` (Messages DB access).
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- Automation permission when sending.
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- `channels.imessage.cliPath` can point to any command that proxies stdin/stdout (for example, a wrapper script that SSHes to another Mac and runs `imsg rpc`).
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## Setup (fast path)
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1) Ensure Messages is signed in on this Mac.
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2) Configure iMessage and start the gateway.
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### Dedicated bot macOS user (for isolated identity)
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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.
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1) Create a dedicated Apple ID (example: `my-cool-bot@icloud.com`).
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- Apple may require a phone number for verification / 2FA.
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2) Create a macOS user (example: `clawdshome`) and sign into it.
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3) Open Messages in that macOS user and sign into iMessage using the bot Apple ID.
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4) Enable Remote Login (System Settings → General → Sharing → Remote Login).
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5) Install `imsg`:
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- `brew install steipete/tap/imsg`
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6) Set up SSH so `ssh <bot-macos-user>@localhost true` works without a password.
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7) Point `channels.imessage.accounts.bot.cliPath` at an SSH wrapper that runs `imsg` as the bot user.
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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.
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Example wrapper (`chmod +x`). Replace `<bot-macos-user>` with your actual macOS username:
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```bash
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#!/usr/bin/env bash
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set -euo pipefail
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# Run an interactive SSH once first to accept host keys:
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# ssh <bot-macos-user>@localhost true
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exec /usr/bin/ssh -o BatchMode=yes -o ConnectTimeout=5 -T <bot-macos-user>@localhost \
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"/usr/local/bin/imsg" "$@"
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```
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Example config:
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```json5
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{
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channels: {
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imessage: {
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enabled: true,
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accounts: {
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bot: {
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name: "Bot",
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enabled: true,
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cliPath: "/path/to/imsg-bot",
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dbPath: "/Users/<bot-macos-user>/Library/Messages/chat.db"
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}
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}
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}
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}
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}
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```
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For single-account setups, use flat options (`channels.imessage.cliPath`, `channels.imessage.dbPath`) instead of the `accounts` map.
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### Remote/SSH variant (optional)
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If you want iMessage on another Mac, set `channels.imessage.cliPath` to a wrapper that runs `imsg` on the remote macOS host over SSH. Clawdbot only needs stdio.
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Example wrapper:
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```bash
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#!/usr/bin/env bash
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exec ssh -T mac-mini imsg "$@"
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```
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Multi-account support: use `channels.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).
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## Access control (DMs + groups)
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DMs:
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- Default: `channels.imessage.dmPolicy = "pairing"`.
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- Unknown senders receive a pairing code; messages are ignored until approved (codes expire after 1 hour).
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- Approve via:
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- `clawdbot pairing list imessage`
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- `clawdbot pairing approve imessage <CODE>`
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- Pairing is the default token exchange for iMessage DMs. Details: [Pairing](/start/pairing)
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Groups:
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- `channels.imessage.groupPolicy = open | allowlist | disabled`.
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- `channels.imessage.groupAllowFrom` controls who can trigger in groups when `allowlist` is set.
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- Mention gating uses `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (or `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`) because iMessage has no native mention metadata.
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- Multi-agent override: set per-agent patterns on `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`.
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## How it works (behavior)
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- `imsg` streams message events; the gateway normalizes them into the shared channel envelope.
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- Replies always route back to the same chat id or handle.
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## Group-ish threads (`is_group=false`)
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Some iMessage threads can have multiple participants but still arrive with `is_group=false` depending on how Messages stores the chat identifier.
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If you explicitly configure a `chat_id` under `channels.imessage.groups`, Clawdbot treats that thread as a “group” for:
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- session isolation (separate `agent:<agentId>:imessage:group:<chat_id>` session key)
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- group allowlisting / mention gating behavior
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Example:
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```json5
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{
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channels: {
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imessage: {
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groupPolicy: "allowlist",
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groupAllowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
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groups: {
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"42": { "requireMention": false }
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}
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}
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}
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}
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```
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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).
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## Media + limits
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- Optional attachment ingestion via `channels.imessage.includeAttachments`.
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- Media cap via `channels.imessage.mediaMaxMb`.
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## Limits
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- Outbound text is chunked to `channels.imessage.textChunkLimit` (default 4000).
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- Media uploads are capped by `channels.imessage.mediaMaxMb` (default 16).
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## Addressing / delivery targets
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Prefer `chat_id` for stable routing:
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- `chat_id:123` (preferred)
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- `chat_guid:...`
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- `chat_identifier:...`
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- direct handles: `imessage:+1555` / `sms:+1555` / `user@example.com`
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List chats:
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```
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imsg chats --limit 20
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```
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## Configuration reference (iMessage)
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Full configuration: [Configuration](/gateway/configuration)
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Provider options:
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- `channels.imessage.enabled`: enable/disable channel startup.
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- `channels.imessage.cliPath`: path to `imsg`.
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- `channels.imessage.dbPath`: Messages DB path.
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- `channels.imessage.service`: `imessage | sms | auto`.
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- `channels.imessage.region`: SMS region.
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- `channels.imessage.dmPolicy`: `pairing | allowlist | open | disabled` (default: pairing).
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- `channels.imessage.allowFrom`: DM allowlist (handles or `chat_id:*`). `open` requires `"*"`.
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- `channels.imessage.groupPolicy`: `open | allowlist | disabled` (default: allowlist).
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- `channels.imessage.groupAllowFrom`: group sender allowlist.
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- `channels.imessage.historyLimit` / `channels.imessage.accounts.*.historyLimit`: max group messages to include as context (0 disables).
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- `channels.imessage.groups`: per-group defaults + allowlist (use `"*"` for global defaults).
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- `channels.imessage.includeAttachments`: ingest attachments into context.
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- `channels.imessage.mediaMaxMb`: inbound/outbound media cap (MB).
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- `channels.imessage.textChunkLimit`: outbound chunk size (chars).
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Related global options:
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- `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (or `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`).
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- `messages.responsePrefix`.
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