macos-native-apps

name	macos-native-apps
description	Control macOS native apps from the terminal — Apple Notes (memo CLI), iMessage/SMS (imsg CLI), and Find My (AppleScript + screenshot). All tools require macOS, Homebrew installations, and appropriate system permissions (Automation, Full Disk Access, Screen Recording).
license	MIT
metadata	{"version":"1.0.1","hermes":{"tags":["macOS","Apple","native-apps","CLI","notes","messaging","location","iMessage","FindMy"],"related_skills":["macos-applescript-integration"]}}

macOS Native Apps — Terminal Control

Control macOS stock applications from the terminal. All tools are macOS-only and require appropriate system permissions.

Common Prerequisites

All tools need:

• macOS with the relevant app signed into iCloud
• Homebrew (brew) installed
• Terminal app granted needed permissions (System Settings → Privacy)
• Confirm destructive actions (sending messages, deleting notes) with the user before executing

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Section A: Apple Notes — memo CLI

Manage Apple Notes via memo. Notes sync across Apple devices via iCloud.

Setup

brew tap antoniorodr/memo && brew install antoniorodr/memo/memo

Grant Automation access to Notes.app (System Settings → Privacy → Automation).

Commands

# View
memo notes                        # all notes
memo notes -f "Folder Name"       # filter by folder
memo notes -s "query"             # fuzzy search

# Create
memo notes -a                     # interactive editor
memo notes -a "Note Title"        # quick add via editor

# Edit / Delete / Move
memo notes -e                     # interactive selection to edit
memo notes -d                     # interactive selection to delete
memo notes -m                     # move to folder

# Export to HTML/Markdown
memo notes -ex

Limitations

• Cannot edit notes containing images or attachments
• Interactive prompts need terminal access (pty=true if running through a non-tty harness)

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Section B: iMessage/SMS — imsg CLI

Send and read iMessages/SMS via macOS Messages.app using imsg.

Setup

brew install steipete/tap/imsg

Needs Full Disk Access for terminal (System Settings → Privacy → Full Disk Access) and Automation permission for Messages.app.

Safety

Always echo the resolved recipient and message back to the user before invoking imsg send — phone-number lookups can match unexpected chats.

Commands

# List chats
imsg chats --limit 10 --json

# View history
imsg history --chat-id 1 --limit 20 --json
imsg history --chat-id 1 --limit 20 --attachments --json

# Send
imsg send --to "+141****1212" --text "Hello!"
imsg send --to "+141****1212" --text "Check this" --file /path/to/image.jpg
imsg send --to "+141****1212" --text "Hi" --service imessage   # force blue bubble
imsg send --to "+141****1212" --text "Hi" --service sms        # force green bubble

Read Mode

imsg history --chat-id 1 --limit 5 --json | python3 -c "import sys,json; msgs=json.load(sys.stdin); [print(f'[{m[\"sender\"]}] {m.get(\"text\",\"(attachment)\")}') for m in msgs]"

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Section C: Find My (Devices & AirTags)

Track Apple devices and AirTags via FindMy.app. No CLI exists — drive via AppleScript + screenshot + vision_analyze.

Setup

• Devices/AirTags already registered in iCloud
• Screen Recording permission for terminal (System Settings → Privacy → Screen Recording)
• Recommended: brew install steipete/tap/peekaboo for reliable UI clicks

Method 1 — AppleScript + screencapture (no extra deps)

osascript -e 'tell application "FindMy" to activate'
sleep 3
screencapture -w -o /tmp/findmy.png

Then:

vision_analyze(image_url="/tmp/findmy.png",
  question="What devices/items are shown and what are their locations?")

Switch tabs to see People/Devices/Items:

osascript -e '
tell application "FindMy" to activate
delay 1
tell application "System Events"
  tell process "FindMy"
    click button "Items" of toolbar 1 of window 1
  end tell
end tell'

Method 2 — Peekaboo (recommended for reliability)

peekaboo FindMy --click "Items"  # Click a tab
peekaboo FindMy --dump            # Dump full accessibility tree
peekaboo FindMy --snapshot /tmp/findmy.png  # Screenshot

Tabs available

• People — friends who shared their location
• Devices — all Apple devices on your iCloud
• Items — AirTags and third-party Find My network items

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Related Skills

• macos-applescript-integration — general AppleScript patterns for macOS apps