messaging

name	messaging
description	Send and receive messages between Tower sessions. Supports direct messages, group messages, channels, threading, and priority levels. Messages are stored as markdown files and persist across restarts.

Messaging

You can communicate with other Tower sessions using the message board. Messages are stored as markdown files in data/messages/ and persist across container restarts.

Tools

tower_msg_send — Send a message

tower_msg_send(to, message, priority?, tags?)

• to: Session ID, array of session IDs, or channel name (prefix with #)
• message: Message body (markdown supported)
• priority: "urgent" | "normal" (default) | "low"
• tags: Optional tags for filtering

Priority behavior:

• urgent — message is stored AND immediately injected as a prompt into any online recipients. Use sparingly.
• normal — stored in inbox. Recipient sees it when they check.
• low — stored but excluded from unread counts. For FYI/background info.

tower_msg_inbox — Check your inbox

tower_msg_inbox(unreadOnly?, includeLow?, tag?, limit?)

Returns messages addressed to this session, newest first. Defaults to unread normal+urgent messages.

tower_msg_read — Read a full message

tower_msg_read(messageId)

Returns the full message content and marks it as read.

tower_msg_reply — Reply to a message

tower_msg_reply(messageId, message, priority?)

Sends a reply to the original sender and all recipients (group reply). Creates a threaded conversation.

tower_session_list — Discover sessions

tower_session_list()

Lists all sessions with their ID, summary, workspace, and active status. Use this to find who to message.

IMPORTANT: Responding to messages

When you receive a message from another session (either via tower_msg_inbox or injected as a prompt), you MUST respond using tower_msg_reply — not by just answering in your own conversation. The sender is a different session and cannot see your conversation output. Only tower_msg_reply delivers your response back to them.

1. You receive: "[TOWER MESSAGE — id: msg_abc123, from: session-X ...]"
2. Do whatever work is needed to answer
3. tower_msg_reply(messageId: "msg_abc123", message: "Here's what I found: ...")

Patterns

Delegate a task:

1. tower_session_list() — find the right session
2. tower_msg_send(to: "session-id", message: "please research X", tags: ["research"])
3. Later: tower_msg_inbox() to check for replies

Check on progress:

1. tower_msg_send(to: "session-id", message: "status update please?", priority: "normal")
2. tower_msg_inbox(tag: "status") to read the response

Broadcast to a channel:

tower_msg_send(to: "#all", message: "build is broken, check CI", priority: "urgent")

Start your turn by checking messages:

tower_msg_inbox() — see if anyone sent you something

Message files

Messages are plain markdown files at data/messages/msg_*.md with YAML frontmatter. You can also read them directly with view or grep if the tools aren't available.