send-message

name	send-message
description	Send a message to the chat immediately without waiting for the current task to finish. Useful for acknowledging requests or sending progress updates while working.
distribution	public

Send a Message

Write an IPC JSON file so piclaw sends a message immediately.

Usage

cat > "$PICLAW_DATA/ipc/messages/msg_$(date +%s)_$$_send.json" <<EOF
{
  "type": "message",
  "chatJid": "$PICLAW_CHAT_JID",
  "text": "Your message here",
  "media": [
    {
      "path": "/absolute/path/to/chart.svg",
      "content_type": "image/svg+xml",
      "inline": true
    }
  ]
}
EOF

When to use

• acknowledge a request before longer work starts
• send progress updates during a multi-step task
• deliver partial results while continuing to work

Example progress message:

Processing 3/10 files, ~30s remaining…

Notes

• Messages are usually picked up within ~1 second.
• The IPC file is deleted after successful delivery.
• Use WhatsApp-compatible formatting for WhatsApp-bound chats: *bold*, _italic_, • bullets, and fenced code blocks.
• You can attach local media files with an optional media array.
  • each item is { path, content_type?, filename?, inline? }
  • path must point to an existing readable file
  • content_type and filename override detected values
  • inline: true hints inline rendering for supported images
• Missing or unreadable media paths generate an inline warning and do not block delivery of the remaining files.
• Do not use this for your final conversational response.
• Edge case: if the main deliverable is a file or image, send it via IPC if needed, then still return a brief normal response confirming what was sent.

Environment

• PICLAW_DATA — piclaw data directory (contains ipc/messages/)
• PICLAW_CHAT_JID — JID of the chat that triggered this invocation