add-imessage

name	add-imessage
description	Add iMessage channel integration via Chat SDK. Local (macOS) or remote (Photon API) mode.

Add iMessage Channel

Adds iMessage support via the Chat SDK bridge. Two modes: local (macOS with Full Disk Access) or remote (Photon API).

Install

NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in trunk. This skill copies the iMessage adapter in from the channels branch.

Pre-flight (idempotent)

Skip to Credentials if all of these are already in place:

• src/channels/imessage.ts exists
• src/channels/imessage-registration.test.ts exists
• src/channels/index.ts contains import './imessage.js';
• chat-adapter-imessage is listed in package.json dependencies

Otherwise continue. Every step below is safe to re-run.

1. Fetch the channels branch

git fetch origin channels

2. Copy the adapter and its registration test

git show origin/channels:src/channels/imessage.ts                    > src/channels/imessage.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/imessage-registration.test.ts > src/channels/imessage-registration.test.ts

3. Append the self-registration import

Append to src/channels/index.ts (skip if the line is already present):

import './imessage.js';

4. Install the adapter package (pinned)

pnpm install chat-adapter-imessage@0.1.1

5. Build and validate

pnpm run build
pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/imessage-registration.test.ts

Both must be clean before proceeding. imessage-registration.test.ts is the one integration test: it imports the real channel barrel and asserts the registry contains imessage. It goes red if the import './imessage.js'; line is deleted or drifts, if the barrel fails to evaluate, or if chat-adapter-imessage isn't installed (the import throws) — so it also implicitly verifies the dependency from step 4. The adapter also calls core's createChatSdkBridge(...); that typed core-API consumption is guarded by pnpm run build.

End-to-end message delivery against a real iMessage account is verified manually once the service is running — see Next Steps.

Credentials

Local Mode (macOS)

Requirements: macOS with Full Disk Access granted to the Node.js binary.

The Node binary path is buried deep (e.g. ~/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/bin/node). To make it easy, open the folder in Finder so the user can drag the file into System Settings:

open "$(dirname "$(which node)")"

Then tell the user:

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access
2. Click +, then drag the node file from the Finder window that just opened
3. Toggle it on

Stop and wait for the user to confirm before continuing.

Remote Mode (Photon API)

1. Set up a Photon account
2. Get your server URL and API key

Configure environment

Local mode -- add to .env:

IMESSAGE_ENABLED=true
IMESSAGE_LOCAL=true

Remote mode -- add to .env:

IMESSAGE_LOCAL=false
IMESSAGE_SERVER_URL=https://your-photon-server.com
IMESSAGE_API_KEY=your-api-key

Sync to container: mkdir -p data/env && cp .env data/env/env

Next Steps

If you're in the middle of /setup, return to the setup flow now.

Otherwise, run /manage-channels to wire this channel to an agent group.

Channel Info

• type: imessage
• terminology: iMessage has "conversations." Each conversation is with a contact identified by phone number or email address. Group chats are also supported.
• how-to-find-id: The platform ID is the contact's phone number (e.g. [phone]) or email address. For group chats, the ID is assigned by iMessage internally.
• supports-threads: no
• typical-use: Interactive 1:1 chat — personal messaging
• default-isolation: Same agent group if you're the only person messaging the bot across iMessage and other channels. Separate agent group if different contacts should have information isolation.