Exported functions in state/lib/imessage.ts. .md file to compare - side-by-side diff against imessage
imessage
description: "Triggers on prompt mention of 'imessage'."
What it does for you
Sends iMessages for you.
What it produces
A recent result, so you can see the kind of work it returns.
loading…
How to get it
These run inside the Snappy workspace. Want this working in your business? I set skills like this up with you, in one focused week.
For developers how this skill is built, graded, and how it runs
at a glance- the short version
what's inside - the parts that make up a skill 3/4 present
A skill is just a few plain-text files. Only the main one is required. The rest are optional, added as the work needs them. This is what the skill is made of; how it runs is just below.
state/skills/imessage/SKILL.md
present
state/lib/imessage.ts
present
state/bin/imessage/
not present
state/skills/imessage/AGENTS.md
present
how it's graded - what counts as a good run 4 criteria · 2 deterministic · 2 judge
Each row is one thing a good run has to get right. deterministic means a quick check decides, pass or fail. judge means the AI reads the result and rates it. Grading each piece on its own (instead of one overall score) shows exactly where a run fell short, so the fix is obvious.
how it runs - the shared frame every skill uses 4/5 present
Every skill runs the same way. One part does the work, a separate part checks it, and a short loader hands the AI exactly what it needs for the job. Anything this skill doesn't use shows a one-line note saying why, on purpose, not by accident.
This skill doesn't fix its own gaps yet.
state/log/pending-eval.ndjson - iMessage send routes through Mac Mini over SSH - there's no first-party iMessage HTTP API. The Mini is the only sending host.
- sendIMessage is irreversible side-effect - keep behind scope-only default per program.md
what it has learned - fixes written back in over time sample
When a run hits something this skill didn't handle, the fix gets written back into the skill so it doesn't happen again. FIXED means it was corrected on the spot. LOGGED means it's queued for a bigger rewrite. Either way, the skill gets a little better and never makes the same mistake twice.
- Loading feedback rows…
how the work flows- who makes it, who checks it
import from `state/lib/imessage.ts` - `sendIMessage()`, `readRecent()
readRecent()` after a send to confirm the message landed in the local store
SKILL.md- the skill, written out in plain English
imessage
iMessage sending via Mac Mini SSH.
Ported from kernel snappy-imessage in Phase 0.5. See state/lib/imessage.ts for the full API surface.
Steps
sendIMessage()- seestate/lib/imessage.tsreadRecent()- seestate/lib/imessage.ts
Eval
Actor: the exported functions in state/lib/imessage.ts. Auditor: none wired yet - eval is manual (Robert review). File a state/log/pending-eval.ndjson row on each run.
Score convention:
| Outcome | Score |
|---|---|
| Pass on first try | 1.0 |
| Failed first, auto-fix applied, re-check passed | 0.5 |
| Still failing or unrecoverable | 0.0 |
Gotchas
via the Phase 0.5 driver. Only these rewrites were applied: already in state/lib/)
realpathSync(process.argv[1])CLI guard wrapped in try/catch
- See the kernel SKILL.md for the original long-form guidance if you need it
(read-only reference at the kernel path above).
Graduation
This skill is prose. Graduate by defining a deterministic auditor and flipping eval: auto.
Rubric
criteria:
- name: calls_send_imessage
kind: deterministic
check: "The skill execution log must contain a call to the sendIMessage() function. (e.g., check 'state/log/pending-eval.ndjson' for relevant entries indicating function calls)."
- name: calls_read_recent
kind: deterministic
check: "The skill execution log must contain a call to the readRecent() function. (e.g., check 'state/log/pending-eval.ndjson' for relevant entries indicating function calls)."
- name: output_matches_imessage_api
kind: judge
check: "The output of the skill, particularly from readRecent(), should reflect a structure consistent with the iMessage API as defined in 'state/lib/imessage.ts', exhibiting correct message formats and recipient/sender information."
- name: side_effects_honest
kind: judge
check: "Any iMessage sent via sendIMessage() should be verifiable on the target device, and readRecent() should accurately reflect recent messages without unexpected side effects."AGENTS.md- what the AI loads when this skill comes up
imessage - loader
Per-turn rules for the imessage skill. Full reference: state/skills/imessage/SKILL.md. Do not skip these.
Critical Rules
- iMessage send routes through Mac Mini over SSH - there's no first-party iMessage HTTP API. The Mini is the only sending host.
sendIMessageis irreversible side-effect - keep behind scope-only default per program.md
Commands
| ui model | live composition via compose_inline, persisted as artifact lang_body, reopened with OpenArtifact | |invoke: import from state/lib/imessage.ts - sendIMessage(), readRecent() |verify: readRecent() after a send to confirm the message landed in the local store |eval log: state/log/pending-eval.ndjson (manual eval - skill: "imessage")
Known Pitfalls
- SSH path to Mac Mini must be reachable - no fallback. If the Mini is offline, sends silently fail; verify with
readRecent. - Mac Mini server context: see
mac-mini-serverskill /mac-mini-remote-opsskill in the wider catalog if SSH config drifts
Self-Test
An agent reading this should correctly:
- [ ] Default
sendIMessageto scope-only - [ ] Verify sends with
readRecent, not just trust the SSH return - [ ] Recognize the Mac Mini SSH dependency
Found a gap? Edit this file. <!-- footer-injection-point -->
api.ts- the code it can call
#!/usr/bin/env npx tsx
/**
* snappy-imessage/api.ts -- iMessage reading from local SQLite + sending via osascript.
*
* Reads: local ~/Library/Messages/chat.db via better-sqlite3
* Sends: osascript to Messages.app
*
* Usage:
* npx tsx api.ts send +14155551212 "Hey, checking in!"
* npx tsx api.ts list 5
* npx tsx api.ts list-contact "+14155551212" 5
*
* Or import as module:
* import { sendIMessage, readRecent } from "./imessage.ts";
*/
import { execSync } from "child_process";
import { env } from "./env.ts";
import { realpathSync, existsSync } from "fs";
import { homedir } from "os";
export interface IMessageData {
contact: string;
text: string;
timestamp: number;
guid: string;
}
// Load better-sqlite3 dynamically
let Database: any = null;
async function loadDatabase() {
if (Database) return Database;
try {
Database = (await import("better-sqlite3")).default;
return Database;
} catch {
return null;
}
}
/**
* Read recent messages from local Messages SQLite database.
* Gracefully returns error structure if DB unavailable or access denied.
*/
export async function readRecent(contact?: string, limit = 10): Promise<{ messages: IMessageData[]; not_connected?: boolean; hint?: string }> {
const DB = await loadDatabase();
if (!DB) {
return {
messages: [],
not_connected: true,
hint: "better-sqlite3 not available",
};
}
const dbPath = `${homedir()}/Library/Messages/chat.db`;
if (!existsSync(dbPath)) {
return {
messages: [],
not_connected: true,
hint: "Messages database not found at ~/Library/Messages/chat.db. Grant Full Disk Access to Terminal in System Settings → Privacy & Security.",
};
}
try {
const db = new DB(dbPath, { readonly: true });
// Query: get last N messages, optionally filtered by contact
// Apple's Messages schema:
// - message.ROWID, text, attributedBody, date (nanoseconds since 2001-01-01)
// - handle.ROWID, id (phone/email)
// - chat_message_join maps messages to chats
// - chat.ROWID, guid (group UUID), display_name
let query = `
SELECT
m.ROWID as rowid,
m.text,
m.date,
COALESCE(h.id, '') as contact_id,
COALESCE(c.display_name, '') as chat_name
FROM message m
LEFT JOIN handle h ON m.handle_id = h.ROWID
LEFT JOIN chat_message_join cmj ON m.ROWID = cmj.message_id
LEFT JOIN chat c ON cmj.chat_id = c.ROWID
WHERE 1=1
`;
const params: any[] = [];
if (contact) {
query += ` AND (h.id LIKE ? OR c.display_name LIKE ?)`;
const pattern = `%${contact}%`;
params.push(pattern, pattern);
}
query += ` ORDER BY m.date DESC LIMIT ?`;
params.push(limit);
const stmt = db.prepare(query);
const rows = stmt.all(...params);
db.close();
// Convert to IMessageData format
const messages: IMessageData[] = rows
.map((row: any) => {
// Use text field only; attributedBody is NSAttributedString binary that's hard to decode
const text = (row.text || "").trim();
// Skip empty messages
if (!text) return null;
// Convert Apple's absolute timestamp (nanoseconds since 2001-01-01) to unix ms
// row.date is in nanoseconds relative to 2001-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
// Seconds since 2001-01-01 to 1970-01-01: 978307200 seconds (31 years + 8 leap days)
const appleEpochSecs = 978307200;
const unixMs = (row.date / 1000000000) * 1000 + (appleEpochSecs * 1000); // convert nanos to ms
// Prefer explicit contact ID over group name; both may be empty for system messages
const sender = row.contact_id || row.chat_name || "Unknown";
return {
contact: sender,
text: text,
timestamp: Math.round(unixMs),
guid: `imessage-${row.rowid}`,
};
})
.filter((m: any) => m !== null);
return { messages };
} catch (err: any) {
const msg = err?.message || String(err);
if (msg.includes("SQLITE_CANTOPEN") || msg.includes("cannot open")) {
return {
messages: [],
not_connected: true,
hint: "Full Disk Access required for Terminal. Grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.",
};
}
return {
messages: [],
not_connected: true,
hint: `iMessage read failed: ${msg}`,
};
}
}
/** Send an iMessage via osascript (requires Messages.app open). */
export function sendIMessage(to: string, text: string): void {
if (!/^\+\d{10,15}$/.test(to)) {
throw new Error(`Invalid E.164 phone number: ${to}`);
}
const escapedText = text.replace(/\\/g, "\\\\").replace(/"/g, '\\"');
const cmd = `osascript -e 'tell application "Messages" to send "${escapedText}" to buddy "${to}" of (service 1 whose service type is iMessage)'`;
execSync(cmd, { encoding: "utf-8", timeout: 10_000 });
}
// --- CLI ---
if ((() => { try { return import.meta.url === `file://${realpathSync(process.argv[1])}`; } catch { return false; } })()) {
(async () => {
const [, , cmd, ...args] = process.argv;
switch (cmd) {
case "send": {
const [to, ...textParts] = args;
if (!to || !textParts.length) { console.error("Usage: api.ts send <phone> <text>"); process.exit(1); }
try {
sendIMessage(to, textParts.join(" "));
console.log("sent");
} catch (e) {
console.error("send failed:", e);
process.exit(1);
}
break;
}
case "list": {
const limitStr = args[0];
const limit = limitStr ? parseInt(limitStr, 10) : 5;
const result = await readRecent(undefined, limit);
for (const msg of result.messages) {
console.log(`${new Date(msg.timestamp).toISOString().slice(0, 16)}\t${msg.contact}\t${msg.text.slice(0, 80)}`);
}
if (result.not_connected) {
console.warn(`⚠ ${result.hint}`);
process.exit(1);
}
break;
}
case "list-contact": {
const [contact, limitStr] = args;
if (!contact) { console.error("Usage: api.ts list-contact <contact> [limit]"); process.exit(1); }
const limit = limitStr ? parseInt(limitStr, 10) : 5;
const result = await readRecent(contact, limit);
for (const msg of result.messages) {
console.log(`${new Date(msg.timestamp).toISOString().slice(0, 16)}\t${msg.contact}\t${msg.text.slice(0, 80)}`);
}
if (result.not_connected) {
console.warn(`⚠ ${result.hint}`);
process.exit(1);
}
break;
}
default:
console.log("Usage: npx tsx api.ts [send|list|list-contact] ...");
}
})();
}
scripts- helper scripts it can run
prose-only skill - 1 inline code block live in SKILL.md above (no state/bin/ sidecar yet).
how we check it- the checks, plus the last 10 runs
no recent runs logged - the eval contract is declared but nothing has been graded yet