imessage — Agent Skill
by anthropics · Updated
iMessage messaging bridge with built-in access control. Reads chat.db directly, sends via AppleScript. Manage pairing, allowlists, and policy via /imessage:access.
At a glance
imessage is an Agent Skill by anthropics in the Design & Creative category. In Claude Code it installs with `/plugin install imessage@claude-plugins-official` after adding the anthropics/claude-plugins-official marketplace; other assistants use its SKILL.md instructions as rules. Its source repository has 45,039 GitHub stars (as of Oct 27, 2026).
How to install imessage in your AI client
Setup for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, Cline and VS Code — copy-paste ready.
How to install imessage in Claude CodeAnthropic's agentic CLI
Add the marketplace
claude/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-officialInstall the skill
claude/plugin install imessage@claude-plugins-officialUse it
These are slash commands for a Claude Code session, not your shell. Claude auto-invokes the skill when your request matches its description — or type its slash command if it exposes one.
How to install imessage in Claude DesktopDesktop app (MCP config)
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Add the SKILL.md to your Skills folder
Settings → Capabilities → Skills → add the folder containing SKILL.md. Claude picks it up automatically.
How to install imessage in CursorAI-first code editor
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Convert to a Cursor rule
Create .cursor/rules/imessage.mdc and paste the SKILL.md body. Set `alwaysApply` or a glob so the Agent loads it in context.
How to install imessage in Codex CLIOpenAI coding agent
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Reference in AGENTS.md
Add the skill's instructions (or a link) to AGENTS.md at your repo root — Codex reads it on every run.
How to install imessage in WindsurfCodeium's agentic IDE
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Add to your rules / context
Paste the SKILL.md instructions into this tool's custom rules or workspace instructions so the agent follows them.
How to install imessage in ClineVS Code autonomous agent
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Add to your rules / context
Paste the SKILL.md instructions into this tool's custom rules or workspace instructions so the agent follows them.
How to install imessage in VS CodeCopilot / MCP support
Clone the source
bashgit clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official.gitFind the skill
It lives in claude-plugins-official/external_plugins/imessage — that folder contains the SKILL.md.
Add to your rules / context
Paste the SKILL.md instructions into this tool's custom rules or workspace instructions so the agent follows them.
Documentation
Full READMEiMessage
Connect iMessage to your Claude Code assistant. Reads ~/Library/Messages/chat.db directly for history, search, and new-message detection; sends via AppleScript to Messages.app. No external server, no background process to keep alive.
macOS only.
Quick setup
Default: text yourself. Other senders are dropped silently (no auto-reply) until you allowlist them. See ACCESS.md for groups and multi-user setups.
1. Grant Full Disk Access.
chat.db is protected by macOS TCC. The first time the server reads it, macOS pops a prompt asking if your terminal can access Messages — click Allow. The prompt names whatever app launched bun (Terminal.app, iTerm, Ghostty, your IDE).
If you click Don't Allow, or the prompt never appears, grant it manually: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access → add your terminal. Without this the server exits immediately with authorization denied.
2. Install the plugin.
These are Claude Code commands — run claude to start a session first.
Install the plugin. No env vars required.
/plugin install imessage@claude-plugins-official3. Relaunch with the channel flag.
The server won't connect without this — exit your session and start a new one:
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