Getting Texts from Your AI with iMessage

The iMessage pack lets your AI tools send you a text through Messages on your Mac and watch for your reply. It's useful when you step away from your computer during a long task, or when you want results to show up on your phone instead of in a chat window you might miss.

Jacob shows it in a video: How to connect Grokbot, Claude Code or Codex to iMessage. Corey built the pack.

What you need#

• A Mac. The pack only works on macOS.
• Messages signed in with your Apple ID.
• For texts to phone numbers (green bubbles): turn on Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone for this Mac.

Everything runs on your Mac. Your messages don't go through any HQ cloud service.

Step 1: Install the pack#

1. In the HQ desktop app, click Marketplace on the left rail.
2. Search for iMessage and open it.
3. Click Install for me.

When it finishes, you'll see ✓ Installed. Claude Code and Codex can use it right away. More on packs in Capability Packs.

Step 2: Give your Mac permission#

The first time you use it, macOS needs to allow two things:

• Full Disk Access, so HQ can read your messages. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and turn it on for the app you run HQ in (for example Terminal, Claude, or Cursor).
• Control of Messages, so HQ can send texts. When macOS asks if the app "wants to control Messages," click Allow.

Step 3: Text yourself#

In Claude Code or Codex, type:

/imessage message me at you@icloud.com and watch for my replies

Use your Apple ID email or phone number. You can also send to a group by its name.

Before it sends anything, it shows you who it's texting and the exact message, and waits for your okay. Then it checks that the message really went out.

Watching for replies#

Ask it to watch for replies, and it keeps checking for new texts and responds. It only picks up messages that arrive after it starts watching, so it won't respond to old conversations.

A text you send back is treated as information, not as a command. It can't make your AI do something you wouldn't approve at the computer.

Ideas for using it#

• "Text me when this build finishes."
• "I'm heading out. Text me if you need a decision, and watch for my reply."
• Have a bot that searches X every morning text you what it found.

Using it with bots#

Bots that run on your own computer, like Local Bots, can use the pack too. A bot running on its own can only text people on an approved list that you set, and only you can add people to it.

Jacob also has Grok message him by asking it to "use the hq core pack on my computer to message me from [your Apple ID or phone number] and watch for responses." The pack runs on your Mac, so this works when Grok is running on the same Mac.

Troubleshooting#

"Can't open the Messages database"

Full Disk Access isn't on for the app you run HQ in. Turn it on (see Step 2), then quit and reopen that app.

"Messages refused the send"

The app isn't allowed to control Messages. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, find the app, and turn on Messages.

The text didn't arrive

Ask it to show the last few messages in that conversation. For a phone number, try again as a regular text message (SMS), and check that Text Message Forwarding is on on your iPhone.

A message shows as "(no text)"

That's a sticker or a reaction.

A file won't send

Move the file to your Pictures or Downloads folder and try again.

If you get stuck#

See The "I'm Stuck" Guide, or report it with /hq-bug. It packages the details for the team automatically.