iMessage

iMessage is the natural choice for iPhone and Mac users who want their agent to feel like texting a friend. It integrates with the Messages app you already use every day.

Setup Overview

iMessage integration requires a Mac (or a Mac server) running the agent, because it relies on the macOS Messages framework.

# channels/imessage.yaml
channel: imessage
enabled: true
dmPolicy: allowlist
allowedContacts:
  - "+15551234567"
  - "friend@icloud.com"
groupPolicy: mention  # Only respond in groups when @mentioned

Key Config Options

Option	Values	What It Does
`dmPolicy`	`allowlist`, `approval`, `open`	Controls who can DM the agent
`groupPolicy`	`mention`, `always`, `never`	When to respond in group chats
`requireMention`	`true` / `false`	In groups, require @mention to respond
`allowedContacts`	Array of phone numbers/emails	Whitelist for `allowlist` policy
`responseDelay`	Number (seconds)	Wait before responding (feels more natural)

Tips and Gotchas

The allowlist is your best friend. iMessage is tied to your personal phone number. Anyone who has your number can text you — and without an allowlist, they can text your agent. Start with dmPolicy: allowlist and add contacts one by one.

Phone numbers must include country code. Use +15551234567 format, not (555) 123-4567. If contacts are not being matched, the number format is almost always the issue.

iCloud email addresses work too. You can add contacts by their iCloud email if you do not have their phone number, or if they message you from a non-phone Apple device.

Group chats need requireMention: true. Without this, your agent will respond to every message in every group chat, which gets noisy fast. With requireMention: true, it only responds when someone explicitly addresses it.

Response delay makes it feel human. A responseDelay of 2-5 seconds prevents the uncanny instant reply. Your contacts will not feel like they are talking to a bot.

Mac must stay running. Since iMessage integration uses the macOS Messages framework, your Mac needs to be on and awake. If you are running OpenClaw on a headless Mac Mini server, disable sleep and screen lock.

Next Steps

Channel Overview — Compare all channels and build a multi-channel strategy
Slack — The most reliable channel for work and team use
DM Policies & Pairing — Lock down DM policies and tool permissions

Overview Slack