iMessage MCP Server

MCP server for Claude Desktop that reads iMessages, SMS, and RCS messages - including mixed group chats with Android users.

Why This Exists

Other iMessage MCP connectors fail to read:

• RCS messages (newer Android-to-iPhone messages)
• Group chats with Android users (SMS/MMS groups)
• Messages stored in attributedBody instead of plain text

This server handles all of these by:

• Querying SMS, RCS, and iMessage conversations
• Decoding binary attributedBody blobs to extract message text
• Merging duplicate chat IDs that appear for mixed-protocol groups

Features

• List all conversations (iMessage, SMS, RCS)
• Search by contact name, phone number, or group name
• Read messages from any conversation type
• Get recent messages across all chats
• Properly handles mixed iPhone/Android group chats

Installation

git clone https://github.com/DavidGreigQC/imessage-mcp-server.git
cd imessage-mcp-server
npm install

Setup with Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop config:

   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   

2. Add the server:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "imessage": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/path/to/imessage-mcp-server/src/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Grant Full Disk Access to Claude Desktop:

   • System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access
   • Add Claude Desktop

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:

• "List my recent conversations"
• "Search for messages from John"
• "Read messages from the work group chat"
• "Show me messages from the last 24 hours"

Available Tools

Tool	Description
list_conversations	List all conversations with last activity time
search_conversations	Search by name, phone, or group name
read_messages	Read messages from a specific conversation
get_recent_messages	Get recent messages across all chats

Requirements

• macOS (tested on Sonoma/Sequoia)
• Node.js 18+
• Claude Desktop with Full Disk Access
• Messages app with message history

How It Works

The server reads directly from the macOS Messages database (~/Library/Messages/chat.db). For RCS and some iMessage conversations, message text is stored in a binary attributedBody field rather than plain text - this server decodes that binary format to extract the actual message content.

License

MIT