usrcp-imessage

iMessage capture adapter for USRCP. Polls the macOS Messages.app database (~/Library/Messages/chat.db) via steipete/imsg and appends new messages from allowlisted chats as encrypted timeline events in the local USRCP ledger.

macOS-only. Requires Full Disk Access for the binary that runs the adapter (Terminal, iTerm, Node binary, etc.) so it can read chat.db.

Install and run

cd packages/usrcp-imessage
npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js                  # capture loop
node dist/index.js --reset-config   # re-prompt all config

First run is interactive: walks you through imsg detection, the FDA check, your user handle (phone or email), the chat allowlist, an optional message prefix filter, and an Anthropic API key (used by the companion reader, not capture itself).

Where secrets live

~/.usrcp/imessage-config.json at mode 0600:

{
  "anthropic_api_key": "...",
  "user_handle": "+15551234567",
  "allowlisted_chats": ["chatNNN", "chatMMM"],
  "prefix": "",
  "last_rowid": 123456
}

last_rowid is the high-water mark from chat.db, advanced after each poll so the adapter doesn't re-emit captured messages.

What lands in the ledger

Each iMessage becomes a timeline_events row with:

• channel_id — the iMessage chat_identifier
• external_user_id — sender's handle
• All free-text fields (summary, detail) encrypted under the global key

Stream mode (Phase 6)

When usrcp-stream is installed alongside this adapter, you can choose where captured messages land via --mode:

• --mode ledger — user-sent messages only (is_from_me=1), written to the local USRCP ledger. Existing behavior.
• --mode stream — allowlisted, both sides (is_from_me=1 outbound + incoming inbound) flow into the encrypted stream.db. No ledger writes. iMessage has no notion of "bot," so no bot filter applies.
• --mode both — ledger keeps the is_from_me filter; stream captures both sides on allowlisted chats. Default when usrcp-stream is installed.

If usrcp-stream is not installed, the default is --mode ledger. Passing --mode stream or --mode both without the package installed will error at startup with a message instructing you to install it.

USRCP_PASSPHRASE=… node dist/index.js --mode both

Stream events on the same (surface, channel_ref) within same_channel_window_ms are stitched into one thread by the cross-surface stitcher; see packages/usrcp-stream/README.md for the keyspace, threat model, and recall surface.