RealtimeX Mac Messages MCP

A Python bridge for interacting with the macOS Messages app using MCP (Multiple Context Protocol).

Note: This is a fork of mac-messages-mcp by Carter Lasalle. All credit for the original implementation goes to the original author. This fork is published under the name realtimex-mac-messages-mcp for personal use.

Quick Install

For Cursor Users

Click the button above to automatically add Mac Messages MCP to Cursor

For Claude Desktop Users

See the Integration section below for setup instructions.

Features

• Universal Message Sending: Automatically sends via iMessage or SMS/RCS based on recipient availability
• Smart Fallback: Seamless fallback to SMS when iMessage is unavailable (perfect for Android users)
• Message Reading: Read recent messages from the macOS Messages app
• Contact Filtering: Filter messages by specific contacts or phone numbers
• Fuzzy Search: Search through message content with intelligent matching
• iMessage Detection: Check if recipients have iMessage before sending
• Cross-Platform: Works with both iPhone/Mac users (iMessage) and Android users (SMS/RCS)

Prerequisites

• macOS (tested on macOS 11+)
• Python 3.10+
• uv package manager

Installing uv

If you're on Mac, install uv using Homebrew:

brew install uv

Otherwise, follow the installation instructions on the uv website.

⚠️ Do not proceed before installing uv

Installation

Full Disk Access Permission

⚠️ This application requires Full Disk Access permission for your terminal or application to access the Messages database.

To grant Full Disk Access:

1. Open System Preferences/Settings > Security & Privacy/Privacy > Full Disk Access
2. Click the lock icon to make changes
3. Add your terminal app (Terminal, iTerm2, etc.) or Claude Desktop/Cursor to the list
4. Restart your terminal or application after granting permission

Integration

Claude Desktop Integration

1. Go to Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config > claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the following configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "messages": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "realtimex-mac-messages-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Or use the original package:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "messages": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "mac-messages-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Cursor Integration

Manual Setup

Go to Cursor Settings > MCP and paste this as a command:

uvx realtimex-mac-messages-mcp

Or use the original package:

uvx mac-messages-mcp

⚠️ Only run one instance of the MCP server (either on Cursor or Claude Desktop), not both

Docker Container Integration

If you need to connect to mac-messages-mcp from a Docker container, you'll need to use the mcp-proxy package to bridge the stdio-based server to HTTP.

Setup Instructions

1. Install mcp-proxy on your macOS host:

npm install -g mcp-proxy

2. Start the proxy server:

# Using the published version
npx mcp-proxy uvx mac-messages-mcp --port 8000 --host 0.0.0.0

# Or using local development (if you encounter issues)
npx mcp-proxy uv run python -m mac_messages_mcp.server --port 8000 --host 0.0.0.0

3. Connect from Docker: Your Docker container can now connect to:

• URL: http://host.docker.internal:8000/mcp (on macOS/Windows)
• URL: http://<host-ip>:8000/mcp (on Linux)

4. Docker Compose example:

version: '3.8'
services:
  your-app:
    image: your-image
    environment:
      MCP_MESSAGES_URL: "http://host.docker.internal:8000/mcp"
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"  # For Linux hosts

5. Running multiple MCP servers:

# Terminal 1 - Messages MCP on port 8001
npx mcp-proxy uvx mac-messages-mcp --port 8001 --host 0.0.0.0

# Terminal 2 - Another MCP server on port 8002
npx mcp-proxy uvx another-mcp-server --port 8002 --host 0.0.0.0

Note: Binding to 0.0.0.0 exposes the service to all network interfaces. In production, consider using more restrictive host bindings and adding authentication.

Option 1: Install from PyPI

# Install the realtimex fork
uv pip install realtimex-mac-messages-mcp

# Or install the original package
uv pip install mac-messages-mcp

Option 2: Install from source

# Clone this repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd mac_messages_mcp

# Install dependencies
uv install -e .

Usage

Smart Message Delivery

Mac Messages MCP automatically handles message delivery across different platforms:

• iMessage Users (iPhone, iPad, Mac): Messages sent via iMessage
• Android Users: Messages automatically fall back to SMS/RCS
• Mixed Groups: Optimal delivery method chosen per recipient

# Send to iPhone user - uses iMessage
send_message("+1234567890", "Hey! This goes via iMessage")

# Send to Android user - automatically uses SMS
send_message("+1987654321", "Hey! This goes via SMS") 

# Check delivery method before sending
check_imessage_availability("+1234567890")  # Returns availability status

As a Module

from mac_messages_mcp import get_recent_messages, send_message

# Get recent messages
messages = get_recent_messages(hours=48)
print(messages)

# Send a message (automatically chooses iMessage or SMS)
result = send_message(recipient="+1234567890", message="Hello from Mac Messages MCP!")
print(result)  # Shows whether sent via iMessage or SMS

As a Command-Line Tool

# Run the MCP server directly with realtimex fork
realtimex-mac-messages-mcp

# Or use the original command
mac-messages-mcp

Development

Versioning

This project uses semantic versioning. See VERSIONING.md for details on how the versioning system works and how to release new versions.

To bump the version:

python scripts/bump_version.py [patch|minor|major]

Security Notes

This application accesses the Messages database directly, which contains personal communications. Please use it responsibly and ensure you have appropriate permissions.

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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