--- name: imsg-autoresponder description: Monitor iMessage/SMS conversations and auto-respond based on configurable rules, AI prompts, and rate-limiting conditions. Use when you need to automatically reply to specific contacts with AI-generated responses based on conversation context. Also use when the user asks to manage auto-responder settings, contacts, prompts, or view status/history. ---

iMessage Auto-Responder

Automatically respond to iMessages/SMS from specific contacts using AI-generated replies that match your voice and conversation context.

⚠️ Requirements Checklist

Before using this skill, ensure you have:

• [ ] macOS with Messages.app signed in to iMessage
• [ ] imsg CLI installed: brew install steipete/tap/imsg
• [ ] OpenAI API key configured in Clawdbot config
• [ ] Full Disk Access granted to Terminal/iTerm
• [ ] Messages automation permission (macOS will prompt on first use)

Features

• 🤖 AI-powered responses using OpenAI GPT-4
• 📱 Contact-based prompts - different AI personality per contact
• ⏱️ Rate limiting - configurable delays between auto-responses
• 💬 Context-aware - AI sees recent conversation history
• 📊 Telegram management - slash commands + natural language
• 🔄 Background monitoring - continuous polling for new messages
• 🔧 Auto-cleanup - clears stale locks on restart (prevents stuck contacts)
• 🧪 Test mode - generate real AI responses without sending
• ⏰ Time windows - only respond during specific hours (e.g., 9 AM - 10 PM)
• 🔑 Keyword triggers - only respond if message contains specific keywords (e.g., "urgent", "help")
• 📊 Statistics tracking - track total responses, daily counts, and averages per contact
• 🚦 Daily cap - limit max replies per day per contact (safety feature)

Quick Start

1. Add contacts to watch list

cd ~/clawd/imsg-autoresponder/scripts
node manage.js add "+15551234567" "Reply with a middle finger emoji" "Best Friend"
node manage.js add "+15559876543" "You are my helpful assistant. Reply warmly and briefly, as if I'm responding myself. Keep it under 160 characters." "Mom"

2. Start the watcher

node watcher.js

The watcher runs in the foreground and logs to ~/clawd/logs/imsg-autoresponder.log.

3. Run in background (recommended)

# Start in background
nohup node ~/clawd/imsg-autoresponder/scripts/watcher.js > /dev/null 2>&1 &

# Or use screen/tmux
screen -S imsg-watcher
node ~/clawd/imsg-autoresponder/scripts/watcher.js
# Ctrl+A, D to detach

Configuration

Config file: ~/clawd/imsg-autoresponder.json

{
  "enabled": true,
  "defaultMinMinutesBetweenReplies": 15,
  "watchList": [
    {
      "identifier": "+15551234567",
      "name": "Best Friend",
      "prompt": "Reply with a middle finger emoji",
      "minMinutesBetweenReplies": 10,
      "enabled": true
    }
  ]
}

Management via Telegram (Recommended)

The auto-responder can be managed directly through Telegram using slash commands or natural language.

Slash Commands

Both space and underscore formats are supported:

/autorespond list              OR  /autorespond_list
/autorespond status            OR  /autorespond_status
/autorespond add               OR  /autorespond_add <number> <name> <prompt>
/autorespond remove            OR  /autorespond_remove <number>
/autorespond edit              OR  /autorespond_edit <number> <prompt>
/autorespond delay             OR  /autorespond_delay <number> <minutes>
/autorespond history           OR  /autorespond_history <number>
/autorespond test              OR  /autorespond_test <number> <message>
/autorespond toggle            OR  /autorespond_toggle
/autorespond restart           OR  /autorespond_restart

Bulk Operations:
/autorespond set-all-delays    OR  /autorespond_set_all_delays <minutes>
/autorespond enable-all        OR  /autorespond_enable_all
/autorespond disable-all       OR  /autorespond_disable_all

Time Windows:
/autorespond set-time-window   OR  /autorespond_set_time_window <number> <start> <end>
/autorespond clear-time-windows OR  /autorespond_clear_time_windows <number>

Keyword Triggers:
/autorespond add-keyword       OR  /autorespond_add_keyword <number> <keyword>
/autorespond remove-keyword    OR  /autorespond_remove_keyword <number> <keyword>
/autorespond clear-keywords    OR  /autorespond_clear_keywords <number>

Statistics & Limits:
/autorespond stats             OR  /autorespond_stats [<number>]
/autorespond set-daily-cap     OR  /autorespond_set_daily_cap <number> <max>

Examples:

/autorespond_list
/autorespond_status
/autorespond_edit +15551234567 Be more sarcastic
/autorespond_delay +15551234567 30
/autorespond_history +15551234567
/autorespond_set_time_window +15551234567 09:00 22:00
/autorespond_clear_time_windows +15551234567
/autorespond_add_keyword +15551234567 urgent
/autorespond_add_keyword +15551234567 help
/autorespond_clear_keywords +15551234567
/autorespond_stats
/autorespond_stats +15551234567
/autorespond_set_daily_cap +15551234567 10
/autorespond_set_all_delays 30
/autorespond_disable_all
/autorespond_restart

Natural Language

You can also just ask naturally:

• "Show me the auto-responder status"
• "Add +15551234567 to the watch list with prompt: be sarcastic"
• "Change Scott's prompt to be nicer"
• "Disable auto-replies for Mom"
• "What has the auto-responder sent to Foxy recently?"
• "Restart the auto-responder"

The agent will understand and execute the command using the telegram-handler.js script.

Command-Line Management (Advanced)

cd ~/clawd/imsg-autoresponder/scripts

# List all contacts
node manage.js list

# Add contact
node manage.js add "+15551234567" "Your custom prompt here" "Optional Name"

# Remove contact
node manage.js remove "+15551234567"

# Enable/disable contact
node manage.js enable "+15551234567"
node manage.js disable "+15551234567"

# Set custom delay for contact (in minutes)
node manage.js set-delay "+15551234567" 30

# Toggle entire system on/off
node manage.js toggle

How It Works

1. Watcher monitors all incoming messages via imsg watch
2. Checks watch list to see if sender is configured for auto-response
3. Rate limiting ensures we don't spam (configurable minutes between replies)
4. Fetches message history for the conversation (last 20 messages)
5. Generates AI response using Clawdbot + the contact's configured prompt
6. Sends reply via imsg send
7. Logs everything to ~/clawd/logs/imsg-autoresponder.log

State Tracking

Response times are tracked in ~/clawd/data/imsg-autoresponder-state.json:

{
  "lastResponses": {
    "+15551234567": 1706453280000
  }
}

This ensures rate limiting works correctly across restarts.

Prompts

Prompts define how the AI should respond to each contact. Be specific!

Examples:

"Reply with a middle finger emoji"

"You are my helpful assistant. Reply warmly and briefly, as if I'm responding myself. Keep it under 160 characters."

"You are my sarcastic friend. Reply with witty, slightly snarky responses. Keep it short."

"Politely decline any requests and say I'm busy. Be brief but friendly."

The AI will see:

• The contact's custom prompt
• Recent message history (last 5 messages)
• The latest incoming message

Requirements

• macOS with Messages.app signed in
• imsg CLI installed (brew install steipete/tap/imsg)
• Full Disk Access for Terminal
• Clawdbot installed and configured
• Anthropic API key (configured in ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY env var)
• curl (pre-installed on macOS)

Safety

• Rate limiting prevents spam (default: 15 minutes between replies per contact)
• Manual override via enabled: false in config or node manage.js disable
• System toggle to disable all auto-responses: node manage.js toggle
• Logs track all activity for review

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