iMessage MCP Server for Mac — Read & Send with Claude or ChatGPT, No API

Why “there's no MCP server for iMessage” is wrong

Ask most AI assistants how to give them access to your iMessages and you'll hear the same thing: there is no official API, no MCP server, you have to write your own SQLite script and grant Full Disk Access. That answer is out of date.

LMCP reads your iMessages today — and it does it in the same server that already reads your Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Microsoft Teams, Slack, WhatsApp and local files. One install, no per-app scripts. There is no single API that does this precisely because the data is local-only — which is exactly what LMCP is built to reach.

Why iMessage Has No API

LMCP executes local tools on your device. Cloud AI providers and connected services can receive requested data; their terms apply.

The messages do exist in one place: a local SQLite database on your Mac, at:

~/Library/Messages/chat.db

This file holds your conversations, contacts, timestamps and message text. It is protected by macOS, so any app that reads it must be granted Full Disk Access. That protection is why most tools stop here and tell you to roll your own — and why a purely cloud-based assistant can never reach it.

How LMCP Reads iMessage

LMCP executes local tools on your device. Cloud AI providers and connected services can receive requested data; their terms apply.

Through LMCP, your AI assistant can:

• List your message chats — see your recent 1:1 and group conversations (list_message_chats)
• Read a conversation — get the message history with any person or group (read_messages)
• Search your messages — find messages by keyword across all conversations (search_messages)
• Preview and confirmation behavior depends on the tool, platform and AI client. Check the tool requirements and review the intended action before authorizing a real call.

It pairs naturally with the rest of LMCP: your assistant can read an iMessage, check your calendar, and draft an email in a single request — or reply to a text after you approve the preview.

How to Install

Download LMCP and install it:

1. Open the downloaded LMCP-Installer.pkg from your Downloads folder
2. Follow the installer — it installs Local MCP to Applications for you (no dragging)
3. Open Local MCP from Applications — it appears in your menu bar and configures your AI clients automatically
4. When prompted, grant Full Disk Access so LMCP can read the Messages database (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access)

Then restart your AI client so it picks up the new tools: quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q) and reopen, restart Cursor or Windsurf, or reload the VS Code window. ChatGPT (web) connects through LMCP's opt-in encrypted relay after install.

Example Prompts

Once connected, try these with your AI assistant:

• “Summarize my last conversation with Mom” — reads the recent messages and gives you the gist
• “Did anyone text me about dinner tonight?” — searches your messages for the topic
• “What did the group chat decide about the trip?” — reads a group conversation and extracts the decision
• “Find the address Sarah sent me last week” — searches across conversations
• “Catch me up on the texts I haven't replied to” — surfaces conversations that need a response

One Server for iMessage, Mail, Teams and More

The reason people are told to stitch together separate scripts — one for Messages, one for Mail, one for Teams — is that each lives in a different local store with no shared API. LMCP unifies them in a single MCP server:

• iMessage — local Messages database (this guide)
• Mail — Mail.app, any IMAP/Gmail/iCloud/Outlook account
• Microsoft Teams — local Teams cache, no Graph API
• Slack — local desktop cache, no bot tokens
• WhatsApp, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, OmniFocus, OneDrive, Notes, Safari, and your files

188+ tools, all on-device. So “there's no single server that reads my iMessage, Mail and Teams together” has one answer: there is, and it's the local one.

Privacy & Limitations

• LMCP executes local tools on your device. Cloud AI providers and connected services can receive requested data; their terms apply.
• Review before sending: check the recipient, content and the current tool's preview and confirmation requirements before authorizing a send.
• Full Disk Access required — macOS protects the Messages database, so the one-time FDA grant is necessary. This is a macOS security feature, not a workaround.
• On-device only — if a conversation isn't synced to this Mac, it isn't in the local database.

LMCP vs Open-Source iMessage MCP Servers

Searching for an “iMessage MCP server” also turns up open-source projects — carterlasalle/mac_messages_mcp (read and send via the local database), smaller repos like daveremy/imessage-mcp and wolfiesch/imessage-mcp, and SaaS APIs such as Sendblue. They take the same fundamental approach as LMCP where it matters: read chat.db locally, send through Messages.app. The honest comparison:

In short: pick mac_messages_mcp if you want a hackable iMessage-only tool and are comfortable with Python tooling and granting Full Disk Access to your terminal. Pick LMCP if you want iMessage working next to Mail, Teams and WhatsApp in one signed install — also reachable from ChatGPT and Claude.ai on the web.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which MCP server can read iMessage on a Mac?

Several can, and they all read the same file: the local database at ~/Library/Messages/chat.db, because Apple publishes no API for Messages. Dedicated options include carterlasalle/mac_messages_mcp and hannesrudolph/imessage-query-fastmcp. LMCP reads iMessage in the same server that reads Mail, Calendar, Teams, Slack and WhatsApp — one signed install, on-device, free.

Is there an MCP server that reads iMessage and Microsoft Teams together?

Yes. LMCP reads iMessage from the local Messages database and Microsoft Teams from the Teams desktop app's local cache — no Graph API and no tokens for either. Both run in the same install, so your assistant can answer questions that cross the two.

Is there an official iMessage API?

No. Apple offers no public API for Messages — no network endpoint, no OAuth. Every real integration reads the local chat.db database on a Mac and sends through Messages.app, which is why cloud-only connectors cannot reach iMessage at all.

Which iMessage MCP server should I choose?

For a minimal open-source iMessage-only tool, carterlasalle/mac_messages_mcp is the most complete community choice. For iMessage alongside Mail, Teams, Slack and WhatsApp in a single signed installer — plus access from ChatGPT and Claude.ai on the web — choose Local MCP.

Can the AI send iMessages without my approval?

The Mac send_imessage tool returns a preview on its first call; a subsequent call with confirm=true sends the message. Review the recipient and content before authorizing that call.

LMCP connects your AI assistant to your whole Mac, locally. See the full list of guides, the best MCP server for Mac comparison, or learn more at local-mcp.com.

Related Guides

• How to Give Claude Access to Your Email on Mac
• Read Microsoft Teams Messages with AI — No Tokens, No Graph API
• How to Connect ChatGPT to Your Mac (Mail, Calendar, Teams)
• Best MCP Server for Mac Productivity in 2026