Files
openclaw/docs/reference/rpc.md
Tyler Yust 9c4eab69cc iMessage: promote BlueBubbles and refresh docs/skills (#8415)
* feat: Make BlueBubbles the primary iMessage integration

- Remove old imsg skill (skills/imsg/SKILL.md)
- Create new BlueBubbles skill (skills/bluebubbles/SKILL.md) with message tool examples
- Add keep-alive script documentation for VM/headless setups to docs/channels/bluebubbles.md
  - AppleScript that pokes Messages.app every 5 minutes
  - LaunchAgent configuration for automatic execution
  - Prevents Messages.app from going idle in VM environments
- Update all documentation to prioritize BlueBubbles over legacy imsg:
  - Mark imsg channel as legacy throughout docs
  - Update README.md channel lists
  - Update wizard, hubs, pairing, and index docs
  - Update FAQ to recommend BlueBubbles for iMessage
  - Update RPC docs to note imsg as legacy pattern
  - Update Chinese documentation (zh-CN)
- Replace imsg examples with generic macOS skill examples where appropriate

BlueBubbles is now the recommended first-class iMessage integration,
with the legacy imsg integration marked for potential future removal.

* refactor: Update import paths and improve code formatting

- Adjusted import paths in session-status-tool.ts, whatsapp-heartbeat.ts, and heartbeat-runner.ts for consistency.
- Reformatted code for better readability by aligning and grouping related imports and function parameters.
- Enhanced error messages and conditional checks for clarity in heartbeat-runner.ts.

* skills: restore imsg skill and align bluebubbles skill

* docs: update FAQ for clarity and formatting

- Adjusted the formatting of the FAQ section to ensure consistent bullet point alignment.
- No content changes were made, only formatting improvements for better readability.

* style: oxfmt touched files

* fix: preserve BlueBubbles developer reference (#8415) (thanks @tyler6204)
2026-02-03 18:06:54 -08:00

1.4 KiB

summary, read_when, title
summary read_when title
RPC adapters for external CLIs (signal-cli, legacy imsg) and gateway patterns
Adding or changing external CLI integrations
Debugging RPC adapters (signal-cli, imsg)
RPC Adapters

RPC adapters

OpenClaw integrates external CLIs via JSON-RPC. Two patterns are used today.

Pattern A: HTTP daemon (signal-cli)

  • signal-cli runs as a daemon with JSON-RPC over HTTP.
  • Event stream is SSE (/api/v1/events).
  • Health probe: /api/v1/check.
  • OpenClaw owns lifecycle when channels.signal.autoStart=true.

See Signal for setup and endpoints.

Pattern B: stdio child process (legacy: imsg)

Note: For new iMessage setups, use BlueBubbles instead.

  • OpenClaw spawns imsg rpc as a child process (legacy iMessage integration).
  • JSON-RPC is line-delimited over stdin/stdout (one JSON object per line).
  • No TCP port, no daemon required.

Core methods used:

  • watch.subscribe → notifications (method: "message")
  • watch.unsubscribe
  • send
  • chats.list (probe/diagnostics)

See iMessage for legacy setup and addressing (chat_id preferred).

Adapter guidelines

  • Gateway owns the process (start/stop tied to provider lifecycle).
  • Keep RPC clients resilient: timeouts, restart on exit.
  • Prefer stable IDs (e.g., chat_id) over display strings.