Problem
imsg send currently has no way to send a message as an inline reply to a specific previous message. When building conversational AI agents over iMessage, the agent can receive reply context (thanks to thread_originator_guid in v0.5.0), but cannot reply back in-thread.
Proposed Change
Add a --reply-to <guid> flag to imsg send that sets thread_originator_guid on the outgoing message, causing Messages.app to display it as an inline reply.
Technical Notes
thread_originator_guid and thread_originator_part are writable fields on the message table in chat.db- AppleScript's
send command doesn't support threading, so this would likely require IMCore/MessageKit private frameworks
- I understand this may be non-trivial — just filing for visibility and to gauge interest
Use Case
AI assistants communicating via iMessage. The assistant receives a reply to message X, processes it, and wants to respond in the same thread so the conversation stays visually linked in the Messages UI.
Problem
imsg sendcurrently has no way to send a message as an inline reply to a specific previous message. When building conversational AI agents over iMessage, the agent can receive reply context (thanks tothread_originator_guidin v0.5.0), but cannot reply back in-thread.Proposed Change
Add a
--reply-to <guid>flag toimsg sendthat setsthread_originator_guidon the outgoing message, causing Messages.app to display it as an inline reply.Technical Notes
thread_originator_guidandthread_originator_partare writable fields on the message table in chat.dbsendcommand doesn't support threading, so this would likely require IMCore/MessageKit private frameworksUse Case
AI assistants communicating via iMessage. The assistant receives a reply to message X, processes it, and wants to respond in the same thread so the conversation stays visually linked in the Messages UI.