Send and manage iMessages via BlueBubbles, including attachments, tapbacks, edits, replies, and groups.
BlueBubbles Actions
Overview
BlueBubbles is OpenClaw’s recommended iMessage integration. Use the message tool with channel: "bluebubbles" to send messages and manage iMessage conversations: send texts and attachments, react (tapbacks), edit/unsend, reply in threads, and manage group participants/names/icons.
Inputs to collect
target (prefer chat_guid:...; also +15551234567 in E.164 or user@example.com)
message text for send/edit/reply
messageId for react/edit/unsend/reply
Attachment path for local files, or buffer + filename for base64
If the user is vague ("text my mom"), ask for the recipient handle or chat guid and the exact message content.
Actions
Send a message
{
"action": "send",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"message": "hello from OpenClaw"
}
React (tapback)
{
"action": "react",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"messageId": "<message-guid>",
"emoji": "❤️"
}
Remove a reaction
{
"action": "react",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"messageId": "<message-guid>",
"emoji": "❤️",
"remove": true
}
Edit a previously sent message
{
"action": "edit",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"messageId": "<message-guid>",
"message": "updated text"
}
Unsend a message
{
"action": "unsend",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"messageId": "<message-guid>"
}
Reply to a specific message
{
"action": "reply",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"replyTo": "<message-guid>",
"message": "replying to that"
}
Send an attachment
{
"action": "sendAttachment",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"path": "/tmp/photo.jpg",
"caption": "here you go"
}
Send with an iMessage effect
{
"action": "sendWithEffect",
"channel": "bluebubbles",
"target": "+15551234567",
"message": "big news",
"effect": "balloons"
}
Notes
Requires gateway config channels.bluebubbles (serverUrl/password/webhookPath).
Prefer chat_guid targets when you have them (especially for group chats).
BlueBubbles supports rich actions, but some are macOS-version dependent (for example, edit may be broken on macOS 26 Tahoe).
The gateway may expose both short and full message ids; full ids are more durable across restarts.
Developer reference for the underlying plugin lives in the BlueBubbles plugin package README.
Ideas to try
React with a tapback to acknowledge a request.
Reply in-thread when a user references a specific message.
Send a file attachment with a short caption.don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.