Chatbubbles

Overview

Chatbubbles is a Go server that runs on a Mac signed in to Messages and builds on imsg, an open-source iMessage command-line tool. It serves a small HTTPS API meant to be reached only over Tailscale, so the Mac is never exposed to the public internet. The code is public at github.com/kacy/chatbubbles. The site calls it open source, but the repository has no license file. The latest release is v0.1.3 from April 5, 2026, and the last commit was on April 6, 2026.

Key features

• Read chats and message history, including reactions and reply references
• Send text and attachments, with the service set to auto, imessage or sms
• WebSocket event stream backed by imsg watch
• Webhook registration, limited to public HTTPS targets
• Self-signed TLS with a pinned fingerprint, token auth, QR pairing and delegated browser sessions
• chatbubbles-cli for local admin over a Unix socket
• Installable web app shell that you deploy to Cloudflare Pages

Pricing

Free to download from GitHub releases or the kacy/chatbubbles Homebrew tap. You need a Mac on macOS 14 or newer with Messages signed in, Full Disk Access, imsg and Tailscale.

How it compares to Linq

Linq is a hosted service with managed lines, signed webhooks, SDKs and SOC 2 Type II reports. Chatbubbles runs on your own Mac and Apple account, and its site says the Mac, Messages and Tailscale all need to stay up. Its webhooks are sent once without a signature, and the repo includes no SDKs. Its send endpoint takes one recipient handle and plain text or a file, while Linq's API also covers group chats, tapbacks, threaded replies and effects.

Best for

Developers who already use Tailscale and want a private HTTPS API to their own Mac's iMessage for scripts or personal tools.

Sources

• chatbubbles.com
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles/blob/main/internal/imsg/types.go
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles/blob/main/internal/api/messages.go
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles/blob/main/internal/webhook/dispatch.go
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles/releases
• github.com/kacy/chatbubbles/blob/main/docs/homebrew.md