ChatGPT Can Now Read and Send Your Mac iMessages, but Only for Work and Codex Users
OpenAI has shipped a Messages plugin for the ChatGPT desktop app on Mac that can search your iMessage, SMS, and RCS history, draft replies, and send texts to your contacts on your behalf. The feature is limited to Apple silicon Macs running ChatGPT's Work and Codex desktop builds, so it does not appear in a regular ChatGPT chat window.
The rollout lands while Apple and OpenAI are in the middle of a trade-secret lawsuit Apple filed in July, which makes an assistant reaching this deep into a native Apple app notable on its own. OpenAI built the integration without any confirmed involvement from Apple, relying on AppleScript and macOS Accessibility permissions rather than an official API.
What the plugin can actually do
Once installed, ChatGPT can pull context straight out of your Messages app instead of you copying and pasting a conversation into the chat window. In practice that means prompts like asking it to check your calendar and reply to someone with times you're free, or to scan your threads for birthdays and add them somewhere else.
- Search and summarize existing iMessage, SMS, and RCS conversations
- Draft replies based on the context of a thread
- Send messages to your contacts directly from ChatGPT
- Pull details like dates, names, or plans out of a conversation for use elsewhere
Who can install it, and on what hardware
Two requirements gate this off from most ChatGPT users. First, it only works inside the desktop app's ChatGPT Work and Codex environments, not in a standard consumer chat. Second, it ships exclusively in the Apple silicon build of the ChatGPT desktop app, so Macs still running on Intel chips cannot install it at all.
The plugin is not turned on by default. Setup involves approving ChatGPT's access to your on-device Messages history, granting Full Disk Access in System Settings, authorizing access to your contact names, and enabling the automation tools ChatGPT relies on. It is installed from ChatGPT's Plugins interface, where it currently sits under the Public listing.
The privacy setup, and why it matters here
Because the integration can send messages under your name, the permission chain is stricter than most ChatGPT features. Sending a message requires your approval by default for each one, and OpenAI's own guidance warns against switching that to persistent approval. You review both the message text and the recipient before anything goes out.
That said, the number of manual steps involved — Full Disk Access, contacts, and Accessibility permissions all have to be granted separately in System Settings — means, as one report on the launch put it, nobody is installing this by accident. It is a deliberate opt-in for people already living inside ChatGPT's desktop tools, not a feature that will quietly appear on a random Mac.
Where this fits with other AI-in-Messages efforts
OpenAI is not the only company building AI on top of Apple's messaging stack. Meta shipped its own native Mac desktop app with a quick-invoke shortcut earlier this month, and on the Android side, third-party developers have spent years trying to bridge the platform gap — Sunbird's iMessage app for Android is one of the more persistent attempts. ChatGPT itself has also been loosening restrictions elsewhere recently, including dropping text limits for free accounts.
For now, the Messages plugin stays a narrow tool for ChatGPT's higher-tier desktop users on newer Macs. Whether OpenAI widens it to ordinary ChatGPT Plus or Free accounts, or whether Apple's legal fight with the company changes what is allowed to touch Messages at all, is still an open question.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ChatGPT read my iMessages on Mac?
Yes, if you install OpenAI's new Messages plugin and grant it Full Disk Access, contacts access, and automation permissions in System Settings. It can search and summarize your iMessage, SMS, and RCS conversations, but only inside ChatGPT's Work and Codex desktop environments.
Does the ChatGPT Messages plugin work on Intel Macs?
No. The plugin ships only in the Apple silicon build of the ChatGPT desktop app, so Macs with Intel processors cannot install or use this feature.
Can ChatGPT send messages without my approval?
By default, no. Sending a message requires your approval each time, and you see both the message text and the recipient before it goes out. OpenAI specifically warns against switching this to persistent, unattended approval.
Is this available in regular ChatGPT chats?
No. The Messages plugin only works inside the ChatGPT desktop app's Work and Codex environments. It does not appear as an option in a standard ChatGPT Plus or Free chat window.
How do I install the ChatGPT Messages plugin?
Open the ChatGPT Plugins interface in the desktop app and install it from the Public listing. You'll then need to work through several System Settings prompts covering Full Disk Access, contacts, and Accessibility permissions before it can access Messages.
