msgIntel reads, correlates, searches, and extracts data between all databases used by the Messages desktop application.
- Extract recent messages and associated metadata
- Retrieve contact information and nicknames
- Access collaboration notices and handle sharing preferences
- Analyze communication patterns and social networks
- Search messages for specific keywords or topics
- Generate reports and visualizations of communication data
/Users/${USER}/Library/Messages/chat.db
/Users/${USER}/Library/Messages/NickNameCache/nickNameKeyStore.db
/Users/${USER}/Library/Messages/NickNameCache/handleSharingPreferences.db
/Users/${USER}/Library/Messages/CollaborationNoticeCache/collaborationNotices.db$ osascript -l JavaScript ./msgIntel.js [options] [arguments...]
DISCOVER:
-messages List recent messages
-chats List all chats
-drafts List all drafts
-handles List all contacts/handles
-attachments List message attachments
-threads List message threads
-deleted List deleted messages
-spam List spam messages
-sensitive List sensitive content
TIME-BASED:
-last <days> Show messages from last N days
-since <timestamp> Show messages since timestamp
-between <start> <end> Show messages between timestamps
SEARCH:
-text <query> Search message text
-sender <id> Search by sender
-service <type> Search by service type (iMessage, SMS)
-type <type> Search by attachment type
DEBUG:
-debug Enable debug output
-schema Show database schema
-pragma Show PRAGMA information
-help Display this help message- Requires Full Disk Access or
- Database schema changes between macOS versions may break queries
- Message attachments require additional permissions
- Max query batch limit: 100 messages
- macOS Messages Framework
- JXA Development Guide