Pro plugin
Messages (iMessage/SMS/RCS)
Collects iMessage, SMS, MMS, and RCS conversations, attachments, reactions, and deleted messages from macOS Messages.app
messages.applePromacOS 10.12+v1.0.0messagingusercommunicationRun this plugin
Trigger collection for Messages (iMessage/SMS/RCS) on its own with the --plugin flag, or include it in a wider sweep by category.
# Just this plugin
macfor-pro collect --plugin messages.apple --output ./evidence.zip
# Dry run — list what would be collected
macfor-pro collect --plugin messages.apple --dry-runCompatibility
- macOS 10.12+
Licensing: ships in the macfor-pro binary. See Community vs Pro.
Artifacts collected (6)
Each row corresponds to an entry in the plugin's artifacts.yaml manifest. Optional artifacts are skipped unless explicitly enabled.
messaging
| Artifact | Format | Path | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Chat Database chat_databasecritical value | sqlite | ~/Library/Messages/chat.db | Tables: message, handle, chat, attachment, deleted_messages, chat_handle_join, chat_message_join, message_attachment_join |
Messages messagescritical value | jsonl | ~/Library/Messages/chat.db | — |
Attachment Metadata attachmentsOptionalhigh value | jsonl | ~/Library/Messages/Attachments/ | Metadata only; actual files are not collected by default |
Reactions (Tapbacks) reactionsOptionalmedium value | jsonl | ~/Library/Messages/chat.db | — |
Deleted Messages deleted_messagesOptionalcritical value | jsonl | ~/Library/Messages/chat.db | — |
Group Chat Metadata group_chatsOptionalhigh value | jsonl | ~/Library/Messages/chat.db | — |