Apple Ecosystem Automation

Overview

Use this umbrella when a task involves Apple-native personal apps or macOS UI automation. Prefer exact CLI tools when available, and fall back to background computer_use/AppleScript/screenshot workflows only when Apple does not expose a stable CLI.

When to Use

• The user asks to create/search/edit Apple Notes.
• The user asks to add/list/complete Apple Reminders or iCloud-synced personal todos.
• The user asks to send/read iMessage/SMS from macOS Messages.
• The user asks where an Apple device, AirTag, pet tag, bag, or item is in Find My.
• The user asks you to drive a macOS desktop app or website in the background without stealing focus.

Tool Choice by Job

Apple Notes (memo)

Prereqs: macOS Notes.app, iCloud signed in, brew tap antoniorodr/memo && brew install antoniorodr/memo/memo, Automation permission for Notes.

Typical commands:

memo notes                         # list notes
memo notes -f "Folder Name"        # folder filter
memo notes -s "query"              # search
memo notes -a "Title"              # quick create
memo notes -e                      # interactive edit

Use Apple Notes for cross-device user-facing notes. Use the memory tool for agent-only durable preferences/facts, and Obsidian for vault workflows.

Apple Reminders (remindctl)

Prereqs: macOS Reminders.app, brew install steipete/tap/remindctl, permission granted via remindctl authorize if needed.

Typical commands:

remindctl status
remindctl today
remindctl week
remindctl all
remindctl add "Buy milk" --due tomorrow --list Personal
remindctl complete <id>

Clarify when “remind me” could mean an agent alert (cron job) rather than an iCloud Reminder. Calendar events belong in Calendar/Google Calendar, not Reminders.

iMessage / SMS (imsg)

Prereqs: macOS Messages.app signed in, brew install steipete/tap/imsg, Full Disk Access + Automation permissions.

Typical commands:

imsg chats --limit 10 --json
imsg history --chat-id <id> --limit 20 --json
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "Hello"
imsg send --to "+14155551212" --text "See attached" --file /path/to/file

Sending messages is an external side effect. Confirm recipient/content if ambiguous or high impact. Do not bulk-message without explicit approval.

Find My / AirTags

Apple exposes no official CLI. Use Find My.app with AppleScript, screenshots, and vision/computer-use.

Basic pattern:

osascript -e 'tell application "FindMy" to activate'
sleep 3
screencapture -w -o /tmp/findmy.png

Then analyze the screenshot. For richer UI control, prefer background computer-use if available. Report freshness/time shown in the app; Find My locations can be stale.

Background macOS computer use

When the computer_use tool is available, capture first and click by element index rather than by coordinates:

computer_use(action="capture", mode="som", app="Safari")
computer_use(action="click", element=7)

This is for UI workflows where a CLI/API is unavailable. It should not steal the user’s cursor, keyboard focus, or Space. Re-capture after every state-changing action.

Safety and Verification

• Verify prerequisites before assuming a CLI exists.
• For write/send actions, verify the destination (folder/list/contact/device) and read back when possible.
• Distinguish user-facing Apple state from agent-only memory/session state.
• Avoid exposing phone numbers or message content unnecessarily in summaries.
• For UI automation, capture evidence before reporting success.