Send a Message

Write a JSON file to the piclaw IPC directory to send a message right away.

Usage

cat > "$PICLAW_DATA/ipc/messages/msg_$(date +%s).json" <<EOF
{
  "type": "message",
  "chatJid": "$PICLAW_CHAT_JID",
  "text": "Your message here",
  "media": [
    {
      "path": "/absolute/path/to/chart.svg",
      "content_type": "image/svg+xml",
      "inline": true
    }
  ]
}
EOF

When to Use

• Acknowledge a request before starting longer work: "On it, this might take a minute..."
• Send progress updates during a multi-step task
• Deliver partial results while continuing to work

Notes

• Messages are picked up by piclaw within ~1 second
• The IPC file is deleted after the message is sent
• Use WhatsApp-compatible formatting: bold, italic, • bullets, code
• You can attach local media files by adding an optional media array
  • Each item: { path, content_type?, filename?, inline? }
  • path is filesystem path to an existing file
  • content_type and filename override detected values
  • inline: true hints image rendering inside the message card
• Missing/unreadable media paths generate an inline warning, and message delivery continues for remaining files
• Do NOT use this for your final response — just return that normally

Environment

• PICLAW_DATA — piclaw data directory (contains ipc/messages/)
• PICLAW_CHAT_JID — JID of the chat that triggered this invocation