# Signal

## Signal (signal-cli)

**Status:** External CLI integration. Gateway talks to `signal-cli` over HTTP JSON-RPC + SSE.

## Quick Setup (Beginner)

1. Use a **separate Signal number** for the bot (recommended)
2. Install `signal-cli` (Java required)
3. Link the bot device and start the daemon:
   - `signal-cli link -n "OpenClaw"`
4. Configure OpenClaw and start the gateway

**Minimal config:**

```json5
{
  channels: {
    signal: {
      enabled: true,
      account: "+15551234567",
      cliPath: "signal-cli",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
      allowFrom: ["+15557654321"],
    },
  },
}
```

## What It Is

- Signal channel via `signal-cli` (not embedded libsignal)
- Deterministic routing: replies always go back to Signal
- DMs share the agent's main session; groups are isolated (`agent:<agentId>:signal:group:<groupId>`)

## Config Writes

By default, Signal is allowed to write config updates triggered by `/config set|unset` (requires `commands.config: true`).

Disable with:

```json5
{
  channels: { signal: { configWrites: false } },
}
```

## The Number Model (Important)

- The gateway connects to a **Signal device** (the `signal-cli` account)
- If you run the bot on **your personal Signal account**, it will ignore your own messages (loop protection)
- For "I text the bot and it replies," use a **separate bot number**

## Setup (Fast Path)

1. Install `signal-cli` (Java required)
2. Link a bot account:
   - `signal-cli link -n "OpenClaw"` then scan the QR in Signal
3. Configure Signal and start the gateway

**Example:**

```json5
{
  channels: {
    signal: {
      enabled: true,
      account: "+15551234567",
      cliPath: "signal-cli",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
      allowFrom: ["+15557654321"],
    },
  },
}
```

Multi-account support: use `channels.signal.accounts` with per-account config and optional `name`.

## External Daemon Mode (httpUrl)

If you want to manage `signal-cli` yourself (slow JVM cold starts, container init, or shared CPUs), run the daemon separately and point OpenClaw at it:

```json5
{
  channels: {
    signal: {
      httpUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:8080",
      autoStart: false,
    },
  },
}
```

This skips auto-spawn and the startup wait inside OpenClaw. For slow starts when auto-spawning, set `channels.signal.startupTimeoutMs`.

## Access Control (DMs + Groups)

### DMs

- Default: `channels.signal.dmPolicy = "pairing"`
- Unknown senders receive a pairing code; messages are ignored until approved (codes expire after 1 hour)
- Approve via:
  - `openclaw pairing list signal`
  - `openclaw pairing approve signal <CODE>`
- UUID-only senders (from `sourceUuid`) are stored as `uuid:<id>` in `channels.signal.allowFrom`

### Groups

- `channels.signal.groupPolicy = open | allowlist | disabled`
- `channels.signal.groupAllowFrom` controls who can trigger in groups when `allowlist` is set

## How It Works (Behavior)

- `signal-cli` runs as a daemon; the gateway reads events via SSE
- Inbound messages are normalized into the shared channel envelope
- Replies always route back to the same number or group

## Media + Limits

- Outbound text is chunked to `channels.signal.textChunkLimit` (default 4000)
- Optional newline chunking: set `channels.signal.chunkMode="newline"` to split on blank lines (paragraph boundaries) before length chunking
- Attachments supported (base64 fetched from `signal-cli`)
- Default media cap: `channels.signal.mediaMaxMb` (default 8)
- Use `channels.signal.ignoreAttachments` to skip downloading media
- Group history context uses `channels.signal.historyLimit` (or `channels.signal.accounts.*.historyLimit`), falling back to `messages.groupChat.historyLimit`. Set `0` to disable (default 50)

## Typing + Read Receipts

- **Typing indicators**: OpenClaw sends typing signals via `signal-cli sendTyping` and refreshes them while a reply is running
- **Read receipts**: when `channels.signal.sendReadReceipts` is true, OpenClaw forwards read receipts for allowed DMs
- Signal-cli does not expose read receipts for groups

## Reactions (Message Tool)

Use `message action=react` with `channel=signal`.

- Targets: sender E.164 or UUID (use `uuid:<id>` from pairing output; bare UUID works too)
- `messageId` is the Signal timestamp for the message you're reacting to
- Group reactions require `targetAuthor` or `targetAuthorUuid`

**Examples:**

```
message action=react channel=signal target=uuid:123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 messageId=1737630212345 emoji=🔥
message action=react channel=signal target=+15551234567 messageId=1737630212345 emoji=🔥 remove=true
message action=react channel=signal target=signal:group:<groupId> targetAuthor=uuid:<sender-uuid> messageId=1737630212345 emoji=✅
```

**Config:**

- `channels.signal.actions.reactions`: enable/disable reaction actions (default true)
- `channels.signal.reactionLevel`: `off | ack | minimal | extensive`
  - `off`/`ack` disables agent reactions (message tool `react` will error)
  - `minimal`/`extensive` enables agent reactions and sets the guidance level
- Per-account overrides: `channels.signal.accounts.<id>.actions.reactions`, `channels.signal.accounts.<id>.reactionLevel`

## Delivery Targets (CLI/cron)

- DMs: `signal:+15551234567` (or plain E.164)
- UUID DMs: `uuid:<id>` (or bare UUID)
- Groups: `signal:group:<groupId>`
- Usernames: `username:<name>` (if supported by your Signal account)

## Configuration Reference (Signal)

### Provider Options

- `channels.signal.enabled`: enable/disable channel startup
- `channels.signal.account`: E.164 for the bot account
- `channels.signal.cliPath`: path to `signal-cli`
- `channels.signal.httpUrl`: full daemon URL (overrides host/port)
- `channels.signal.httpHost`, `channels.signal.httpPort`: daemon bind (default 127.0.0.1:8080)
- `channels.signal.autoStart`: auto-spawn daemon (default true if `httpUrl` unset)
- `channels.signal.startupTimeoutMs`: startup wait timeout in ms (cap 120000)
- `channels.signal.receiveMode`: `on-start | manual`
- `channels.signal.ignoreAttachments`: skip attachment downloads
- `channels.signal.ignoreStories`: ignore stories from the daemon
- `channels.signal.sendReadReceipts`: forward read receipts
- `channels.signal.dmPolicy`: `pairing | allowlist | open | disabled` (default: pairing)
- `channels.signal.allowFrom`: DM allowlist (E.164 or `uuid:<id>`). `open` requires `"*"`. Signal has no usernames; use phone/UUID ids
- `channels.signal.groupPolicy`: `open | allowlist | disabled` (default: allowlist)
- `channels.signal.groupAllowFrom`: group sender allowlist
- `channels.signal.historyLimit`: max group messages to include as context (0 disables)
- `channels.signal.dmHistoryLimit`: DM history limit in user turns. Per-user overrides: `channels.signal.dms["<phone_or_uuid>"].historyLimit`
- `channels.signal.textChunkLimit`: outbound chunk size (chars)
- `channels.signal.chunkMode`: `length` (default) or `newline` to split on blank lines (paragraph boundaries) before length chunking
- `channels.signal.mediaMaxMb`: inbound/outbound media cap (MB)

### Related Global Options

- `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (Signal does not support native mentions)
- `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns` (global fallback)
- `messages.responsePrefix`
