Our review
Diagnoses and manages Samara.app, the message broker connecting iMessage to Claude.
Strengths
- Provides quick commands to check Samara status, view logs, and restart the app.
- Includes Full Disk Access (FDA) and code signature checks to prevent common issues.
- Detects wrong signing certificates that revoke FDA after rebuilding.
- Offers clear instructions for safe rebuild using a dedicated script.
Limitations
- Specific to macOS and the Samara application.
- Requires Samara to be installed in /Applications.
- Diagnostic commands rely on system tools (pgrep, log show) that may vary between macOS versions.
Use this skill when iMessage integration via Samara is not working, messages are not being detected, or the app has crashed.
Do not use it for general system troubleshooting or non-Samara messaging issues.
Security analysis
SafeThe skill uses standard administrative commands (pgrep, tail, log show, pkill, open, codesign) for legitimate diagnostics and restarts. There are no destructive operations, no network exfiltration, and no obfuscation. The hook explicitly prevents dangerous copies from DerivedData, enhancing safety.
No concerns found
Examples
Samara is not detecting my messages. Please check if it's running, verify FDA, and look at recent logs.Restart Samara.app because it crashed. Use the proper procedure to kill and relaunch.Verify that Samara has Full Disk Access by checking if chat.db is readable and confirming the code signature team ID is correct.name: samara description: Debug, check, or restart Samara.app - the message broker. Use when messages aren't being detected, Samara crashed, need to view logs, check Full Disk Access, or restart the app. Trigger words: samara, messages not working, restart, logs, FDA, broker. context: fork allowed-tools:
- Bash
- Read
- Grep
- Glob
- Write
hooks:
PreToolUse:
- matcher: "Bash"
hooks:
- type: command command: "/Users/claude/Developer/samara-main/.claude/hooks/block-deriveddata-copy.sh" timeout: 5
- matcher: "Bash"
hooks:
Samara Debug and Control
Diagnose and manage Samara.app, the message broker that connects iMessage to Claude.
Quick Actions
Check if Running
pgrep -fl Samara
ps aux | grep -i [S]amara
View Recent Logs
# Samara's own logs
tail -50 ~/.claude-mind/logs/samara.log 2>/dev/null
# System logs for Samara
log show --predicate 'process == "Samara"' --last 5m 2>/dev/null | tail -30
Restart Samara
# Kill if running
pkill -f Samara
# Wait a moment
sleep 2
# Relaunch
open /Applications/Samara.app
Tip: This sequence is a good candidate for the Bash subagent (Task tool with subagent_type=Bash) to avoid polluting context with intermediate steps.
Check Full Disk Access
# This will work if FDA is granted
ls ~/Library/Messages/chat.db && echo "FDA: OK" || echo "FDA: MISSING"
# Check code signature (Team ID must be stable)
codesign -d -r- /Applications/Samara.app 2>&1 | head -5
Common Issues
Messages Not Being Detected
- Check Samara is running
- Check FDA is intact
- Check chat.db is readable
- Look for errors in logs
Samara Crashed
- Check system logs for crash reason
- Restart with
open /Applications/Samara.app - If repeated crashes, may need rebuild
FDA Revoked After Update
This happens if Team ID changed during rebuild:
# Check current signature - MUST show G4XVD3J52J
codesign -d -r- /Applications/Samara.app 2>&1 | grep "subject.OU"
# If shows 7V9XLQ8YNQ or any other team: WRONG CERTIFICATE USED
# Must rebuild properly and re-grant FDA
Rebuild Samara
CRITICAL: ONLY use the update-samara script. NEVER copy from DerivedData.
A Claude instance previously broke FDA by copying a Debug build from
~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/. This used automatic signing which picked the WRONG certificate and revoked all permissions.
The ONLY correct way to rebuild:
~/.claude-mind/bin/update-samara
FORBIDDEN (will break FDA):
cp -R ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/.../Samara.app /Applications/xcodebuild -configuration Debugfor deployment- Any manual copy of Samara.app to /Applications
Verify after rebuild:
codesign -d -r- /Applications/Samara.app 2>&1 | grep "subject.OU"
# Must show: G4XVD3J52J
# If shows: 7V9XLQ8YNQ - WRONG! FDA will be revoked
Diagnostic Report
When troubleshooting, gather:
- Is Samara running?
- FDA status
- Recent log errors
- Last successful message detection
- Code signature validity
Present findings clearly with recommended actions.
Related Skills
For specific issues, use these specialized skills:
/diagnose-leaks— Debug thinking traces or session IDs leaking into messages/debug-session— Debug session management, batching, and task routing/status— Quick system health check
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