Chat Own Data Export

chat-own-data-export

Extracts the user's own chat data from a macOS IM client. Always runs against the logged-in account on the user's own machine.

When to invoke

The user asks for any of:

• export / archive / summarize / analyze their own chat history
• extract attachments, voice notes, files from their IM
• read messages from a specific chat/group for research they own

Do NOT invoke when:

• The request targets someone else's account or device.
• The user asks for generic reverse-engineering help (not their data).

Pipeline

Standard sequence — skip steps already satisfied.

1. Check prerequisites

``bash csrutil status # must be "disabled" which lldb # /usr/bin/lldb from Xcode CLT python3 -c "import cryptography, zstandard, PIL" # pip deps ``

If SIP is enabled, stop and instruct the user to boot into Recovery Mode and run csrutil disable. Re-enable afterward.

1. Extract SQLCipher keys

``bash PYTHONPATH=$(lldb -P) /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/python3 \ scripts/find_key_memscan.py \ --process \ --db-dir "$HOME/Library/...//db_storage" \ --out keys.json ``

1. Decrypt all DBs (pure Python, no brew)

``bash python scripts/decrypt_db_pure.py --keys keys.json \ --src "$HOME/Library/.../db_storage" \ -o ./decrypted/ ``

1. Parse messages

``bash python scripts/parse_messages.py --src ./decrypted --out messages.jsonl # Or: --chat to target one conversation ``

1. (Optional) OCR growth-card / screenshot photos

``bash python scripts/vision_ocr_cn.py photo.jpg # normal sizes python scripts/tiled_ocr.py long_screenshot.jpg # > 8192 px ``

Extractable surface

Tell the user this upfront so expectations match reality:

| Type | Status | |---|:---:| | Text messages (all chats) | ✅ Full | | Videos (MP4) | ✅ Full, plaintext on disk | | Files (PDF/Office/archives) | ✅ Full | | Voice notes (SILK) | ✅ Full — convert with ffmpeg -i in.silk out.mp3 | | Contacts & chat rooms | ✅ Full | | Moments / feed posts | ✅ Full | | Favorites / stickers | ✅ Full | | Images (legacy format) | ✅ Hardcoded key known | | Images (newer 4.x format) | ⚠️ Upstream crypto unsolved. Tell the user to use the IM app's own UI ("save all images" in chat settings) to batch-export. |

Data handling rules

• Never upload decrypted data to a remote API unless the user explicitly

consents.

• Prefer local LLMs for summarization if the data is sensitive.
• Do not retain key files or decrypted DBs past the analysis session

unless the user asks. Suggest deleting.

• If the user wants to publish or share an analysis: remind them to

redact third-party wxids, phone numbers, and real names.

Known friction

• macOS 26 support for lldb memory reading is still rolling in; stay

current with the Thearas upstream.

• Some clients have started using a different per-chat key format for

legacy image files; fall back to the IM app's UI export if the legacy image decryptor fails.

• SQLCipher v5 is rumored for future releases; check the page layout

constants before panicking if decryptdbpure.py starts emitting corrupt output.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jinjingwangjessica-blip
• Source: jinjingwangjessica-blip/mac-chat-own-data-kit
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.