OpenKakao CLI

openkakao-rs is a KakaoTalk CLI with REST and LOCO support. Prefer LOCO commands for full history, sending, and real-time behavior. Prefer local-first automation unless the user explicitly wants events to leave the machine.

Quick checks

openkakao-rs --version
openkakao-rs auth
openkakao-rs auth-status
openkakao-rs doctor

If Homebrew install is needed:

brew tap JungHoonGhae/openkakao
brew install JungHoonGhae/openkakao/openkakao-rs

If the user seems to have an older binary than the repo docs or source imply, check:

which openkakao-rs
openkakao-rs --version
openkakao-rs send --help
openkakao-rs watch --help

Persistent operator policy can live in:

~/.config/openkakao/config.toml

Persisted runtime state now also lives in:

~/.config/openkakao/state.json

REST API Commands (read-only, cached token)

openkakao-rs login --save          # Extract credentials from KakaoTalk's Cache.db
openkakao-rs auth                  # Verify token validity
openkakao-rs me                    # Show your profile
openkakao-rs friends [-f] [-s q]   # List friends (favorites/search)
openkakao-rs settings              # Show account settings
openkakao-rs chats                 # List chat rooms (Pilsner REST API)
openkakao-rs read <id> [-n N] [--all] # Read messages (Pilsner, limited cache)
openkakao-rs members <id>          # List chat room members

LOCO Protocol Commands (full access, real-time)

openkakao-rs loco-test                          # Test full LOCO connection
openkakao-rs send <chat_id> <message> [-y]        # Send text message via LOCO WRITE (add -y to skip prompt)
openkakao-rs send <chat_id> <message> -y --json   # Send and get JSON response (v0.7.0+)
openkakao-rs send-photo <chat_id> <file> [-y]  # Send photo (JPEG/PNG/GIF) via LOCO SHIP+POST
openkakao-rs send-file <chat_id> <file> [-y]   # Send any file (photo/video/doc) via LOCO
openkakao-rs watch [--chat-id ID] [--raw]       # Watch real-time incoming messages
openkakao-rs watch --json                       # Watch with NDJSON output (v0.7.0+)
openkakao-rs watch --read-receipt               # Watch + send read receipts (NOTIREAD)
openkakao-rs watch --max-reconnect 10           # Auto-reconnect on disconnect (default 5)
openkakao-rs watch --download-media             # Auto-download media attachments
openkakao-rs watch --resume                     # Resume from last saved watch state (v0.6.0+)
openkakao-rs watch --capture                    # Output unknown push packets as NDJSON for protocol RE (v0.9.0+)
openkakao-rs delete <chat_id> <log_id> [-y]   # Delete a message via DELETEMSG (v0.9.0+)
openkakao-rs mark-read <chat_id> <log_id>     # Mark messages read up to logId via NOTIREAD (v0.9.0+)
openkakao-rs react <chat_id> <log_id> [-t N]  # Add reaction via ACTION (type=1=like, v0.9.1+)
openkakao-rs edit <chat_id> <log_id> <msg> [-y]  # Edit message via REWRITE (macOS: -203, v0.9.2+)
openkakao-rs download <chat_id> <log_id> [-o D] # Download media from a specific message
openkakao-rs loco-chats [--all]                 # List all chat rooms
openkakao-rs loco-read <chat_id> [-n N] [--all] # Read message history (SYNCMSG)
openkakao-rs loco-read <chat_id> --all --json   # JSON output
openkakao-rs loco-members <chat_id>             # List members
openkakao-rs loco-chatinfo <chat_id>            # Raw chat room info

JSON output (v0.7.0+)

All commands support --json (global flag). Key additions in v0.7.0:

• send --json: {"chat_id": ..., "log_id": ..., "status": "sent"}
• send-file --json: {"chat_id": ..., "file": ..., "type": ..., "status": "sent"}
• delete --json: {"chat_id": ..., "log_id": ..., "status": "deleted"} (v0.9.0+)
• react --json: {"chat_id": ..., "log_id": ..., "reaction_type": ..., "status": "reacted"} (v0.9.1+)
• edit --json: {"chat_id": ..., "log_id": ..., "status": "edited"} (v0.9.2+, macOS: -203)
• mark-read --json: {"chat_id": ..., "watermark": ..., "status": "marked_read"} (v0.9.0+)
• watch --json: NDJSON stream, one JSON object per event line
• chats --json, read --json, members --json, stats --json: already supported pre-v0.7.0

Analytics & Local Cache (v0.5.0+)

openkakao-rs stats <chat_id>              # Message counts, hourly activity histogram, top senders
openkakao-rs cache <chat_id> [-n N]       # Sync messages to local SQLite cache
openkakao-rs cache-search <query>         # Full-text search across cached messages
openkakao-rs cache-stats                  # Show local cache statistics (row counts, db size)

LOCO vs REST for messages

• REST (read): Uses Pilsner cache — only returns messages for recently opened chats in the KakaoTalk app. Many chats return empty.
• LOCO (loco-read): Uses SYNCMSG protocol — returns all server-retained messages. Preferred for full history access.
• Local cache merge (v0.9.3+): read automatically merges LOCO results with locally cached messages from watch. Messages captured during watch sessions appear in subsequent reads even when LOCO returns a limited window.

Token Management

openkakao-rs relogin [--fresh-xvc]    # Refresh token via login.json + X-VC
openkakao-rs renew                     # Attempt token renewal via refresh_token
openkakao-rs watch-cache [--interval N] # Poll Cache.db for fresh tokens
openkakao-rs auth-status               # Show persisted auth recovery state and cooldowns
openkakao-rs doctor [--loco]           # Environment, token, recovery, and safety diagnostics

LOCO commands automatically refresh tokens via login.json + X-VC when needed, and REST/LOCO now share the same persisted recovery state.

Workflow (LOCO-first)

1. Quick sanity: openkakao-rs --version && openkakao-rs loco-test
2. Get chat IDs: openkakao-rs loco-chats --all --json (note: --all can be slower)
3. Send message: openkakao-rs send -y <chat_id> "message text" (default prefix on; add --no-prefix to disable)
4. Read messages: openkakao-rs loco-read <chat_id> -n 50 (or --all)
5. Only when you need REST-only features: open KakaoTalk app → openkakao-rs login --save → openkakao-rs auth

Watch automation workflow

Use this order:

1. Confirm watch behavior first: openkakao-rs watch --help
2. Start local-only with --hook-cmd
3. Add filters:
   • --hook-chat-id
   • --hook-keyword
   • --hook-type
4. Only then move to --webhook-url if the user explicitly wants external delivery
5. If using a webhook, prefer --webhook-signing-secret and tell the user to verify:
   • X-OpenKakao-Timestamp
   • X-OpenKakao-Signature

Local-first example:

openkakao-rs watch \
  --hook-cmd 'jq . > /tmp/openkakao-event.json' \
  --hook-chat-id 382416827148557 \
  --hook-type 1

Webhook example:

openkakao-rs watch \
  --webhook-url https://hooks.example.com/openkakao \
  --webhook-header 'Authorization: Bearer token' \
  --webhook-signing-secret 'super-secret' \
  --hook-keyword urgent

Unattended and policy gates

OpenKakao separates:

• --unattended: declare non-interactive operation
• --allow-non-interactive-send: allow send -y, send-file -y, send-photo -y, edit -y
• --allow-watch-side-effects: allow watch --read-receipt, --hook-cmd, --webhook-url
• --completion-promise: print [DONE] to stdout after successful command completion (v0.9.2+, useful for LLM agent integration)

Recommended persistent config:

[mode]
unattended = true

[send]
allow_non_interactive = true
default_prefix = true

[watch]
allow_side_effects = true
default_max_reconnect = 10

[auth]
prefer_relogin = true
auto_renew = true

[safety]
min_unattended_send_interval_secs = 10
min_hook_interval_secs = 2
min_webhook_interval_secs = 2
hook_timeout_secs = 20
webhook_timeout_secs = 10
allow_insecure_webhooks = false

Interpretation:

• unattended sends are rate-limited by default
• local hooks are rate-limited and timed out
• webhooks are rate-limited, timed out, and default to HTTPS only unless localhost
• auth-status and doctor are the first checks before assuming a long-running job is healthy

Speed tips

• Prefer LOCO for send/read/history — REST token expiry + login --save can block waiting on Cache.db.
• Cache chat_ids you use often; avoid running loco-chats --all repeatedly.
• Use -y/--yes for non-interactive sends when you're confident the chat_id is correct.

Multiline (줄바꿈) 메시지 보내기

주의: 커맨드라인에서 \n을 그냥 쓰면 줄바꿈이 아니라 문자 그대로 \n이 전송될 수 있음. 실제 개행 문자를 만들어서 인자로 넘겨야 함.

예시:

• bash/zsh:
  • openkakao-rs send -y <chat_id> "$(printf '첫줄\n\n둘째줄')"
• bash 전용($'' quoting):
  • openkakao-rs send -y <chat_id> $'첫줄\n\n둘째줄'
• fish:
  • openkakao-rs send -y <chat_id> (printf '첫줄\n\n둘째줄')

Troubleshooting

Token invalid or -950 error

# Open KakaoTalk app first, then:
openkakao-rs login --save
openkakao-rs auth
openkakao-rs auth-status

LOCO commands auto-refresh tokens, so -950 is usually handled automatically.

If the machine has been running unattended for a while, inspect:

• openkakao-rs auth-status --json
• openkakao-rs doctor --loco

Look for:

• last_failure_kind
• consecutive_failures
• auth_cooldown_remaining_secs
• last_recovery_source

login --save seems to hang

login --save may wait until KakaoTalk updates Cache.db.

• Open KakaoTalk → open the chat list once (forces a cache refresh)
• (Optional) openkakao-rs watch-cache --interval 2 to see when tokens change
• Or skip REST entirely and use LOCO (loco-test / send / loco-read).

GETMSGS returns -300

This is expected on Mac (dtype=2). Use loco-read (SYNCMSG) instead of REST read (GETMSGS).

Homebrew formula not found

brew tap JungHoonGhae/openkakao
brew update
brew install JungHoonGhae/openkakao/openkakao-rs

Guardrails

• Prefix/traceability: By default, openkakao-rs prepends 🤖 [Sent via openkakao] to outgoing messages. Use --no-prefix to disable it.
  • If you want a custom tag (e.g. 🤖 [openkakao]), either add it in the message text (and keep default prefix), or disable the default prefix and add your own — avoid double-prefixing unless you want it.
• Use -y/--yes only when you are sure the chat_id is correct.
• Do not assume unattended send can burst freely; the CLI now rate-limits it by default.
• Avoid --force unless you know what you're doing (higher ban risk).
• Prefer watch --hook-cmd over webhooks when the task can stay on the same machine.
• If using --webhook-url, be explicit that chat content leaves the local trust boundary.
• Expect non-HTTPS remote webhooks to be blocked unless the user has explicitly loosened safety.allow_insecure_webhooks.
• Treat watch hooks/webhooks as best-effort delivery, not a durable queue or exactly-once event bus.
• Treat unattended mode as a policy decision. If the user is building a service, push them toward config.toml instead of repeating long flag strings.
• For macOS services, steer users toward examples/launchd/ in the repo instead of ad-hoc LaunchAgent files.
• Do not expose personal chat content unless the user explicitly asks.
• Prefer summary/aggregation output for logs and reports.