fix(cli): do not block watch/search on undetermined Contacts

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+### Fixes
+
+- Let headless `watch` and `search` start without waiting for an undetermined Contacts permission prompt while preserving interactive prompting (#238, thanks @SebTardif).
+
 ## 0.14.1 - 2026-08-11
 
 **Highlight:** search now finds messages whose text lives only in the rich-text

Sources/IMsgCore/ContactResolver.swift

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import Foundation
 
+#if canImport(Darwin)
+  import Darwin
+#elseif canImport(Glibc)
+  import Glibc
+#endif
+
 #if os(macOS)
   @preconcurrency import Contacts
 #endif
@@ -37,6 +43,18 @@ public final class NoOpContactResolver: ContactResolving, Sendable {
 public enum ContactsAccessPolicy: Sendable {
   case requestIfNeeded
   case skipIfNotDetermined
+
+  /// Headless stdin (LaunchAgent, pipes, automation) must not block on a
+  /// Contacts prompt that will never resolve while authorization remains
+  /// `.notDetermined`. Interactive terminals keep the prompt-capable path.
+  public static func forStdin(isTTY: Bool) -> ContactsAccessPolicy {
+    isTTY ? .requestIfNeeded : .skipIfNotDetermined
+  }
+
+  /// Whether the current process stdin is an interactive TTY.
+  public static var stdinIsTTY: Bool {
+    isatty(STDIN_FILENO) != 0
+  }
 }
 
 /// A process-owned Contacts catalog. Reads stay synchronous for existing callers, while the

Sources/imsg/Commands/BridgeIntroCommands.swift

@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@ import IMsgCore
 // MARK: - search
 
 enum SearchCommand {
+  /// Same TTY rule as RPC: headless stdin must not prompt for Contacts.
+  static func contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: Bool) -> ContactsAccessPolicy {
+    .forStdin(isTTY: stdinIsTTY)
+  }
+
   static let spec = CommandSpec(
     name: "search",
     abstract: "Search local Messages history",
@@ -30,7 +35,9 @@ enum SearchCommand {
     values: ParsedValues,
     runtime: RuntimeOptions,
     contactResolverFactory: @escaping () async -> any ContactResolving = {
-      await ContactResolver.create()
+      await ContactResolver.create(
+        accessPolicy: contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: ContactsAccessPolicy.stdinIsTTY)
+      )
     }
   ) async throws {
     guard let q = values.option("query"), !q.isEmpty else {

Sources/imsg/Commands/RpcCommand.swift

@@ -2,12 +2,6 @@ import Commander
 import Foundation
 import IMsgCore
 
-#if canImport(Darwin)
-  import Darwin
-#elseif canImport(Glibc)
-  import Glibc
-#endif
-
 enum RpcCommand {
   /// Contacts policy for RPC startup.
   ///
@@ -16,12 +10,12 @@ enum RpcCommand {
   /// remains `.notDetermined`. Interactive terminals keep the prompt-capable
   /// path so Contacts-backed name resolution still works.
   static var startupContactsAccessPolicy: ContactsAccessPolicy {
-    contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: isatty(STDIN_FILENO) != 0)
+    contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: ContactsAccessPolicy.stdinIsTTY)
   }
 
   /// Pure policy helper for tests and callers that already know interactivity.
   static func contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: Bool) -> ContactsAccessPolicy {
-    stdinIsTTY ? .requestIfNeeded : .skipIfNotDetermined
+    .forStdin(isTTY: stdinIsTTY)
   }
 
   static let spec = CommandSpec(

Sources/imsg/Commands/WatchCommand.swift

@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ import Foundation
 import IMsgCore
 
 enum WatchCommand {
+  /// Same TTY rule as RPC: headless stdin must not prompt for Contacts.
+  static func contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: Bool) -> ContactsAccessPolicy {
+    .forStdin(isTTY: stdinIsTTY)
+  }
+
   static let spec = CommandSpec(
     name: "watch",
     abstract: "Stream incoming messages",
@@ -55,7 +60,9 @@ enum WatchCommand {
     runtime: RuntimeOptions,
     storeFactory: @escaping (String) throws -> MessageStore = { try MessageStore(path: $0) },
     contactResolverFactory: @escaping () async -> any ContactResolving = {
-      await ContactResolver.create()
+      await ContactResolver.create(
+        accessPolicy: contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: ContactsAccessPolicy.stdinIsTTY)
+      )
     },
     streamProvider:
       @escaping (

Tests/imsgTests/RpcCommandContactsPolicyTests.swift

@@ -4,6 +4,19 @@ import Testing
 
 @testable import imsg
 
+@Suite("Shared Contacts stdin policy")
+struct ContactsAccessPolicyStdinTests {
+  @Test("headless stdin uses skipIfNotDetermined")
+  func headlessSkipsUndetermined() {
+    #expect(ContactsAccessPolicy.forStdin(isTTY: false) == .skipIfNotDetermined)
+  }
+
+  @Test("interactive stdin keeps requestIfNeeded")
+  func interactiveRequestsIfNeeded() {
+    #expect(ContactsAccessPolicy.forStdin(isTTY: true) == .requestIfNeeded)
+  }
+}
+
 @Suite("RpcCommand Contacts policy")
 struct RpcCommandContactsPolicyTests {
   @Test("headless stdin uses skipIfNotDetermined")
@@ -16,3 +29,29 @@ struct RpcCommandContactsPolicyTests {
     #expect(RpcCommand.contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: true) == .requestIfNeeded)
   }
 }
+
+@Suite("WatchCommand Contacts policy")
+struct WatchCommandContactsPolicyTests {
+  @Test("watch factory uses skipIfNotDetermined when stdin is not a TTY")
+  func headlessFactorySkipsUndetermined() {
+    #expect(WatchCommand.contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: false) == .skipIfNotDetermined)
+  }
+
+  @Test("watch factory keeps requestIfNeeded on interactive stdin")
+  func interactiveFactoryRequestsIfNeeded() {
+    #expect(WatchCommand.contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: true) == .requestIfNeeded)
+  }
+}
+
+@Suite("SearchCommand Contacts policy")
+struct SearchCommandContactsPolicyTests {
+  @Test("search factory uses skipIfNotDetermined when stdin is not a TTY")
+  func headlessFactorySkipsUndetermined() {
+    #expect(SearchCommand.contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: false) == .skipIfNotDetermined)
+  }
+
+  @Test("search factory keeps requestIfNeeded on interactive stdin")
+  func interactiveFactoryRequestsIfNeeded() {
+    #expect(SearchCommand.contactsAccessPolicy(stdinIsTTY: true) == .requestIfNeeded)
+  }
+}