Installable skillMIT

Add Reactions

Add WhatsApp emoji reaction support — receive, send, store, and search reactions.

BY sliamh11UPDATED Oct 27, 2026
INTENDED FOR◈OpenClawInstall in a listed agent.

instructions.md

---
name: add-reactions
description: Add WhatsApp emoji reaction support — receive, send, store, and search reactions.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Add Reactions

This skill adds emoji reaction support to Deus's WhatsApp channel: receive and store reactions, send reactions from the container agent via MCP tool, and query reaction history from SQLite.

## Phase 1: Pre-flight

### Check if already applied

Check if `src/status-tracker.ts` exists:

```bash
test -f src/status-tracker.ts && echo "Already applied" || echo "Not applied"
```

If already applied, skip to Phase 3 (Verify).

## Phase 2: Apply Code Changes

Reactions support is part of the WhatsApp MCP package in `packages/`. Check if the status tracker already exists:

```bash
test -f src/status-tracker.ts && echo "Already present" || echo "Not present"
```

If not present, the WhatsApp MCP package should include reactions support. Ensure the WhatsApp channel is installed and up to date by running `/add-whatsapp`.

The following files are involved:
- `scripts/migrate-reactions.ts` (database migration for `reactions` table with composite PK and indexes)
- `src/status-tracker.ts` (forward-only emoji state machine for message lifecycle signaling, with persistence and retry)
- `src/status-tracker.test.ts` (unit tests for StatusTracker)
- `container/skills/reactions/SKILL.md` (agent-facing documentation for the `react_to_message` MCP tool)
- Reaction support in `src/db.ts`, `src/channels/whatsapp.ts`, `src/types.ts`, `src/ipc.ts`, `src/index.ts`, `src/group-queue.ts`, and `container/agent-runner/src/ipc-mcp-stdio.ts`

### Run database migration

```bash
npx tsx scripts/migrate-reactions.ts
```

### Validate code changes

```bash
npm test
npm run build
```

All tests must pass and build must be clean before proceeding.

## Phase 3: Verify

### Build and restart

```bash
npm run build
```

Linux:
```bash
systemctl --user restart deus
```

macOS:
```bash
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.deus
```

### Test receiving reactions

1. Send a message from your phone
2. React to it with an emoji on WhatsApp
3. Check the database:

```bash
sqlite3 store/messages.db "SELECT * FROM reactions ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 5;"
```

### Test sending reactions

Ask the agent to react to a message via the `react_to_message` MCP tool. Check your phone — the reaction should appear on the message.

## Troubleshooting

### Reactions not appearing in database

- Check Deus logs for `Failed to process reaction` errors
- Verify the chat is registered
- Confirm the service is running

### Migration fails

- Ensure `store/messages.db` exists and is accessible
- If "table reactions already exists", the migration already ran — skip it

### Agent can't send reactions

- Check IPC logs for `Unauthorized IPC reaction attempt blocked` — the agent can only react in its own group's chat
- Verify WhatsApp is connected: check logs for connection status
COMPATIBILITY & REFERENCES

Platform guidance

Imported from the listed AgentSkill.sh category. Complete supplied package files and notices are retained. Required external tools and credentials are not installed. No bundled code was executed during import. Individual agent task behavior has not been tested.