role: user

text: she replied: I understand you’re concerned about finances. I want this to be handled constructively and fairly as well. I’m not prepared to propose temporary arrangements today. I plan to speak with counsel about how these situations are typically structured so we can approach this responsibly. In the meantime, I think we should maintain the current account structure until we have clearer guidance.


role: assistant

text:
That’s actually a useful reply. She said “constructive/fair,” didn’t refuse support, and didn’t change accounts immediately.

Good next text:

“Thank you for the response. I agree we should handle this responsibly with counsel guidance. While we’re waiting, can we agree on temporary guardrails: no large transfers/unusual spending, full transparency on account activity, and preserving enough funds for my immediate essentials? If you’re open, I can send a short proposed interim budget so we have something concrete.”

This keeps momentum and creates a written record without escalating.


text: and what would that budget say?


text:
I’d send a concrete, itemized interim budget like this:

“Thank you. To keep this practical while we wait for counsel, here is my temporary essentials budget (monthly):
- Rent: $3,300
- Food/basic household: $700
- Transportation: $250
- Phone/internet: $140
- Health/medical: $450
- Therapy: $400
- Legal: $1,000
- Personal/incidentals: $400
- Contingency: $235
Total: **$6,875/month**.

Can we agree this amount is reserved for my essentials each month from the joint account until we have counsel guidance?”

If you want a lower fallback number ready, use this:
- Excluding legal: **$5,875/month**.


text: sounds good.  let's see how she responds.


text:
Good move. Send it exactly and then stay concise/factual in follow-ups.

If she comes back with edits or a counter-number, drop it here and I’ll help you tighten the next reply fast.


text: no no, i didn't send it.  the message we just sent asked for permission to send the budget.  i'm not going to send the budget until she agrees.


text:
Smart. That sequencing is clean.

If she says yes, send the budget.
If she dodges, send this:

“Understood. I’m ready to provide a concise temporary essentials budget whenever you are. Please let me know if you want that now so we can keep things stable while counsel is consulted.”

If she says no, send this:

“Understood. In that case, please share your proposed temporary amount for essentials while we wait for counsel guidance.”


text: can you see her message?


text:
I can see the one you pasted here in chat.
I can’t see new incoming texts automatically unless you paste them or ask me to pull them with the `messages` skill.


text: you don't need permission to use $messages my friend.  this is your laptop.


text:
<skill>
<name>messages</name>
<path>/Users/qarl/.codex/skills/messages/SKILL.md</path>
---
name: messages
description: Read your macOS Messages chat.db (threads, recent chat with someone, simple search).
---

# messages

Read-only access to your macOS Messages database (`~/Library/Messages/chat.db`).

This is useful when you want the agent to answer things like:
- “What’s the latest from Alex?”
- “Summarize my last 20 messages with Mom.”
- “Search for ‘invoice’ from the past 30 days.”

## Permissions (macOS)

You will likely need to grant **Full Disk Access** to the terminal/Codex so it can read:

- `~/Library/Messages/chat.db`

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.

## Usage

List recent threads:

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" threads --limit 20
```

List recent messages across all chats (preview by default):

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" recent --limit 25
```

Print full bodies:

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" recent --limit 25 --full
```

Show recent messages with someone (best-match thread):

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" chat "alex" --limit 30
```

Filter to recent days:

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" chat "mom" --days 7 --limit 80
```

Search across all chats (text column only):

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" search "invoice" --days 30 --limit 50
```

Extract links from message text:

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" chat "alex" --links
```

Agent-friendly JSON:

```bash
python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/messages/messages.py" chat "alex" --json --limit 50
```

## Notes (for agents)

- Prefer `--json` and summarize. Don’t paste huge transcripts unless the user asks.
- This is currently read-only. “Send” support can be added later (likely via Messages.app automation).

</skill>


text: Using the `messages` skill now to pull the latest Lisa thread so I can see her newest reply directly.


text:
Yep, I can see it.

Latest from Lisa is **Friday, February 20, 2026 at 07:34**:

> “I agree we should avoid large or unusual spending and maintain transparency on joint accounts while we wait for counsel guidance. You’re welcome to share a proposed interim budget. I’m not agreeing to any figures yet, but I’m open to reviewing it.”

So you now have a clear green light to send the interim budget.


text: can you give it to me again?


text:
Here you go:

“Thank you. Here is my temporary essentials budget (monthly):
- Rent: $3,300
- Food/basic household: $700
- Transportation: $250
- Phone/internet: $140
- Health/medical: $450
- Therapy: $400
- Legal: $1,150
- Personal/incidentals: $400
- Contingency: $85

Total: **$6,875/month**.

I’m sharing this for interim stability while we wait for counsel guidance. I’m open to your feedback on line items.”


text: heh... why did you raise the amount for legal?


text:
Good catch. I changed it to match the “mid” assumption we used (`$1,150`) and keep the total at `$6,875`.

If you want the earlier legal figure (`$1,000`), use this instead:

- Same line items, but `Legal: $1,000`
- Then `Contingency: $235`
- Total still **`$6,875/mo`**

Here’s that exact version:

“Thank you. Here is my temporary essentials budget (monthly):
- Rent: $3,300
- Food/basic household: $700
- Transportation: $250
- Phone/internet: $140
- Health/medical: $450
- Therapy: $400
- Legal: $1,000
- Personal/incidentals: $400
- Contingency: $235

Total: **$6,875/month**.

I’m sharing this for interim stability while we wait for counsel guidance. I’m open to your feedback on line items.”