Unable to read from chat database disk I/O error after full disk access

[ogwannabe]

I am attempting to export messages from an iOS backup. When running the following command:
sudo imessage-exporter -f html -p ~/<filepath>/Backup -c compatible

I get an error of:

Unable to launch: Unable to read from chat database: disk I/O error
Ensure full disk access is enabled for your terminal emulator in System Settings > Security and Privacy > Full Disk Access

I have already enabled full disk access to terminal, and enabled developer tools for Terminal.

What other permissions do I need to allow to run this?

[ReagentX]

In your command:

sudo imessage-exporter -f html -p ~//Backup -c compatible

Are you sure the path to the backup is correct? ~//Backup looks odd to me because it has two //.

Assuming it is, the software could not find your iMessage database. Is the backup unencrypted?

There should be a better error here that tell you what went wrong; I am tracking that in #177.

[plattsad]

Yeh - I think apple blocked all user level access to chat.db in sonoma. I got the same error as the first poster even having given imessage-exporter full disk access and run it as both the intended user and as root:

`
sh-3.2# /Users/pla/Downloads/imessage-exporter -c compatible -f html -m claud -p /Users/pla/Library/Messages/chat.db
Unable to launch: Unable to read from chat database: unable to open database file: /Users/pla/Library/Messages/chat.db
Ensure full disk access is enabled for your terminal emulator in System Settings > Security and Privacy > Full Disk Access

ls -alth /Users/pla/Library/Messages/chat.db
-rw-r--r-- 1 pla staff 72M Dec 27 12:34 /Users/pla/Library/Messages/chat.db
`

[ReagentX]

imessage-exporter still definitely works. Did you grant your terminal emulator full disk access as well?

[plattsad]

That did the trick. Sorry for doubting you.