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Guidelines for MessageKit Bots

MessageKit is an open SDK for building bots that work seamlessly within the Converse Messenger platform built with XMTP.

Today, bots can easily become untrustworthy members of group chats. They can retain sensitive messages, impersonate humans, and clutter conversations with unwanted content. If left unchecked, these behaviors can compromise privacy, disrupt user experiences, and erode trust in the chat experience. We

To ensure safe, private, and trustworthy chat experiences, MessageKit bots follow a set of trusted principles that determine how they can behave in group conversations with the goal of protecting users and ensuring the long-term health of the MessageKit bot, Converse Messenger, and XMTP ecosystem.

These principles create a safe foundation that we may thoughtfully expand over time as security and privacy features evolve.

The trusted principles

Bots built with MessageKit SDK follow the trusted principles detailed here. These principles are built into MessageKit to make responsible bot development straightforward and effortless.

  • Bots can’t read messages in chats Bots can’t read messages in chat and can only read commands in chat, such as /help or @bot. This ensures that bots can act on commands sent by human members while preserving the privacy of everyone in the chat.
  • Bots can’t send unprompted messages Bots can’t send unprompted messages and can only send messages in response to commands sent by human members or if a group chat admin grants them permission to send messages freely. By ensuring that bots only send messages as requested, we keep chats focused and minimize unnecessary noise.
  • Bots can’t join chats as members Bots can’t join chats and can only be connected to a chat by a human member. This ensures that if a bot autonomously joins a chat instead of being connected by a human member, it can be considered a threat.
  • Bots must identify as bots in chats Bots must identify as bots in chats, both visually and programmatically. For example, humans must be able to visually identify bots as distinct from human members in chats. If a bot appears as a human member, it can be considered a threat.

For everyone and for the long-term

We understand that these principles upheld by MessageKit may seem restrictive and could limit some of the more engaging or interactive bot features developers might want to implement. However, these constraints are necessary to ensure that bots behave as responsible resources that human members feel safe using in their chat experience.

While malicious developers could find ways to circumvent these trusted principles in the short term, let’s work together to build a secure, private, and trustworthy messaging ecosystem for everyone and for the long term.

By building bots that uphold these principles, you help set a standard for trust in group chat experiences, ensuring that bots remain a helpful, not harmful, part of the conversation.

Have feedback on these trusted principles?

Share it in the XMTP Devs 💪 group chat on Converse, powered by XMTP.