diff --git a/src/imessage/monitor.skips-group-messages-without-mention-by-default.test.ts b/src/imessage/monitor.skips-group-messages-without-mention-by-default.test.ts
index 3a367023705..5698f41b71e 100644
--- a/src/imessage/monitor.skips-group-messages-without-mention-by-default.test.ts
+++ b/src/imessage/monitor.skips-group-messages-without-mention-by-default.test.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
 
 const replyMock = getReplyMock();
 const sendMock = getSendMock();
+const readAllowFromStoreMock = getReadAllowFromStoreMock();
 const upsertPairingRequestMock = getUpsertPairingRequestMock();
 
 type TestConfig = {
@@ -36,24 +37,42 @@ function getConfig(): TestConfig {
   return getConfigMock() as unknown as TestConfig;
 }
 
+function notifyMessage(message: unknown) {
+  getNotificationHandler()?.({
+    method: "message",
+    params: { message },
+  });
+}
+
+async function closeMonitor() {
+  for (let i = 0; i < 20; i += 1) {
+    const close = getCloseResolve();
+    if (close) {
+      close();
+      return;
+    }
+    await flush();
+  }
+  throw new Error("imessage test harness: closeResolve not set");
+}
+
+function startMonitor() {
+  return monitorIMessageProvider();
+}
+
 describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
   it("ignores malformed rpc message payloads", async () => {
-    const run = monitorIMessageProvider();
+    const run = startMonitor();
     await waitForSubscribe();
 
-    getNotificationHandler()?.({
-      method: "message",
-      params: {
-        message: {
-          id: 1,
-          sender: { nested: "not-a-string" },
-          text: "hello",
-        },
-      },
+    notifyMessage({
+      id: 1,
+      sender: { nested: "not-a-string" },
+      text: "hello",
     });
 
     await flush();
-    getCloseResolve()?.();
+    await closeMonitor();
     await run;
 
     expect(replyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -403,7 +422,7 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
       channels: {
         ...config.channels,
         imessage: {
-          ...config.channels?.imessage,
+          ...config.channels.imessage,
           dmPolicy: "pairing",
           allowFrom: [],
           groupPolicy: "allowlist",
@@ -411,26 +430,21 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
         },
       },
     });
-    getReadAllowFromStoreMock().mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
-    const run = monitorIMessageProvider();
+    readAllowFromStoreMock.mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
+    const run = startMonitor();
     await waitForSubscribe();
 
-    getNotificationHandler()?.({
-      method: "message",
-      params: {
-        message: {
-          id: 30,
-          chat_id: 909,
-          sender: "+15550003333",
-          is_from_me: false,
-          text: "@openclaw hi from paired sender",
-          is_group: true,
-        },
-      },
+    notifyMessage({
+      id: 30,
+      chat_id: 909,
+      sender: "+15550003333",
+      is_from_me: false,
+      text: "@openclaw hi from paired sender",
+      is_group: true,
     });
 
     await flush();
-    getCloseResolve()?.();
+    await closeMonitor();
     await run;
 
     expect(replyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -444,7 +458,7 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
       channels: {
         ...config.channels,
         imessage: {
-          ...config.channels?.imessage,
+          ...config.channels.imessage,
           dmPolicy: "pairing",
           allowFrom: [],
           groupPolicy: "allowlist",
@@ -452,26 +466,21 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
         },
       },
     });
-    getReadAllowFromStoreMock().mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
-    const run = monitorIMessageProvider();
+    readAllowFromStoreMock.mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
+    const run = startMonitor();
     await waitForSubscribe();
 
-    getNotificationHandler()?.({
-      method: "message",
-      params: {
-        message: {
-          id: 31,
-          chat_id: 202,
-          sender: "+15550003333",
-          is_from_me: false,
-          text: "@openclaw hi from paired sender",
-          is_group: true,
-        },
-      },
+    notifyMessage({
+      id: 31,
+      chat_id: 202,
+      sender: "+15550003333",
+      is_from_me: false,
+      text: "@openclaw hi from paired sender",
+      is_group: true,
     });
 
     await flush();
-    getCloseResolve()?.();
+    await closeMonitor();
     await run;
 
     expect(replyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -485,7 +494,7 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
       channels: {
         ...config.channels,
         imessage: {
-          ...config.channels?.imessage,
+          ...config.channels.imessage,
           dmPolicy: "pairing",
           allowFrom: [],
           groupPolicy: "allowlist",
@@ -493,26 +502,21 @@ describe("monitorIMessageProvider", () => {
         },
       },
     });
-    getReadAllowFromStoreMock().mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
-    const run = monitorIMessageProvider();
+    readAllowFromStoreMock.mockResolvedValue(["+15550003333"]);
+    const run = startMonitor();
     await waitForSubscribe();
 
-    getNotificationHandler()?.({
-      method: "message",
-      params: {
-        message: {
-          id: 32,
-          chat_id: 202,
-          sender: "+15550003333",
-          is_from_me: false,
-          text: "/status",
-          is_group: true,
-        },
-      },
+    notifyMessage({
+      id: 32,
+      chat_id: 202,
+      sender: "+15550003333",
+      is_from_me: false,
+      text: "/status",
+      is_group: true,
     });
 
     await flush();
-    getCloseResolve()?.();
+    await closeMonitor();
     await run;
 
     expect(replyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
diff --git a/src/imessage/monitor/monitor-provider.ts b/src/imessage/monitor/monitor-provider.ts
index 894a52961a0..f918bf6a170 100644
--- a/src/imessage/monitor/monitor-provider.ts
+++ b/src/imessage/monitor/monitor-provider.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import {
   normalizeIMessageHandle,
 } from "../targets.js";
 import { deliverReplies } from "./deliver.js";
+import { parseIMessageNotification } from "./parse-notification.js";
 import { normalizeAllowList, resolveRuntime } from "./runtime.js";
 
 /**
@@ -111,88 +112,6 @@ function describeReplyContext(message: IMessagePayload): IMessageReplyContext |
   return { body, id, sender };
 }
 
-function isRecord(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return Boolean(value) && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value);
-}
-
-function isOptionalString(value: unknown): value is string | null | undefined {
-  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "string";
-}
-
-function isOptionalStringOrNumber(value: unknown): value is string | number | null | undefined {
-  return (
-    value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "string" || typeof value === "number"
-  );
-}
-
-function isOptionalNumber(value: unknown): value is number | null | undefined {
-  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "number";
-}
-
-function isOptionalBoolean(value: unknown): value is boolean | null | undefined {
-  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "boolean";
-}
-
-function isOptionalStringArray(value: unknown): value is string[] | null | undefined {
-  return (
-    value === undefined ||
-    value === null ||
-    (Array.isArray(value) && value.every((entry) => typeof entry === "string"))
-  );
-}
-
-function isOptionalAttachments(value: unknown): value is IMessagePayload["attachments"] {
-  if (value === undefined || value === null) {
-    return true;
-  }
-  if (!Array.isArray(value)) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  return value.every((attachment) => {
-    if (!isRecord(attachment)) {
-      return false;
-    }
-    return (
-      isOptionalString(attachment.original_path) &&
-      isOptionalString(attachment.mime_type) &&
-      isOptionalBoolean(attachment.missing)
-    );
-  });
-}
-
-function parseIMessageNotification(raw: unknown): IMessagePayload | null {
-  if (!isRecord(raw)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  const maybeMessage = raw.message;
-  if (!isRecord(maybeMessage)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  const message: IMessagePayload = maybeMessage;
-  if (
-    !isOptionalNumber(message.id) ||
-    !isOptionalNumber(message.chat_id) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.sender) ||
-    !isOptionalBoolean(message.is_from_me) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.text) ||
-    !isOptionalStringOrNumber(message.reply_to_id) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.reply_to_text) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.reply_to_sender) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.created_at) ||
-    !isOptionalAttachments(message.attachments) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.chat_identifier) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.chat_guid) ||
-    !isOptionalString(message.chat_name) ||
-    !isOptionalStringArray(message.participants) ||
-    !isOptionalBoolean(message.is_group)
-  ) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  return message;
-}
-
 /**
  * Cache for recently sent messages, used for echo detection.
  * Keys are scoped by conversation (accountId:target) so the same text in different chats is not conflated.
diff --git a/src/imessage/monitor/parse-notification.ts b/src/imessage/monitor/parse-notification.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..98ad941665c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/imessage/monitor/parse-notification.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import type { IMessagePayload } from "./types.js";
+
+function isRecord(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
+  return Boolean(value) && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value);
+}
+
+function isOptionalString(value: unknown): value is string | null | undefined {
+  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "string";
+}
+
+function isOptionalStringOrNumber(value: unknown): value is string | number | null | undefined {
+  return (
+    value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "string" || typeof value === "number"
+  );
+}
+
+function isOptionalNumber(value: unknown): value is number | null | undefined {
+  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "number";
+}
+
+function isOptionalBoolean(value: unknown): value is boolean | null | undefined {
+  return value === undefined || value === null || typeof value === "boolean";
+}
+
+function isOptionalStringArray(value: unknown): value is string[] | null | undefined {
+  return (
+    value === undefined ||
+    value === null ||
+    (Array.isArray(value) && value.every((entry) => typeof entry === "string"))
+  );
+}
+
+function isOptionalAttachments(value: unknown): value is IMessagePayload["attachments"] {
+  if (value === undefined || value === null) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (!Array.isArray(value)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return value.every((attachment) => {
+    if (!isRecord(attachment)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return (
+      isOptionalString(attachment.original_path) &&
+      isOptionalString(attachment.mime_type) &&
+      isOptionalBoolean(attachment.missing)
+    );
+  });
+}
+
+export function parseIMessageNotification(raw: unknown): IMessagePayload | null {
+  if (!isRecord(raw)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const maybeMessage = raw.message;
+  if (!isRecord(maybeMessage)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const message: IMessagePayload = maybeMessage;
+  if (
+    !isOptionalNumber(message.id) ||
+    !isOptionalNumber(message.chat_id) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.sender) ||
+    !isOptionalBoolean(message.is_from_me) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.text) ||
+    !isOptionalStringOrNumber(message.reply_to_id) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.reply_to_text) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.reply_to_sender) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.created_at) ||
+    !isOptionalAttachments(message.attachments) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.chat_identifier) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.chat_guid) ||
+    !isOptionalString(message.chat_name) ||
+    !isOptionalStringArray(message.participants) ||
+    !isOptionalBoolean(message.is_group)
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  return message;
+}