What is mautrix-gmessages?

mautrix-gmessages is a puppeting bridge that links Google Messages to the Matrix protocol. It runs as a Matrix application service and requires a PostgreSQL database and a Matrix homeserver like Synapse. The bridge supports two-way messaging with plain text, media files, replies, reactions, typing notifications, and read receipts over RCS. It automatically creates portal rooms for chats and can create private chats by inviting Matrix ghosts of remote users. Authentication uses Google account cookies extracted via browser devtools or the mautrix-manager tool. The bridge can be deployed via Docker (images on dock.mau.dev), Docker Compose, prebuilt binaries from GitHub releases or CI, or compiled from source with Go 1.26+. A systemd service template is provided for production deployments. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and actively maintained with monthly releases.

Should you self-host mautrix-gmessages?

mautrix-gmessages scores 53/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #4 of 5 in Bridges. It has 193 GitHub stars.

It shipped 8 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v0.2610.0, came out on 16 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 4 weeks.

Setup is advanced: plan for several services and some ongoing maintenance. It is AGPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in Go.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Matrix-Telegram bridge (65/100, 1 752 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See mautrix-gmessages vs Matrix-Telegram bridge side by side.

Features

Automatic portal creation
Backfill messagesDisabled by default, configurable limits
Double puppetingRequires configuration with shared secrets
End-to-bridge encryptionDisabled by default, requires configuration
Google account authenticationRequires private browser window and cookie extraction
Message deletionsOnly own device deletions supported
Personal filtering spaces
Private chat creation
Provisioning APIShared secret authentication, Matrix auth optional
Public mediaDisabled by default, requires public_address config
QR code login (deprecated)Google has killed this method
Reactions
Read Receipts
Two-way messaging
Typing notifications

How to install mautrix-gmessages

Install mautrix-gmessages with Docker

Create a directory for the bridge and cd into it: mkdir mautrix-$bridge && cd mautrix-$bridge.
Pull the docker image with docker pull dock.mau.dev/mautrix/$bridgerepo:.
Run the container for the first time, so it can create a config file for you:

docker run --rm -v `pwd`:/data:z dock.mau.dev/mautrix/$bridgerepo:<version>

Update the config to your liking.
Generate the appservice registration by running the container again, same command as above.
Register the bridge on your homeserver.
Run the bridge:

docker run --restart unless-stopped -v `pwd`:/data:z dock.mau.dev/mautrix/$bridgerepo:<version>

Images hosted on dock.mau.dev with tags: latest, git tag, git commit-amd64, git commit-arm64. Replace $bridge and $bridgerepo with gmessages.

Install mautrix-gmessages with Docker Compose

Create a directory for the bridge like step #0 in the Docker CLI instructions above.
Create docker-compose.yml that contains something like this:

version: "3.7"
services:
  mautrix-$bridge:
    container_name: mautrix-$bridge
    image: dock.mau.dev/mautrix/$bridgerepo:<version>
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
    - .:/data

Follow the rest of the Docker setup, but use compose commands instead of the raw docker commands: docker compose up -d to start, docker compose stop to stop and docker compose pull to update.

Use compose commands: docker compose up -d to start, docker compose stop to stop, docker compose pull to update. Replace $bridge and $bridgerepo with gmessages.

Install mautrix-gmessages with Linux

Go to https://github.com/mautrix/$bridgerepo/releases
Download the binary for the architecture you want and save it in a new directory.
Use ./mautrix-$bridge -e to generate an example config and save it to config.yaml.
Update the config to your liking.
Generate the appservice registration file by running ./mautrix-$bridge -g.
Register the bridge on your homeserver.
Run the bridge with ./mautrix-$bridge.

Prebuilt executables from GitHub releases or mau.dev CI (linux/amd64, linux/arm64, linux/arm). Replace $bridge and $bridgerepo with gmessages.

Install mautrix-gmessages with Build from Source

Clone the repo with git clone https://github.com/mautrix/$bridgerepo.git mautrix-$bridge
Enter the directory (cd mautrix-$bridge)
Run ./build.sh to fetch Go dependencies and compile
If you want end-to-bridge encryption, make sure you have a C/C++ compiler and the Olm dev headers (libolm-dev on debian-based distros) installed.
If not, use ./build.sh -tags nocrypto to disable encryption.

Requires Go 1.26+, libolm3 dev headers and C/C++ compiler for encryption. Replace $bridge and $bridgerepo with gmessages.

Install mautrix-gmessages with Systemd

Create a user for the bridge:

$ sudo adduser --system mautrix-$bridge --home /opt/mautrix-$bridge

Follow the normal setup instructions above. Make sure you use that user and home directory for the bridge.
Create a systemd service file at /etc/systemd/system/mautrix-$bridge.service:

[Unit]
Description=mautrix-$bridge bridge
[Service]
Type=exec
User=mautrix-$bridge
WorkingDirectory=/opt/mautrix-$bridge
ExecStart=/opt/mautrix-$bridge/mautrix-$bridge
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=30s

Systemd service template provided in docs with security hardening options. Replace $bridge with gmessages.