Add POST /v1/chats/{chatID}/read endpoint (mark chat as read without stealing focus)

[aassoiants]

Add POST /v1/chats/{chatID}/read endpoint (mark chat as read programmatically)

The Job

When building automations that process chats (summarization, transcription, triage), I need to mark conversations as read after processing — so my inbox reflects what I've actually handled, not what I've merely received.

What I Tried

I did extensive research across the entire Beeper ecosystem before filing this:

API surface

• The OpenAPI spec (both the GitHub repo and the live spec at /v1/spec) has no read-related mutation endpoint — only read-only fields (unreadCount, lastReadMessageSortKey, isUnread)
• No PATCH or PUT on /v1/chats/{chatID} exists to set read state
• No Matrix-style receipt endpoints (/_matrix/client/v3/rooms/.../receipt/...) are proxied through the Desktop API

All official SDKs

• TypeScript (@beeper/desktop-api), Python (beeper_desktop_api), Go (desktop-api-go) — none expose a mark-as-read method

Community projects (all 10 listed on the developer docs)

• f/deeper, blqke/beepctl, foeken/beeper-cli, nerveband/beeper-api-cli, mimen/beeper-messaging-tools, adamanz/omnichannel-messenger, cameronaaron/beeper-go-sdk, ErdemGKSL/beeper-desktop-api, BosTheCoder/beeper-wsl-proxy, beeper/raycast — none have implemented mark-as-read
• nerveband/beeper-api-cli README lists a read command but it was never implemented in source code
• Beeper's own Raycast extension has an "Unread Chats" command and reads unreadCount — but cannot mark chats as read

Bridge source code

I traced the read receipt chain through mautrix/whatsapp, mautrix/signal, beeper/barcelona, etc. — every bridge implements HandleMatrixReadReceipt() to forward m.read receipts to native platforms. The plumbing is fully built.

/v1/focus workaround (doesn't work)

I tried using POST /v1/focus with { "chatID": "..." } hoping it would trigger mark-as-read as a side effect. It navigates Beeper Desktop to the chat and steals focus, but does not actually mark the chat as read — unreadCount remains unchanged.

The Ask

A dedicated endpoint:

POST /v1/chats/{chatID}/read

No request body needed. Sends an m.read Matrix receipt for the latest message in the chat, propagating through bridges to native platforms (WhatsApp blue ticks, iMessage read indicators, etc.) — without any UI side effects.

Who Needs This

Anyone building on the Desktop API who processes chats — summarizers, archivers, notification managers, triage tools, AI agents. The API lets you read messages, send messages, and archive chats, but you can't close the loop by marking what you've read.

(Sorry if wrong place to post issue)