diff --git a/gateway/config.py b/gateway/config.py
index 59fdfa54e..62818b076 100644
--- a/gateway/config.py
+++ b/gateway/config.py
@@ -1722,6 +1722,22 @@ def _apply_env_overrides(config: GatewayConfig) -> None:
             "webhook_path": os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_WEBHOOK_PATH", "/bluebubbles-webhook"),
             "send_read_receipts": os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_SEND_READ_RECEIPTS", "true").lower() in {"true", "1", "yes"},
         })
+        bluebubbles_require_mention = os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_REQUIRE_MENTION")
+        if bluebubbles_require_mention is not None:
+            config.platforms[Platform.BLUEBUBBLES].extra["require_mention"] = (
+                bluebubbles_require_mention.lower() in {"true", "1", "yes", "on"}
+            )
+        bluebubbles_mention_patterns = os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_MENTION_PATTERNS")
+        if bluebubbles_mention_patterns:
+            try:
+                parsed_patterns = json.loads(bluebubbles_mention_patterns)
+            except Exception:
+                parsed_patterns = [
+                    part.strip()
+                    for part in bluebubbles_mention_patterns.replace("\n", ",").split(",")
+                    if part.strip()
+                ]
+            config.platforms[Platform.BLUEBUBBLES].extra["mention_patterns"] = parsed_patterns
     bluebubbles_home = os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_HOME_CHANNEL")
     if bluebubbles_home and Platform.BLUEBUBBLES in config.platforms:
         config.platforms[Platform.BLUEBUBBLES].home_channel = HomeChannel(
diff --git a/gateway/platforms/bluebubbles.py b/gateway/platforms/bluebubbles.py
index 2fc4102b6..b90507c98 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/bluebubbles.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/bluebubbles.py
@@ -44,6 +44,15 @@ DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_PORT = 8645
 DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_PATH = "/bluebubbles-webhook"
 MAX_TEXT_LENGTH = 4000
 
+# BlueBubbles/iMessage does not expose a stable bot mention identity like
+# Slack (<@U...>), Telegram (@botname), or Matrix (MXID). When users opt into
+# group mention gating without custom aliases, use conservative Hermes wake
+# words so `require_mention: true` is a one-line enablement path.
+DEFAULT_MENTION_PATTERNS = [
+    r"(?<![\w@])@?hermes\s+agent\b[,:\-]?",
+    r"(?<![\w@])@?hermes\b[,:\-]?",
+]
+
 # Tapback reaction codes (BlueBubbles associatedMessageType values)
 _TAPBACK_ADDED = {
     2000: "love", 2001: "like", 2002: "dislike",
@@ -127,6 +136,16 @@ class BlueBubblesAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if not str(self.webhook_path).startswith("/"):
             self.webhook_path = f"/{self.webhook_path}"
         self.send_read_receipts = bool(extra.get("send_read_receipts", True))
+        self.require_mention = self._bool_setting(
+            extra.get("require_mention"),
+            os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_REQUIRE_MENTION"),
+            default=False,
+        )
+        self._mention_patterns = self._compile_mention_patterns(
+            extra.get("mention_patterns")
+            if "mention_patterns" in extra
+            else os.getenv("BLUEBUBBLES_MENTION_PATTERNS")
+        )
         self.client: Optional[httpx.AsyncClient] = None
         self._runner = None
         self._private_api_enabled: Optional[bool] = None
@@ -141,6 +160,77 @@ class BlueBubblesAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         sep = "&" if "?" in path else "?"
         return f"{self.server_url}{path}{sep}password={quote(self.password, safe='')}"
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _bool_setting(*values: Any, default: bool = False) -> bool:
+        for value in values:
+            if value is None:
+                continue
+            if isinstance(value, bool):
+                return value
+            text = str(value).strip().lower()
+            if not text:
+                continue
+            return text in {"true", "1", "yes", "on"}
+        return default
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _coerce_mention_patterns(raw: Any) -> List[str]:
+        if raw is None:
+            return list(DEFAULT_MENTION_PATTERNS)
+        if isinstance(raw, list):
+            values = raw
+        elif isinstance(raw, str):
+            text = raw.strip()
+            if not text:
+                return []
+            try:
+                parsed = json.loads(text)
+            except Exception:
+                parsed = None
+            if isinstance(parsed, list):
+                values = parsed
+            else:
+                values = [
+                    part.strip()
+                    for line in text.splitlines()
+                    for part in line.split(",")
+                    if part.strip()
+                ]
+        else:
+            values = [raw]
+        return [str(value).strip() for value in values if str(value).strip()]
+
+    def _compile_mention_patterns(self, raw: Any) -> List[re.Pattern]:
+        compiled: List[re.Pattern] = []
+        for pattern in self._coerce_mention_patterns(raw):
+            try:
+                compiled.append(re.compile(pattern, re.IGNORECASE))
+            except re.error as exc:
+                logger.warning("[%s] Invalid BlueBubbles mention pattern %r: %s", self.name, pattern, exc)
+        if compiled:
+            logger.info("[%s] Loaded %d BlueBubbles mention pattern(s)", self.name, len(compiled))
+        return compiled
+
+    def _message_matches_mention_patterns(self, text: str) -> bool:
+        if not text or not self._mention_patterns:
+            return False
+        return any(pattern.search(text) for pattern in self._mention_patterns)
+
+    def _clean_mention_text(self, text: str) -> str:
+        """Strip a leading BlueBubbles wake word before dispatch.
+
+        Custom mention patterns are regular expressions, so stripping only a
+        leading match avoids deleting ordinary words later in the prompt.
+        """
+        if not text:
+            return text
+        for pattern in self._mention_patterns:
+            match = pattern.match(text.lstrip())
+            if match:
+                cleaned = text.lstrip()[match.end():].lstrip(" ,:-")
+                return cleaned or text
+        return text
+
     async def _api_get(self, path: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         assert self.client is not None
         res = await self.client.get(self._api_url(path))
@@ -921,6 +1011,13 @@ class BlueBubblesAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         session_chat_id = chat_guid or chat_identifier
         is_group = bool(record.get("isGroup")) or (";+;" in (chat_guid or ""))
+        if is_group and self.require_mention:
+            if not self._message_matches_mention_patterns(text):
+                logger.debug(
+                    "[bluebubbles] ignoring group message (require_mention=true, no mention pattern matched)"
+                )
+                return web.Response(text="ok")
+            text = self._clean_mention_text(text)
         source = self.build_source(
             chat_id=session_chat_id,
             chat_name=chat_identifier or sender,
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_bluebubbles.py b/tests/gateway/test_bluebubbles.py
index e42d050c8..7d4a71378 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_bluebubbles.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_bluebubbles.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for the BlueBubbles iMessage gateway adapter."""
+import asyncio
+import json
+
 import pytest
 
 from gateway.config import Platform, PlatformConfig
@@ -25,6 +28,8 @@ class TestBlueBubblesConfigLoading:
         monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_SERVER_URL", "http://localhost:1234")
         monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_PASSWORD", "secret")
         monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_WEBHOOK_PORT", "9999")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_REQUIRE_MENTION", "true")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_MENTION_PATTERNS", r'["(?i)^amos\\b"]')
         from gateway.config import GatewayConfig, _apply_env_overrides
 
         config = GatewayConfig()
@@ -35,6 +40,8 @@ class TestBlueBubblesConfigLoading:
         assert bc.extra["server_url"] == "http://localhost:1234"
         assert bc.extra["password"] == "secret"
         assert bc.extra["webhook_port"] == 9999
+        assert bc.extra["require_mention"] is True
+        assert bc.extra["mention_patterns"] == ["(?i)^amos\\b"]
 
     def test_home_channel_set_from_env(self, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setenv("BLUEBUBBLES_SERVER_URL", "http://localhost:1234")
@@ -130,6 +137,131 @@ class TestBlueBubblesHelpers:
         adapter = _make_adapter(monkeypatch, server_url="localhost:1234")
         assert adapter.server_url == "http://localhost:1234"
 
+    def test_default_mention_patterns_match_hermes_variants(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(monkeypatch, require_mention=True)
+
+        assert adapter.require_mention is True
+        assert adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("Hermes, summarize this")
+        assert adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("@Hermes agent help")
+        assert not adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("casual family chatter")
+        assert not adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("antihermes should not match")
+
+    def test_custom_mention_patterns_override_defaults(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(
+            monkeypatch,
+            require_mention=True,
+            mention_patterns=[r"(?<![\w@])@?amos\b[,:\-]?"],
+        )
+
+        assert adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("Amos what is next?")
+        assert not adapter._message_matches_mention_patterns("Hermes what is next?")
+
+    def test_clean_mention_text_strips_leading_wake_word(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(monkeypatch, require_mention=True)
+
+        assert adapter._clean_mention_text("Hermes, summarize this") == "summarize this"
+        assert adapter._clean_mention_text("Hermes agent: summarize this") == "summarize this"
+        assert adapter._clean_mention_text("please ask Hermes about this") == "please ask Hermes about this"
+
+
+class _FakeBlueBubblesRequest:
+    def __init__(self, payload, password="secret"):
+        self.query = {"password": password}
+        self.headers = {}
+        self._body = json.dumps(payload).encode("utf-8")
+
+    async def read(self):
+        return self._body
+
+
+class TestBlueBubblesMentionGating:
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_group_message_without_mention_is_acknowledged_and_skipped(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(
+            monkeypatch,
+            require_mention=True,
+            send_read_receipts=False,
+        )
+        handled = []
+
+        async def fake_handle_message(event):
+            handled.append(event)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(adapter, "handle_message", fake_handle_message)
+        response = await adapter._handle_webhook(_FakeBlueBubblesRequest({
+            "type": "new-message",
+            "data": {
+                "guid": "msg-1",
+                "text": "casual family chatter",
+                "handle": {"address": "+15555550100"},
+                "isFromMe": False,
+                "isGroup": True,
+                "chats": [{"guid": "iMessage;+;group-chat"}],
+            },
+        }))
+        await asyncio.sleep(0)
+
+        assert response.status == 200
+        assert handled == []
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_group_message_with_default_mention_is_dispatched_cleaned(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(
+            monkeypatch,
+            require_mention=True,
+            send_read_receipts=False,
+        )
+        handled = []
+
+        async def fake_handle_message(event):
+            handled.append(event)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(adapter, "handle_message", fake_handle_message)
+        response = await adapter._handle_webhook(_FakeBlueBubblesRequest({
+            "type": "new-message",
+            "data": {
+                "guid": "msg-2",
+                "text": "Hermes, summarize this",
+                "handle": {"address": "+15555550100"},
+                "isFromMe": False,
+                "isGroup": True,
+                "chats": [{"guid": "iMessage;+;group-chat"}],
+            },
+        }))
+        await asyncio.sleep(0)
+
+        assert response.status == 200
+        assert [event.text for event in handled] == ["summarize this"]
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_dm_message_does_not_require_mention(self, monkeypatch):
+        adapter = _make_adapter(
+            monkeypatch,
+            require_mention=True,
+            send_read_receipts=False,
+        )
+        handled = []
+
+        async def fake_handle_message(event):
+            handled.append(event)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(adapter, "handle_message", fake_handle_message)
+        response = await adapter._handle_webhook(_FakeBlueBubblesRequest({
+            "type": "new-message",
+            "data": {
+                "guid": "msg-3",
+                "text": "hello from a dm",
+                "handle": {"address": "user@example.com"},
+                "isFromMe": False,
+                "chatGuid": "iMessage;-;user@example.com",
+                "chatIdentifier": "user@example.com",
+            },
+        }))
+        await asyncio.sleep(0)
+
+        assert response.status == 200
+        assert [event.text for event in handled] == ["hello from a dm"]
+
 
 class TestBlueBubblesWebhookParsing:
     def test_webhook_prefers_chat_guid_over_message_guid(self, monkeypatch):
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/bluebubbles.md b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/bluebubbles.md
index 40af59a57..12efd3823 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/bluebubbles.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/bluebubbles.md
@@ -38,6 +38,31 @@ BLUEBUBBLES_SERVER_URL=http://192.168.1.10:1234
 BLUEBUBBLES_PASSWORD=your-server-password
 ```
 
+#### Optional: Require mentions in group chats
+
+By default, Hermes responds to every authorized BlueBubbles/iMessage DM or group message. To make group chats opt-in, enable mention gating:
+
+```yaml
+platforms:
+  bluebubbles:
+    enabled: true
+    extra:
+      require_mention: true
+```
+
+With `require_mention: true`, DMs still work normally, but group-chat messages are ignored unless they match a mention pattern. If you do not configure custom patterns, Hermes uses conservative defaults for `Hermes` and `@Hermes agent` variants.
+
+For a custom agent name, set regex patterns:
+
+```yaml
+platforms:
+  bluebubbles:
+    extra:
+      require_mention: true
+      mention_patterns:
+        - '(?<![\w@])@?amos\b[,:\-]?'
+```
+
 ### 4. Authorize Users
 
 Choose one approach:
@@ -90,6 +115,8 @@ Hermes → BlueBubbles REST API → Messages.app → iMessage
 | `BLUEBUBBLES_HOME_CHANNEL` | No | — | Phone/email for cron delivery |
 | `BLUEBUBBLES_ALLOWED_USERS` | No | — | Comma-separated authorized users |
 | `BLUEBUBBLES_ALLOW_ALL_USERS` | No | `false` | Allow all users |
+| `BLUEBUBBLES_REQUIRE_MENTION` | No | `false` | Require a mention pattern before responding in group chats |
+| `BLUEBUBBLES_MENTION_PATTERNS` | No | Hermes wake words | JSON array, newline-separated, or comma-separated regex patterns for group mention matching |
 
 Auto-marking messages as read is controlled by the `send_read_receipts` key under `platforms.bluebubbles.extra` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml` (default: `true`). There is no corresponding environment variable.