gws-gmail-read
Allows your agent to read emails and extract their content or headers. Helps process email information in an organized way.
What it does
This tool reads a specific email from your Gmail and shows its content. You can choose to see just the text, the headers (like sender and subject), or even the original HTML code of the email.
When to use it
- ✓When you need to quickly find the content of a specific email.
- ✓To extract header information from an email.
- ✓To view the HTML version of an email.
Example of what to ask your AI
“Read the email with ID '18f1a2b3c4d' and show the headers.”
Want more? Open the sections below.
How to use
The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.
Skill link
Ready-to-paste message
How it works
You provide the unique ID of the email you want to read. The tool then accesses your Gmail account and retrieves the content of that email.
Installation
Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.
In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:
npx skills add googleworkspace/cli --skill gws-gmail-readOr download just the file:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleworkspace/cli/main/skills/gws-gmail-read/SKILL.md -o SKILL.mdTechnical content (original SKILL.md)
Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.
gmail +read
PREREQUISITE: Read
../gws-shared/SKILL.mdfor auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, rungws generate-skillsto create it.
Read a message and extract its body or headers
Usage
gws gmail +read --id <ID>
Flags
| Flag | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--id |
✓ | — | The Gmail message ID to read |
--headers |
— | — | Include headers (From, To, Subject, Date) in the output |
--format |
— | text | Output format (text, json) |
--html |
— | — | Return HTML body instead of plain text |
--dry-run |
— | — | Show the request that would be sent without executing it |
Examples
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d --headers
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d --format json | jq '.body'
Tips
- Converts HTML-only messages to plain text automatically.
- Handles multipart/alternative and base64 decoding.
See Also
- gws-shared — Global flags and auth
- gws-gmail — All send, read, and manage email commands
FAQ
What is an email ID?
It's a unique code that identifies each email in your Gmail account.
Can I see the email in code format?
Yes, you can ask to see the email's body in HTML format.
How do I find an email's ID?
The ID is usually a long code that appears in the URL when you view the email in Gmail.
Details
Original description by the author
Gmail: Read a message and extract its body or headers.
repo: googleworkspace/cli
Popularity
- GitHub stars
- 32k
- Ranking position
- #6266
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- 10/6/2026
Comments
- …
More skills from this repository
gws-admin-reports
Helps your agent get activity reports from Google Workspace. It collects audit and usage data.
googleworkspace/cli
gws-calendar-agenda
Helps your agent see upcoming events across all calendars. It's useful for organizing your schedule and knowing what's coming up.
googleworkspace/cli
gws-calendar-insert
Lets your agent create new events in Google Calendar. It's useful for scheduling appointments and meetings.
googleworkspace/cli
gws-calendar
Allows your agent to manage calendars and events. It's useful for organizing your life and work.
googleworkspace/cli
Similar skills
operator-approval-loop
Makes your agent manage message sending with human approval. It ensures important messages are reviewed before being sent.
affaan-m/ECC
discernment-nudge
Has your agent add follow-up questions after giving an important answer. It's useful for ensuring you think carefully about advice or plans before acting.
anthropics/skills
interview-me
Asks questions to understand exactly what you need. Ensures the agent grasps your real need before starting work.
addyosmani/agent-skills