IMAP/SMTP Email Tool

Read, search, and manage email via IMAP protocol. Send email via SMTP. Supports Gmail, Outlook, 163.com, vip.163.com, 126.com, vip.126.com, 188.com, vip.188.com, and any standard IMAP/SMTP server.

Configuration

Run the setup script to install dependencies and configure your email account:

bash setup.sh

If running commands manually without setup.sh, install dependencies first:

npm install --production

Configuration is stored at ~/.config/mail-skills/.env (shared with caldav-sync skill, survives skill updates). If no shared config is found, the skill checks ~/.config/imap-smtp-email/.env (legacy) and then a .env file in the skill directory.

Config file format (shared)

# Default account
PROVIDER=163
[email protected]
PASSWORD=your_password

# File access whitelist (security)
ALLOWED_READ_DIRS=~/Downloads,~/Documents
ALLOWED_WRITE_DIRS=~/Downloads

The PROVIDER preset auto-fills IMAP/SMTP server settings. For custom servers:

PROVIDER=custom
[email protected]
PASSWORD=your_password
IMAP_HOST=imap.example.com
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com

Legacy config file format

If you have an existing ~/.config/imap-smtp-email/.env, it takes priority over the shared config. The format is:

# Default account (no prefix)
IMAP_HOST=imap.gmail.com
IMAP_PORT=993
[email protected]
IMAP_PASS=your_password
IMAP_TLS=true
IMAP_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=true
IMAP_MAILBOX=INBOX

SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURE=false
[email protected]
SMTP_PASS=your_password
[email protected]
SMTP_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=true

# File access whitelist (security)
ALLOWED_READ_DIRS=~/Downloads,~/Documents
ALLOWED_WRITE_DIRS=~/Downloads

Run bash setup.sh to migrate your legacy config to the shared format.

Multi-Account

You can configure additional email accounts in the same config file. Each account uses a name prefix (uppercase) on all variables.

Adding an account

Run the setup script and choose "Add a new account":

bash setup.sh

Or manually add prefixed variables to ~/.config/mail-skills/.env:

# Work account (WORK_ prefix)
WORK_PROVIDER=gmail
[email protected]
WORK_PASSWORD=app_password

Using a named account

Add --account <name> before the command:

node scripts/imap.js --account work check
node scripts/smtp.js --account work send --to [email protected] --subject Hi --body Hello

Without --account, the default (unprefixed) account is used.

Account name rules

• Letters and digits only (e.g., work, 163, personal2)
• Case-insensitive: work and WORK refer to the same account
• The prefix in .env is always uppercase (e.g., WORK_PROVIDER)
• ALLOWEDREADDIRS and ALLOWEDWRITEDIRS are shared across all accounts (always unprefixed)

Common Email Servers

Important for Gmail:

• Gmail does not accept your regular account password
• You must generate an App Password: https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
• Use the generated 16-character App Password as IMAPPASS / SMTPPASS
• Requires Google Account with 2-Step Verification enabled

Important for 163.com:

• Use authorization code (授权码), not account password
• Enable IMAP/SMTP in web settings first

IMAP Commands (Receiving Email)

check

Check for new/unread emails.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] check [--limit 10] [--mailbox INBOX] [--recent 2h]

Options:

• --limit <n>: Max results (default: 10)
• --mailbox <name>: Mailbox to check (default: INBOX)
• --recent <time>: Only show emails from last X time (e.g., 30m, 2h, 7d)
• --unseen: Only show unread messages

Output is an object: { "results": [...], "meta": {...} } (same shape as search; meta.fallbackUsed is always false for check).

fetch

Fetch full email content by UID.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] fetch <uid> [--mailbox INBOX]

download

Download all attachments from an email, or a specific attachment.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] download <uid> [--mailbox INBOX] [--dir <path>] [--file <filename>]

Options:

• --mailbox <name>: Mailbox (default: INBOX)
• --dir <path>: Output directory (default: current directory)
• --file <filename>: Download only the specified attachment (default: download all)

search

Search emails with filters.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] search [options]

Options:
  --unseen           Only unread messages
  --seen             Only read messages
  --from <email>     From address contains
  --subject <text>   Subject contains
  --recent <time>    From last X time (e.g., 30m, 2h, 7d)
  --since <date>     After date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  --before <date>    Before date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  --limit <n>        Max results (default: 20)
  --mailbox <name>   Mailbox to search (default: INBOX)
  --sort <mode>      uid (default, fast) or date (strict INTERNALDATE sort;
                     fetches all matches, use when mailbox has COPY'd/backdated mail)

Output is an object: { "results": [...], "meta": {...} } where results is an array of message objects and meta carries fallbackUsed, provider, scope, scanned, matched, returned, truncated, and optional note.

For 163/126/188/yeah.net (NetEase) accounts, the IMAP server silently returns empty for text-based SEARCH (--from/--subject). These are automatically filtered client-side: server-side SEARCH keeps only date/flag criteria, then fetched messages are filtered locally. When searching --from/--subject without a date/flag scope, only the most recent 200 messages are scanned (meta.truncated=true) — add --recent/--since to search a wider range.

mark-read / mark-unread

Mark message(s) as read or unread.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] mark-read <uid> [uid2 uid3...]
node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] mark-unread <uid> [uid2 uid3...]

list-mailboxes

List all available mailboxes/folders.

node scripts/imap.js [--account <name>] list-mailboxes

list-accounts

List all configured email accounts.

node scripts/imap.js list-accounts
node scripts/smtp.js list-accounts

Shows account name, email address, server addresses, and configuration status.

SMTP Commands (Sending Email)

send

Send email via SMTP.

node scripts/smtp.js [--account <name>] send --to <email> --subject <text> [options]

Required:

• --to <email>: Recipient (comma-separated for multiple)
• --subject <text>: Email subject, or --subject-file <file>

Optional:

• --body <text>: Plain text body
• --html: Send body as HTML
• --body-file <file>: Read body from file
• --html-file <file>: Read HTML from file
• --cc <email>: CC recipients
• --bcc <email>: BCC recipients
• --attach <file>: Attachments (comma-separated)
• --from <email>: Override default sender

Examples:

# Simple text email
node scripts/smtp.js send --to [email protected] --subject "Hello" --body "World"

# HTML email
node scripts/smtp.js send --to [email protected] --subject "Newsletter" --html --body "<h1>Welcome</h1>"

# Email with attachment
node scripts/smtp.js send --to [email protected] --subject "Report" --body "Please find attached" --attach report.pdf

# Multiple recipients
node scripts/smtp.js send --to "[email protected],[email protected]" --cc "[email protected]" --subject "Update" --body "Team update"

test

Test SMTP connection by sending a test email to yourself.

node scripts/smtp.js [--account <name>] test

Security Notes

• Configuration is stored at ~/.config/mail-skills/.env (or ~/.config/imap-smtp-email/.env for legacy) with 600 permissions (owner read/write only)
• Gmail: regular password is rejected — generate an App Password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
• For 163.com: use authorization code (授权码), not account password

Troubleshooting

Connection timeout:

• Verify server is running and accessible
• Check host/port configuration

Authentication failed:

• Verify username (usually full email address)
• Check password is correct
• For 163.com: use authorization code, not account password
• For Gmail: regular password won't work — generate an App Password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords

TLS/SSL errors:

• Match IMAPTLS/SMTPSECURE setting to server requirements
• For self-signed certs: set IMAPREJECTUNAUTHORIZED=false or SMTPREJECTUNAUTHORIZED=false

Related Skills

• caldav-sync - Calendar and task management via CalDAV protocol. Manage events, todos, and free/busy queries with Google Calendar, iCloud, NetEase, and more. Install with:

``bash npx skills add https://github.com/gzlicanyi/mail-skills -s caldav-sync ``

Feedback

Issues and pull requests are welcome at github.com/gzlicanyi/mail-skills.