SKILL.md
gmail +send
PREREQUISITE: Read
../gws-shared/SKILL.mdfor auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, rungws generate-skillsto create it.
Send an email
Usage
gws gmail +send --to <EMAILS> --subject <SUBJECT> --body <TEXT>Flags
| Flag | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--to |
✓ | — | Recipient email address(es), comma-separated |
--subject |
✓ | — | Email subject |
--body |
✓ | — | Email body, used verbatim (plain text, or HTML with --html). \n is NOT a newline — use $'...' or a real line break |
--from |
— | — | Sender address (for send-as/alias; omit to use account default) |
--attach |
— | — | Attach a file (can be specified multiple times) |
--cc |
— | — | CC email address(es), comma-separated |
--bcc |
— | — | BCC email address(es), comma-separated |
--html |
— | — | Treat --body as HTML content (default is plain text) |
--dry-run |
— | — | Show the request that would be sent without executing it |
--draft |
— | — | Save as draft instead of sending |
Examples
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Hello' --body 'Hi Alice!'
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Hello' --body 'Hi!' --cc [email protected]
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Hello' --body '<b>Bold</b> text' --html
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Hello' --body 'Hi!' --from [email protected]
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Report' --body 'See attached' -a report.pdf
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Files' --body 'Two files' -a a.pdf -a b.csv
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Hello' --body 'Hi!' --draft
# Multi-line body — $'...' quoting turns \n into a real newline:
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Update' --body $'Hi Alice,\n\nShipped today.\n\nBlake'
# Long body — read it from a file instead of quoting inline:
gws gmail +send --to [email protected] --subject 'Update' --body "$(cat body.txt)"Tips
- IMPORTANT: --body is verbatim. Writing --body "Hi,\n\nThanks" sends a literal backslash-n to the recipient; it does NOT create a line break. Use $'Hi,\n\nThanks' or "$(cat file.txt)". See gws-shared Shell Tips.
- Handles RFC 5322 formatting, MIME encoding, and base64 automatically.
- Use --from to send from a configured send-as alias instead of your primary address.
- Use -a/--attach to add file attachments. Can be specified multiple times. Total size limit: 25MB.
- With --html, use fragment tags (<p>, <b>, <a>, <br>, etc.) — no <html>/<body> wrapper needed.
- Use --draft to save the message as a draft instead of sending it immediately.
[!CAUTION]
This is a write command — confirm with the user before executing.
See Also
- [gws-shared](../gws-shared/SKILL.md) — Global flags and auth
- [gws-gmail](../gws-gmail/SKILL.md) — All send, read, and manage email commands