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email-manager-lite

Send and read emails via any IMAP/SMTP provider (Zoho, Outlook, Gmail, etc.).

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Installation

npx clawhub@latest install email-manager-lite

View the full skill documentation and source below.

Documentation

Email Manager Lite v0.2

A fully self-contained email management skill for OpenClaw. Uses standard IMAP and SMTP protocols with zero external dependencies.

✨ What's New in v0.2

πŸ” Advanced Search & Filters

  • Search by sender (--from)
  • Search by subject keywords (--subject)
  • Filter by date range (--since, --before)
  • Filter by read/unread status (--seen, --unseen)
  • Search in email body (--body, warning: can be slow)

πŸ“ Folder Management

  • List all IMAP folders with folders command
  • Move emails between folders with move command
  • Automatic validation of folder existence

πŸ“Ž Attachment Information

  • Automatic detection of attachments
  • Display attachment details:
- Filename - MIME type - File size (formatted KB/MB)
  • Shown in both read and search results

πŸ”§ Installation

cd skills/portable-email-manager
npm install

Dependencies are bundled in package.json:

  • nodemailer - SMTP email sending

  • imap-simple - IMAP operations

  • mailparser - Email parsing and attachment detection


πŸ” Credentials

Set these environment variables:

export EMAIL_USER="your.email@domain.com"
export EMAIL_PASS="your-app-password"

Recommended: Use App Passwords for Gmail, Outlook, Zoho instead of main password.

Provider Setup

Zoho Mail (default):

  • Already configured for smtp.zoho.eu and imap.zoho.eu

  • Generate App Password:


Gmail:
  • Edit scripts/email.js and change:

host: 'smtp.gmail.com'  // SMTP
  host: 'imap.gmail.com'  // IMAP

  • Enable 2FA and create App Password:


Outlook/Hotmail:
  • Edit to use smtp.office365.com / outlook.office365.com

  • Port 587 for SMTP (TLS)


πŸ“– Usage

Send Email

./scripts/email.js send "recipient@example.com" "Subject" "Email body text"

Example:

./scripts/email.js send "boss@company.com" "Weekly Report" "Attached is this week's summary."

Read Recent Emails

./scripts/email.js read [limit]

Examples:

# Read last 5 emails (default)
./scripts/email.js read

# Read last 20 emails
./scripts/email.js read 20

Output includes:

  • UID (unique ID for moving)

  • From/To addresses

  • Subject and date

  • Attachment count and details

  • Email body preview (first 500 chars)


Advanced Search

./scripts/email.js search [options]

Search Options:

OptionDescriptionExample
--from Filter by sender--from "boss@company.com"
--subject Filter by subject keywords--subject "invoice"
--since Emails after date--since "Jan 1, 2026"
--before Emails before date--before "Feb 1, 2026"
--unseenOnly unread emails--unseen
--seenOnly read emails--seen
--body Search in body (slow!)--body "meeting"
--limit Max results--limit 10
Examples:
# Find unread emails from specific sender
./scripts/email.js search --from "client@example.com" --unseen

# Search by subject
./scripts/email.js search --subject "invoice" --limit 5

# Date range search
./scripts/email.js search --since "Jan 15, 2026" --before "Feb 1, 2026"

# Search in body (use sparingly - can be slow)
./scripts/email.js search --body "quarterly review"

# Combine multiple filters
./scripts/email.js search --from "boss@company.com" --subject "urgent" --unseen --limit 3

List Folders

./scripts/email.js folders

Shows hierarchical tree of all IMAP folders with attributes.

Example output:

πŸ“ INBOX
πŸ“ Sent
πŸ“ Archive
πŸ“ Drafts
πŸ“ Spam
πŸ“ Trash

Move Email to Folder

./scripts/email.js move <uid> <folder-name>

Important:

  • Get the uid from read or search output

  • Folder name is case-sensitive

  • Script validates folder exists before moving


Examples:

# First, find the email and note its UID
./scripts/email.js search --from "newsletter@example.com"
# Output shows: UID: 12345

# Move to Archive folder
./scripts/email.js move 12345 "Archive"

# Move to custom folder
./scripts/email.js move 67890 "Projects/Work"

Error handling:

  • If folder doesn't exist, shows list of available folders

  • Validates UID exists before attempting move


Help

./scripts/email.js help

Shows complete usage guide with all commands and examples.

🎯 Use Cases

Daily Email Triage

# Check unread emails
./scripts/email.js search --unseen --limit 10

# Move newsletters to folder
./scripts/email.js search --from "newsletter@site.com" --limit 1
./scripts/email.js move <uid> "Newsletters"

Find Specific Email

# Search by sender and subject
./scripts/email.js search --from "client@example.com" --subject "proposal"

# Search by date
./scripts/email.js search --since "Jan 20, 2026" --subject "meeting notes"

Archive Old Emails

# Find old read emails
./scripts/email.js search --before "Dec 1, 2025" --seen --limit 50

# Move each to Archive (use UID from output)
./scripts/email.js move <uid> "Archive"

Check for Attachments

# Read recent emails and see attachment info
./scripts/email.js read 10

# Search output automatically shows:
# - Number of attachments
# - Filename, type, and size for each

πŸ”’ Security

  • Credentials never logged or stored in files
  • TLS/SSL encryption for all connections
  • App Passwords recommended over account passwords
  • No data leaves your machine except IMAP/SMTP connections

βš™οΈ Configuration

Default configuration is optimized for Zoho Mail EU.

To use another provider, edit scripts/email.js:

// SMTP Configuration
const smtpConfig = {
  host: 'smtp.your-provider.com',
  port: 465,  // or 587 for TLS
  secure: true,  // true for SSL (465), false for TLS (587)
  auth: {
    user: EMAIL_USER,
    pass: EMAIL_PASS
  }
};

// IMAP Configuration
const imapConfig = {
  imap: {
    user: EMAIL_USER,
    password: EMAIL_PASS,
    host: 'imap.your-provider.com',
    port: 993,
    tls: true,
    authTimeout: 20000
  }
};

πŸš€ Performance Notes

  • Body search (--body) can be slow on large mailboxes - use sparingly
  • Subject/From search is fast - uses IMAP server-side filtering
  • Date filters are efficient
  • Limit results with --limit for faster responses

πŸ› Troubleshooting

"Authentication failed"

  • Verify EMAIL_USER and EMAIL_PASS are set correctly

  • Use App Password, not account password

  • Check provider settings (2FA, less secure apps, etc.)


"Folder not found"
  • Use folders command to see exact folder names

  • Folder names are case-sensitive

  • Some providers use different names (e.g., "Sent Items" vs "Sent")


"Connection timeout"
  • Check firewall/network settings

  • Verify IMAP/SMTP ports are accessible

  • Try increasing authTimeout in config


"No emails found"
  • Check search criteria

  • Verify emails exist in INBOX (not other folders)

  • Try broader search (remove some filters)


πŸ“ Version History

v0.2.0 (Current)

  • ✨ Advanced search with multiple filters
  • πŸ“ Folder management (list, move)
  • πŸ“Ž Attachment detection and info
  • 🎨 Improved output formatting
  • πŸ“š Comprehensive documentation

v0.1.0

  • Basic send/read functionality
  • Zoho Mail support
  • IMAP/SMTP foundation

🀝 Compatibility

Tested with:

  • βœ… Zoho Mail (EU & US)

  • βœ… Gmail

  • βœ… Outlook/Hotmail

  • βœ… iCloud Mail

  • βœ… Custom IMAP/SMTP servers


πŸ’‘ Tips

  • Use UIDs for automation: Save UIDs from search results to move emails programmatically

  • Combine filters: Multiple filters create AND conditions for precise searches

  • Folder organization: List folders first to plan your organization strategy

  • Date format: Use natural language dates like "Jan 1, 2026" or "December 25, 2025"

  • Attachment filtering: Look for "Attachments: X" in search output to find emails with files
  • ISC - Use freely in your OpenClaw setup.