@smcllns/gmail

A minimal Gmail CLI with restricted permissions so Claude Code and other agents can autonomously read and organize your inbox.

bunx @smcllns/gmail search "in:inbox is:unread" --max 10

Why use this?

This is a fork of the excellent @mariozechner/gmcli. The original requests full Gmail permissions (mail.google.com), and I wanted to restrict capabilities to prevent agents from accidentally sending or deleting email. The intent is to let agents run autonomously to understand and manage the inbox, while requiring a human to make any one-way door decisions.

1. Restricted OAuth scopes - The original uses mail.google.com (full access). This fork requests only:

   • gmail.modify - to read messages, threads, and change labels
   • gmail.labels - to create and edit labels

2. Dangerous operations blocked in CLI - Even where OAuth scopes allow, the CLI blocks:

   • send and delete commands are disabled
   • Disabled commands return guidance directing users to the Gmail web interface

3. Simplified for agent usage:

   • Renamed binary from gmcli to gmail
   • Default account config so commands don't require email prefix
   • Usage: bunx @smcllns/gmail <command> or npx @smcllns/gmail <command>

Comparison

Feature	@mariozechner/gmcli (original)	@smcllns/gmail (this fork)
Gmail permissions	Full access	Read and organize mail (no send/delete)
OAuth scopes	mail.google.com	gmail.modify, gmail.labels
Read email	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Send email	✅ Yes	❌ No
Delete email	✅ Yes	❌ No
Manage labels	❌ No	✅ Yes
Shell command	gmcli	gmail
Set default account	❌ No	✅ Yes

Install

npm install -g @smcllns/gmail

Or run directly without global install:

npx @smcllns/gmail <command>

Quickstart

After setup, search your inbox:

gmail search "in:inbox is:unread" --max 10

Setup (one-time)

1. Create OAuth credentials

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project (or select existing)
3. Enable the Gmail API
4. Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"
5. Create "OAuth client ID" → "Desktop app"
6. Download the credentials JSON file

2. Configure the CLI

# Config saved in ~/.gmail-cli/

# Set up OAuth Client credentials (once per machine)
gmail accounts credentials ~/path/to/credentials.json

# Add your Gmail account (opens google sign-in in browser to auth)
gmail accounts add you@gmail.com

# Or use --manual for headless/server environments
gmail accounts add you@gmail.com --manual

Usage

Search

Uses Gmail search syntax:

gmail search "in:inbox"
gmail search "from:boss@company.com is:unread"
gmail search "has:attachment filename:pdf after:2024/01/01"
gmail search "label:Work subject:urgent" --max 50
gmail search --label Label_123              # filter by label ID (from 'labels list')
gmail search "is:unread" --label INBOX      # combine query with label filter

Read threads

gmail thread <threadId>
gmail thread <threadId> --download  # saves attachments to ~/.gmail-cli/attachments/

Manage labels

gmail labels list
gmail labels create "My Label"
gmail labels create "Urgent" --text "#ffffff" --bg "#fb4c2f"  # with colors
gmail labels edit "My Label" --name "Renamed" --bg "#16a765"
gmail labels <threadId> --add Receipts --remove INBOX  # add label "Receipts" and archive thread

Get Gmail URLs to view messages in browser

gmail url <threadId>

Full command reference

USAGE

  gmail accounts <action>              Account management
  gmail config <action>                Configuration management
  gmail <command> [options]            Gmail operations (uses default account)
  gmail --account <email> <command>    Gmail operations with specific account

ACCOUNT COMMANDS

  gmail accounts credentials <file>    Set OAuth credentials (once)
  gmail accounts list                  List configured accounts
  gmail accounts add <email>           Add account (--manual for browserless OAuth)
  gmail accounts remove <email>        Remove account

CONFIG COMMANDS

  gmail config default <email>         Set default account
  gmail config show                    Show current configuration

GMAIL COMMANDS

  gmail search [query] [--max N] [--page TOKEN] [--label L]
      Search threads. Query uses Gmail syntax, --label filters by name or ID.
      Returns: thread ID, date, sender, subject, labels.

  gmail thread <threadId> [--download]
      Get full thread. --download saves attachments.

  gmail labels list
      List all labels with ID, name, type, and colors.

  gmail labels create <name> [--text HEX] [--bg HEX]
      Create a new label with optional colors.

  gmail labels edit <label> [--name <newName>] [--text HEX] [--bg HEX]
      Edit a label's name and/or colors.

  gmail labels <threadIds...> [--add L] [--remove L]
      Modify labels on threads.
      System labels: INBOX, UNREAD, STARRED, IMPORTANT, TRASH, SPAM

  gmail url <threadIds...>
      Generate Gmail web URLs for threads.

RESTRICTED (returns guidance to use Gmail web UI)

  gmail send
  gmail delete

DATA STORAGE

  ~/.gmail-cli/credentials.json   OAuth client credentials
  ~/.gmail-cli/accounts.json      Account tokens
  ~/.gmail-cli/config.json        CLI configuration
  ~/.gmail-cli/attachments/       Downloaded attachments

How to use with Claude Code

Here's an abbreviated example of how I use this with Claude Code:

1. Create a gmail skill

Show Claude how to use the CLI (independent of your specific preferences). The full content is similar to this README. Abbreviated:

# .claude/skills/gmail/SKILL.md
---
name: gmail
description: Fetches and manages Gmail using @smcllns/gmail. Use when the user asks about their email, wants an email summary, or needs to search/read/archive messages.
allowed-tools: Bash(bunx @smcllns/gmail:*)
---
# ...

# Fetch first 25 unread messages in inbox
bunx @smcllns/gmail search "in:inbox is:unread" --max 25

# ...

2. Create an /email command

This contains all my subjective instructions and preferences for how to organize my inbox and what I want done. An abbreviated version:

# .claude/commands/email.md
---
description: Read recent emails, organize into categories and write email reports to Obsidian
allowed-tools: Skill(gmail)
---
You are an executive assistant. Your task is to process email so it is efficient to review and take action.

Every email gets exactly one category

| Category | What belongs here |
|----------|-------------------|
| ⚠️ **Action** | Decision needed or response required |
| 📅 **Calendar** | Appointments, RSVPs, event reminders |
| 📦 **Packages** | Shipping, returns, food delivery |

What to elevate to my inbox for attention (everything else skips inbox)
- ...

License

MIT