email

name	email
version	1.0.0
description	Run the external email CLI through exec for real IMAP/SMTP/Notmuch mailboxes. Use when the user explicitly wants a real terminal email workflow instead of the built-in benchmark email surfaces.
invocation	blue exec command='himalaya envelope list --output json'
examples	["blue exec command='himalaya envelope list --output json'","blue exec command='himalaya --account work message read 42'"]
capability_tags	["email","external-cli","mail"]
interaction_mode	stateless
card_support	none
tags	["email","mail","imap","smtp","notmuch","maildir","cli","himalaya"]
category	productivity
environment	["himalaya"]
os	["darwin","linux"]
homepage	https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya
metadata	{"openclaw":{"requires":{"bins":["himalaya"]},"install":[{"id":"brew","kind":"brew","formula":"himalaya","bins":["himalaya"],"label":"Install Himalaya (brew)"}]}}

Email

Run the external himalaya binary via blue exec when the task is about a real mailbox.

Himalaya is a CLI email client that supports IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, and Sendmail backends. It can list folders, search envelopes, read full messages, compose drafts, send replies, move/archive mail, manage flags, and download attachments.

Prefer This Skill When

• The user explicitly mentions himalaya
• The user explicitly mentions email
• The task is about a real inbox, IMAP/SMTP account, or terminal email workflow
• The user wants a CLI path for listing, reading, replying to, archiving, or sending emails
• The user is using multiple mail accounts and wants account-aware commands

Do not prefer this skill for benchmark-local email fixtures already stored in the workspace like inbox/ unless the user explicitly asks for Himalaya or a real mail backend.

Prerequisites

1. Verify the CLI exists:

blue exec command="himalaya --version"

2. Configure an account interactively:

blue exec command="himalaya account configure"

3. Or create ~/.config/himalaya/config.toml manually:

[accounts.personal]
email = "[e-mail]"
display-name = "Your Name"
default = true

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "imap.example.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.encryption.type = "tls"
backend.login = "[e-mail]"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/imap"

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.example.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.encryption.type = "start-tls"
message.send.backend.login = "[e-mail]"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/smtp"

Task Routing

User Intent	Action
List folders/accounts	blue exec command='himalaya folder list' / blue exec command='himalaya account list'
Search inbox or unread mail	blue exec command='himalaya envelope list --output json ...'
Read a message body	blue exec command='himalaya message read <id>'
Export raw MIME	blue exec command='himalaya message export <id> --full'
Reply, forward, or compose	blue exec command='himalaya message reply <id>' / blue exec command='himalaya message forward <id>' / blue exec command='himalaya message write'
Send a prepared message	blue exec command='himalaya template send'
Archive or move mail	blue exec command='himalaya message move <id> \"Archive\"'
Download attachments	blue exec command='himalaya attachment download <id>'

Common Commands

List inbox envelopes:

blue exec command="himalaya envelope list"

List envelopes with machine-readable output:

blue exec command="himalaya envelope list --output json"

Search by sender or subject:

blue exec command="himalaya envelope list from [e-mail] subject invoice --output json"

Read a message:

blue exec command="himalaya message read 42"

Read raw MIME:

blue exec command="himalaya message export 42 --full"

Reply:

blue exec command="himalaya message reply 42"

Reply-all:

blue exec command="himalaya message reply 42 --all"

Compose and send from stdin:

blue exec command="printf 'From: [e-mail]\nTo: [e-mail]\nSubject: Quick update\n\nHello from Himalaya.\n' | himalaya template send"

Move or archive:

blue exec command="himalaya message move 42 Archive"

Add or remove flags:

blue exec command="himalaya flag add 42 --flag seen"
blue exec command="himalaya flag remove 42 --flag seen"

Download attachments:

blue exec command="himalaya attachment download 42 --dir ~/Downloads"

Use a specific account:

blue exec command="himalaya --account work envelope list --output json"

Guidance

• Prefer --output json whenever structured parsing is useful.
• Prefer message read for user-facing summaries and message export --full only when MIME inspection is necessary.
• Use --account <name> when the default account is not the intended mailbox.
• For sending rich or multi-line email content, prefer template send or a body file over inline shell quoting.
• Older prompts may still refer to himalaya; treat that as a compatibility alias for Email.
• This is an external CLI guide, not a native blue email subcommand.
• Prefer the built-in email skill for local benchmark fixtures; prefer Himalaya only for real mailbox operations.