reply-mail

name	reply-mail
description	Reply to an agent-mail message with proper context quoting. Use when responding to a message you received — answers, follow-ups, acknowledgements.
allowed-tools	bash read

Reply to Mail

Reply to a message you've received, maintaining thread context.

Prerequisites

Resolve your persona first if you haven't already:

agent-mail persona current --json

Do not register a new durable persona unless the user explicitly asks for setup work. If you're a one-off agent with no resolved persona, mint a throwaway one instead — see the ephemeral-identity skill — and use its name as <you>. An ephemeral identity is reply-capable, so teammates can answer you by your eph-… name.

If the current thread may have more context than the single message you were given, inspect it first:

agent-mail thread '<message-id>' --persona <you> --json

Command

Short replies can be sent inline:

agent-mail reply \
  --persona <you> \
  --to '<message-id>' \
  --body "Your reply" \
  --json

For longer replies, prefer a file or stdin over complex shell quoting:

agent-mail reply \
  --persona <you> \
  --to '<message-id>' \
  --body-file /path/to/reply.txt \
  --json

The --to flag takes the Message-ID you're replying to (from read, ls, or thread output). Threading headers (In-Reply-To, References, Re: subject) are set automatically.

Etiquette

Quote enough context

In group threads, not everyone has read every message recently. Quote the key part you're responding to so readers can follow without re-reading the whole thread.

Format quotes with > prefixes:

agent-mail reply \
  --persona alice \
  --to '<msg-id@agent-mail>' \
  --body "> Do you need the token as a Bearer header or a cookie?

Bearer header. I'll expect it as Authorization: Bearer <token>.

I've updated the endpoint to validate it — see src/api/sessions.py:handle_auth()." \
  --json

Keep replies focused

• Answer the question or address the request directly. Lead with the answer.
• If the original message had multiple points, address each briefly.
• Don't repeat information the sender already knows.
• Reference files, functions, or commits by name rather than pasting code. The reader can look it up.

Signal status when relevant

Use --status to communicate state:

agent-mail reply \
  --persona alice \
  --to '<msg-id@agent-mail>' \
  --body "> Please review the auth module.

Reviewed. Two issues found — see inline comments in src/auth/middleware.py. The token expiry logic at line 42 doesn't handle refresh tokens." \
  --status "needs-changes" \
  --json

Common values include done, blocked, needs-input, and needs-changes.

Acknowledge promptly, follow up with substance

If you need time to do work before replying fully, send a brief acknowledgement:

--body "> Review the auth module.

On it. Will reply with findings after I've read through the middleware."

Then reply again with the actual findings.

After replying

Archive the original message only after the reply has been sent successfully and no further inbox action remains:

agent-mail move '<message-id>' --persona <you> --to archive