email-digest

name	email-digest
version	1.0
description	Configure, test, and troubleshoot the reading-list daily email digest delivered via nodemailer.
tools	["Bash","Read","Write","Edit"]

email-digest skill

The reading-list digest sends a daily email summarizing unread articles. It is delivered via nodemailer using SMTP credentials. The digest is scheduled by a setInterval loop that runs every minute and checks whether the configured delivery time has been reached.

SMTP configuration

Set these environment variables before starting the server:

DIGEST_SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
DIGEST_SMTP_PORT=587
DIGEST_SMTP_USER=[e-mail]
DIGEST_SMTP_PASS=<app-specific-password>
DIGEST_FROM="Reading List <[e-mail]>"

Gmail setup

Gmail requires an App Password when 2FA is enabled:

1. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/security
2. Under "How you sign in to Google", open "2-Step Verification"
3. Scroll to "App passwords" and generate one for "Mail"
4. Use the generated 16-character password as DIGEST_SMTP_PASS

Self-hosted SMTP (Postfix / local)

DIGEST_SMTP_HOST=localhost
DIGEST_SMTP_PORT=25
DIGEST_SMTP_USER=
DIGEST_SMTP_PASS=

Leave USER and PASS empty if your local MTA does not require auth.

Mailhog (development testing)

Run Mailhog locally to catch emails without sending them:

docker run -d -p 1025:1025 -p 8025:8025 mailhog/mailhog

Then set:

DIGEST_SMTP_HOST=localhost
DIGEST_SMTP_PORT=1025
DIGEST_SMTP_USER=
DIGEST_SMTP_PASS=

Open http://localhost:8025 to view captured emails.

Digest API

Get configuration

curl http://localhost:3000/api/digest/config

Response:

{
  "enabled": true,
  "deliveryTime": "08:00",
  "email": "[e-mail]",
  "minWordCount": 0,
  "maxArticles": 10
}

Update configuration

curl -X PATCH http://localhost:3000/api/digest/config \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "enabled": true,
    "deliveryTime": "08:00",
    "email": "[e-mail]",
    "minWordCount": 300,
    "maxArticles": 10
  }'

• deliveryTime: 24-hour HH:MM format in UTC.
• minWordCount: Only include articles with at least this many words. Set to 0 to include all.
• maxArticles: Maximum articles included per digest. Sorted by newest first.

Send a digest immediately (for testing)

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/digest/send

This bypasses the schedule and sends a digest right now to the configured email. Useful for verifying SMTP config.

View sent history

curl http://localhost:3000/api/digest/history

Returns an array of past digest runs:

[
  { "id": "dgs_1", "sentAt": "2026-03-20T08:00:00Z", "articleCount": 10, "status": "sent" },
  { "id": "dgs_2", "sentAt": "2026-03-19T08:00:00Z", "articleCount": 7,  "status": "sent" },
  { "id": "dgs_3", "sentAt": "2026-03-18T08:00:00Z", "articleCount": 0,  "status": "skipped" }
]

Status values:

Status	Meaning
sent	Digest was sent successfully
skipped	No unread articles met the criteria; nothing was sent
failed	SMTP error; check server logs

Digest email format

The digest email is an HTML email containing:

• Subject: Reading List Digest - March 20
• Header: count of articles and total estimated reading time
• Article list: thumbnail placeholder, title, site name, excerpt, read time, tag chips, and a "Read Now" link
• Footer: unsubscribe link that calls PATCH /api/digest/config with { "enabled": false }

Troubleshooting

No digest received

1. Check that enabled is true in the digest config.
2. Verify the configured email address is correct.
3. Trigger a manual send: POST /api/digest/send.
4. Check the SMTP credentials by sending a test email:

node -e "
const nodemailer = require('nodemailer');
const t = nodemailer.createTransport({
  host: process.env.DIGEST_SMTP_HOST,
  port: parseInt(process.env.DIGEST_SMTP_PORT || '587'),
  auth: { user: process.env.DIGEST_SMTP_USER, pass: process.env.DIGEST_SMTP_PASS }
});
t.verify().then(() => console.log('SMTP OK')).catch(e => console.error(e.message));
"

Digest sent but emails not arriving

• Check spam folder.
• For Gmail, ensure the App Password is correct and 2FA is active.
• Check digest_history table for status='failed' rows; the error_msg column contains the SMTP error.

Digest sends at wrong time

The scheduler compares the current UTC time to deliveryTime. If your server is in a non-UTC timezone, convert your local time to UTC. For example, if you want delivery at 8am UTC+2, set deliveryTime to 06:00.

Digest skipped despite having unread articles

The digest is only sent if at least one article passes the minWordCount filter. Lower the threshold or set it to 0.