---
name: Gmail Reader
slug: gmail-reader
category: Automation
description: Gmail Reader reads a Gmail message by its ID and extracts its body or headers. Use it when you need to retrieve email content from the command line.
github: "https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-gmail-read"
language: Rust
stars: 30381
forks: 1779
install: "npx degit https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-gmail-read ~/.claude/skills/gws-gmail-read"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/gws-gmail-read
source_path: skills/gws-gmail-read/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 1523
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/googleworkspace/cli"
added: 2026-08-14T07:11:37.602Z
last_synced: 2026-08-14T07:11:37.602Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/gmail-reader"
---

# Gmail Reader

Gmail Reader reads a Gmail message by its ID and extracts its body or headers. Use it when you need to retrieve email content from the command line.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/tree/main/skills/gws-gmail-read ~/.claude/skills/gws-gmail-read
```

## README

# gmail +read

> **PREREQUISITE:** Read `../gws-shared/SKILL.md` for auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, run `gws generate-skills` to create it.

Read a message and extract its body or headers

## Usage

```bash
gws gmail +read --id <ID>
```

## Flags

| Flag | Required | Default | Description |
|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `--id` | ✓ | — | The Gmail message ID to read |
| `--headers` | — | — | Include headers (From, To, Subject, Date) in the output |
| `--format` | — | text | Output format (text, json) |
| `--html` | — | — | Return HTML body instead of plain text |
| `--dry-run` | — | — | Show the request that would be sent without executing it |

## Examples

```bash
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d --headers
gws gmail +read --id 18f1a2b3c4d --format json | jq '.body'
```

## Tips

- Converts HTML-only messages to plain text automatically.
- Handles multipart/alternative and base64 decoding.

## See Also

- [gws-shared](../gws-shared/SKILL.md) — Global flags and auth
- [gws-gmail](../gws-gmail/SKILL.md) — All send, read, and manage email commands