Gmail: Read a message and extract its body or headers.
Install with the open skills CLI (global, non-interactive — available in every Claude Code session):
npx skills add googleworkspace/cli --skill "gws-gmail-read" -g -a claude-code -yOr manually — copy the SKILL.md below into:
~/.claude/skills/gws-gmail-read/SKILL.md---
name: gws-gmail-read
description: "Gmail: Read a message and extract its body or headers."
metadata:
version: 0.22.5
openclaw:
category: "productivity"
requires:
bins:
- gws
cliHelp: "gws gmail +read --help"
---
# 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
Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints
Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session