---
name: gws-gmail-read
version: 1.0.0
description: "This skill should be used when the user says \"read this email\", \"show me the body of a message\", \"get the contents of an email\", \"what does this message say\", \"show headers for this email\", or wants to read a specific Gmail message by ID. Covers plain text body, HTML body, and message headers."
metadata:
  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