Mail Control

Mail Control

Use the local mail CLI instead of browser automation when it can complete the email task.

Command Resolution

• Use the globally linked mail command. Verify it with command -v mail and mail --help; the check passes when help lists the list, search, send, and accounts subcommands.
• If mail resolves to /usr/bin/mail or shows mail [-dEiInv], repair the global link from packages/cli with bun link, then verify mail --help again. A stale ~/.bun/bin/mail symlink may point to the retired @hub/mail-cli; remove that obsolete global package with bun remove --global @hub/mail-cli before relinking.
• Treat bun run mail ... as a temporary diagnostic fallback only. Do not leave the environment using the repo-local command when the requested global CLI can be repaired.
• Confirm subcommand flags with <resolved-command> <subcommand> --help before relying on remembered flags.

Accounts

Accounts are defined by the user in ~/.mail-control/config.json (override the directory with MAIL_CONTROL_DIR). Each account has an id (the map key) and a type of gmail or icloud.

• Pass -a <id> / --account <id> whenever the account matters.
• all is the default for list, search, and recent; use a concrete id for single-message mutations.
• Discover configured ids by reading config.json or running a command and seeing the [id] tags in output.
• Capabilities depend on type: Gmail supports every command; iCloud supports read, send, archive, and trash.
• For iCloud mailbox-specific reads/lists/searches, pass --mailbox <name> (e.g. "Sent Messages", Archive).

Credentials

Do not print credential, token, or password contents.

• config.json holds identity only (safe to share). Secrets never live there.
• Run mail accounts to see, per account, whether it is ready or what setup it still needs.
• Run mail auth <id> to set an account up: for Gmail it runs the OAuth browser flow (or --manual for headless) after guiding credential creation; for iCloud it prompts for the app-specific password and writes ~/.mail-control/secrets.json (0600). Both verify by reading one message.
• Under the hood: Gmail uses OAuth credential + token JSON (credentialsPath / tokenPath, default ~/.mail-control/<id>-credentials.json and <id>-token.json); iCloud resolves its password from MAIL_<ID>_APP_PASSWORD (or the account's appPasswordEnv) then secrets.json.

Workflows

Finding mail:

mail list                          # inbox-scoped listing, all accounts
mail list -a personal --unread
mail list -a work -q "from:someone@example.com"
mail search "invoice"              # broader search, not inbox-only
mail recent --since 24h
mail recent --since 48h --json
mail read -a personal <message-id>
mail read -a icloud --mailbox "Sent Messages" <message-id>

Use --json for machine-readable output from list, search, recent, read, download, and mutation commands. Prefer JSON for scripts instead of parsing pretty terminal output.

Daily email review:

The goal is inbox zero across all accounts: a clear picture of every inbox, focused on unread mail, with explicit recommendations for what to archive, what to unsubscribe from, and what needs a response. Work across all inboxes at once with mail list -a all unless the user narrows the account.

1. Start with simple listings, covering all inboxes.

mail list -a all --max 80 --json          # every inbox at once (inbox-scoped)
mail recent --since 24h --max 80 --json   # what's new
mail recent --since 7d --unread --max 80 --json

2. Summarize every inbox into buckets, prioritizing unread but covering all messages:

• Needs response or decision.
• Security/account/billing notices worth reading.
• Safe archive candidates: already-handled notifications, receipts, calendar cancellations, no-action-required product notices.
• Possible unsubscribe candidates: recurring marketing/newsletters/promos the user is unlikely to want.
• Leave alone: personal, transactional, legal, medical, financial, or ambiguous messages.

State, per message, whether to archive, unsubscribe, respond, or leave it — the point is to drive the inbox toward zero, not just list mail.

3. Propose exact actions before mutating mail:

Archive: account:id subject...
Unsubscribe: account:id sender subject...
Read/respond: account:id subject...
Leave: account:id subject...

4. Only after explicit approval, run mail archive, mail unsubscribe, mail mark-read, or mail trash for the specific approved messages/senders.

Sending mail:

mail send -a personal -t recipient@example.com -s "Subject" -b "Body"
mail send -a personal -t one@example.com -t two@example.com -s "Subject" -f body.txt
mail send -a personal -t recipient@example.com -s "Subject" -b "Body" -A file.pdf

Application-managed inbox smoke tests:

1. Resolve the exact recipient from the application's provider configuration or provider API. Do not guess an address from product branding or treat a mailbox search as authoritative.
2. Send from one concrete configured account with a unique marker and an explicit no-action/no-reply body.
3. Verify one provider intake by that marker before concluding the mail path works. For cursor-based consumers, establish a new-only baseline first; never rewind a production cursor merely to manufacture a test message.

Replying and forwarding:

mail reply -a personal <message-id> -b "Reply body"
mail forward -a personal -t recipient@example.com <message-id>

Attachments and mutations:

mail download -a personal -o /tmp/mail-attachments <message-id>
mail archive -a personal <message-id>
mail archive -a icloud <message-id>
mail trash -a personal <message-id>
mail mark-read -a personal <message-id>
mail unsubscribe -a personal <message-id>

Safety

• For sending, replying, forwarding, archiving, trashing, marking read, or unsubscribing, make sure the user's intent is clear before executing the command.
• Prefer list, search, and read before acting on a message unless the user gives an exact account and message ID.
• Never run trash or other destructive mail commands unless the user clearly approved the specific sender/message/action.
• Use -f <body-file> for longer drafted emails so the body is inspectable and shell quoting is not fragile.
• Never expose secrets from ~/.mail-control, .env, Gmail tokens, OAuth credentials, or iCloud app passwords.

Self-Iteration

If the CLI fails or appears stale, do not stop at the first error:

• Inspect packages/cli/src for CLI behavior and packages/gmail/src for Gmail auth/API behavior.
• Re-run with a narrower account, mailbox, query, or message ID to isolate the failure.
• For code changes, verify with bun run check-types and targeted tests; use bun run test when relevant.

Prefer small local fixes when they unblock the requested email task and are low risk.