# gws-gmail-read

> Reads a Gmail message by ID and extracts its body or headers, with options for JSON output and HTML body.

- Skill: `vikingokft/gws-gmail-read` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add vikingokft/gws-gmail-read`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vikingokft/gws-gmail-read/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity, Integrations & APIs, Email & Calendar
- Tags: Email, Gmail, Google Workspace, Message Reading
- Author: vikingokft (https://skillmd.com/u/vikingokft)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vikingokft/gws-gmail-read

---


# 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