A robust command-line interface for managing emails across multiple accounts using IMAP, SMTP, and other backends.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install himalaya-email
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install himalaya-email using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Himalaya Email CLI?
Himalaya is a modern CLI email client designed for developers and terminal enthusiasts who prefer managing their communication without leaving the command line. As a versatile part of Openclaw Skills, it provides a unified interface to handle various email backends including IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, and Sendmail. The tool focuses on speed, extensibility, and seamless integration with existing Unix-style workflows, allowing users to interact with their mailboxes as they would with any other terminal utility.
By treating emails as structured data, Himalaya enables a highly customized email experience. Whether you are reading plain text messages, managing flags, or composing complex replies using MML, this skill ensures that your communication remains fast and focused. It is particularly valuable for those who want to integrate email operations into larger automated systems or custom scripts.
Himalaya Email CLI Use Cases
- Managing multiple personal and professional email accounts from a single terminal interface.
- Automating email notifications or data reports via shell scripts and cron jobs.
- Searching and filtering through thousands of emails using powerful CLI queries without a GUI.
- Reading and responding to messages without the resource overhead of heavy web-based or desktop clients.
- Downloading and organizing attachments directly to specific directories for automated data processing.
How Himalaya Email CLI Works
- The user initializes the environment by installing the Himalaya binary and running the interactive configuration wizard to connect their email providers.
- Accounts and authentication methods (like system keyrings or password managers) are defined in a TOML configuration file.
- Himalaya fetches message envelopes (headers) to display list views and retrieves full message bodies on demand via IMAP or local backends.
- Email composition occurs via an external system editor or raw piped input, which is then parsed into MIME format and transmitted through the configured SMTP server.
- The skill manages mailbox state through message IDs relative to specific folders, enabling precise organization, folder movement, and flag updates.
Himalaya Email CLI Setup
First, ensure you have the binary installed and verify the version:
# Install via Homebrew
brew install himalaya
# Verify installation
himalaya --version
Next, run the interactive wizard to set up your first account:
himalaya account configure
Alternatively, you can manually create the configuration file at ~/.config/himalaya/config.toml and define your backend settings, including IMAP/SMTP hosts, ports, and authentication commands.
Himalaya Email CLI Data Schema & Taxonomy
Himalaya organizes its operations around the following data structures:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| config.toml | The central configuration file defining accounts, backends, and security commands. |
| Envelopes | Metadata objects containing message ID, flags, sender, subject, and timestamp. |
| MML | MIME Meta Language used for composing emails with attachments and headers in plain text. |
| Flags | Status indicators for messages, such as 'seen', 'answered', 'flagged', or 'deleted'. |
| Backends | The logical drivers for message storage (IMAP, Notmuch, Maildir) and transport (SMTP, Sendmail). |
Himalaya Email CLI Advanced Features
- Structured JSON output support for every command, allowing seamless integration with other Openclaw Skills and automation pipelines.
- Support for MML (MIME Meta Language) to compose rich, multi-part emails with attachments and custom headers via plain text.
- Secure credential management using external commands like
passor system keyrings to avoid hardcoding sensitive data. - Comprehensive multi-account support with easy switching using the
--accountflag for varied workflows. - Detailed debugging and tracing levels to troubleshoot complex IMAP/SMTP connection issues.
SKILL.md
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