gws-gmail-forward

googleworkspace/cli

Forward Gmail messages to new recipients with optional notes and attachments.

What is gws-gmail-forward?

Forwards an existing Gmail message to specified recipients. Use this when you need to share an email with others, optionally adding a note, changing attachments, or saving as a draft before sending.

Forward messages to one or more recipients with comma-separated email addresses
Add an optional note (plain text or HTML) above the forwarded message
Include or exclude original attachments; add new files up to 25MB total
CC and BCC additional recipients
Save as draft instead of sending immediately
Use send-as aliases via the --from flag

How to install gws-gmail-forward

npx skills add null --skill gws-gmail-forward

Prerequisites

gws CLI installed and configured
Gmail API access via Google Workspace
Authentication set up (see gws-shared/SKILL.md)

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How to use gws-gmail-forward

1.Obtain the Gmail message ID of the email you want to forward
2.Run gws gmail +forward with --message-id and --to flags
3.Optionally add --body for a note, --cc/--bcc for additional recipients, or --attach for files
4.Use --draft to save without sending, or omit to send immediately
5.Use --dry-run to preview the request before executing

Use cases

Good for

Share a received email with a colleague or manager for review
Forward a message with a brief context note to multiple team members
Forward an email without its original attachments to reduce file size
Add supplementary files when forwarding a message
Prepare a forward as a draft for later review before sending

Who it's for

Email users who need to share messages with others
Team members coordinating on incoming emails
Anyone managing multiple email aliases or send-as addresses

gws-gmail-forward FAQ

How do I find the message ID?

The message ID is available in Gmail's message details or via the gws gmail +list command. It's a unique identifier for each message.

Can I forward to multiple recipients at once?

Yes, use comma-separated email addresses in the --to flag (e.g., --to alice@example.com,bob@example.com).

What happens to attachments by default?

Original attachments are included by default, matching Gmail web behavior. Use --no-original-attachments to exclude them.

Can I add my own files when forwarding?

Yes, use -a or --attach (multiple times if needed). Combined size of original and new attachments is limited to 25MB.

How do I save a forward as a draft instead of sending?

Add the --draft flag to save it without sending. You can then review and send it manually later.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from googleworkspace/cli.

name: gws-gmail-forward description: "Gmail: Forward a message to new recipients." metadata: version: 0.22.5 openclaw: category: "productivity" requires: bins: - gws cliHelp: "gws gmail +forward --help"

gmail +forward

PREREQUISITE: Read ../gws-shared/SKILL.md for auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, run gws generate-skills to create it.

Forward a message to new recipients

Usage

gws gmail +forward --message-id <ID> --to <EMAILS>

Flags

Flag	Required	Default	Description
`--message-id`	✓	—	Gmail message ID to forward
`--to`	✓	—	Recipient email address(es), comma-separated
`--from`	—	—	Sender address (for send-as/alias; omit to use account default)
`--body`	—	—	Optional note to include above the forwarded message (plain text, or HTML with --html)
`--no-original-attachments`	—	—	Do not include file attachments from the original message (inline images in --html mode are preserved)
`--attach`	—	—	Attach a file (can be specified multiple times)
`--cc`	—	—	CC email address(es), comma-separated
`--bcc`	—	—	BCC email address(es), comma-separated
`--html`	—	—	Treat --body as HTML content (default is plain text)
`--dry-run`	—	—	Show the request that would be sent without executing it
`--draft`	—	—	Save as draft instead of sending

Examples

gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --body 'FYI see below'
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --cc eve@example.com
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --body '<p>FYI</p>' --html
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com -a notes.pdf
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --no-original-attachments
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --draft

Tips

Includes the original message with sender, date, subject, and recipients.
Original attachments are included by default (matching Gmail web behavior).
With --html, inline images are also preserved via cid: references.
In plain-text mode, inline images are not included (matching Gmail web).
Use --no-original-attachments to forward without the original message's files.
Use -a/--attach to add extra file attachments. Can be specified multiple times.
Combined size of original and user attachments is limited to 25MB.
With --html, the forwarded block uses Gmail's gmail_quote CSS classes and preserves HTML formatting. Use fragment tags (<p>, <b>, <a>, etc.) — no <html>/<body> wrapper needed.
Use --draft to save the forward as a draft instead of sending it immediately.