gws-gmail-reply

googleworkspace/cli

Reply to Gmail messages with automatic threading, CC/BCC, attachments, and draft support.

What is gws-gmail-reply?

Sends a reply to a Gmail message while automatically handling threading, quoted text, and message headers. Use this when you need to respond to an email with optional recipients, attachments, or HTML formatting.

Reply to messages with automatic In-Reply-To and References headers
Quote the original message in the reply body
Add CC, BCC, or additional To recipients
Attach files (multiple attachments supported)
Send as HTML or plain text
Save replies as drafts instead of sending

How to install gws-gmail-reply

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

Prerequisites

gws CLI installed and configured
Google Workspace account with Gmail enabled
Authentication configured (see gws-shared/SKILL.md)

Claude Code

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How to use gws-gmail-reply

1.Obtain the Gmail message ID of the email you want to reply to
2.Run gws gmail +reply with --message-id and --body as minimum arguments
3.Optionally add --cc, --bcc, or --to for additional recipients
4.Optionally use --attach to include file attachments (can repeat)
5.Use --html flag if your body contains HTML formatting
6.Use --draft to save as draft instead of sending immediately
7.Use --dry-run to preview the request before executing

Use cases

Good for

Respond to a specific email with a quick acknowledgment
Reply to a message while adding new recipients (CC or To)
Send a formatted HTML reply with preserved inline images
Attach updated documents or files to a reply
Save a draft reply for later review before sending

Who it's for

Email automation workflows
Productivity agents managing Gmail inboxes
Users needing programmatic email responses
Teams automating customer or internal communications

gws-gmail-reply FAQ

How do I reply to all recipients in the original message?

Use gws gmail +reply-all instead of +reply. The +reply skill adds only the sender; +reply-all includes all original recipients.

Can I add attachments to my reply?

Yes, use the --attach flag (or -a shorthand) with a file path. You can specify --attach multiple times to add multiple files.

How does threading work automatically?

The skill automatically sets In-Reply-To, References, and threadId headers, so Gmail groups your reply with the original message conversation.

Can I send HTML-formatted replies?

Yes, use the --html flag with your --body content. The original message is quoted using Gmail's gmail_quote CSS classes, and inline images are preserved via cid: references.

What does --dry-run do?

It shows the request that would be sent without actually executing it, letting you preview the reply before sending.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from googleworkspace/cli.

name: gws-gmail-reply description: "Gmail: Reply to a message (handles threading automatically)." metadata: version: 0.22.5 openclaw: category: "productivity" requires: bins: - gws cliHelp: "gws gmail +reply --help"

gmail +reply

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

Reply to a message (handles threading automatically)

Usage

gws gmail +reply --message-id <ID> --body <TEXT>

Flags

Flag	Required	Default	Description
`--message-id`	✓	—	Gmail message ID to reply to
`--body`	✓	—	Reply body (plain text, or HTML with --html)
`--from`	—	—	Sender address (for send-as/alias; omit to use account default)
`--to`	—	—	Additional To email address(es), comma-separated
`--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 +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body 'Thanks, got it!'
gws gmail +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body 'Looping in Carol' --cc carol@example.com
gws gmail +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body 'Adding Dave' --to dave@example.com
gws gmail +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body '<b>Bold reply</b>' --html
gws gmail +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body 'Updated version' -a updated.docx
gws gmail +reply --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --body 'Draft reply' --draft

Tips

Automatically sets In-Reply-To, References, and threadId headers.
Quotes the original message in the reply body.
--to adds extra recipients to the To field.
Use -a/--attach to add file attachments. Can be specified multiple times.
With --html, the quoted block uses Gmail's gmail_quote CSS classes and preserves HTML formatting. Use fragment tags (<p>, <b>, <a>, etc.) — no <html>/<body> wrapper needed.
With --html, inline images in the quoted message are preserved via cid: references.
Use --draft to save the reply as a draft instead of sending it immediately.
For reply-all, use +reply-all instead.