gws-gmail-reply Skill for Claude: What It Does and How to Install It
Lets Claude reply to a Gmail message from the command line, with the thread and quoted text handled for you.
- Installs
- 35.5K
- on skills.sh
- Stars
- 32K
- on GitHub
- Updated
- Oct 2026
- last repo commit
gws-gmail-reply teaches Claude one command, gws gmail +reply. It sets the threading headers, quotes the original message, and can add CC, BCC, extra recipients, attachments or an HTML body.
It can save a draft with --draft or preview the request with --dry-run instead of sending. It needs the gws command-line tool and a signed-in Google account, and the SKILL.md tells Claude to read the gws-shared skill first.
Good for
- Developers who want Claude to answer email from the terminal
- People who want replies saved as drafts for review first
- Anyone already using the gws CLI for Gmail, Drive or Calendar
Install gws-gmail-reply
Claude Code
- 1
Copy this prompt.
Install the gws-gmail-reply skill in Claude Code. Run this command: npm install -g @googleworkspace/cli Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.
- 2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.
Requires Node.js 18+.
This skill only wraps the gws command, so gws must be installed and signed in first (step 1 is the README's npm route; it also offers release binaries, Homebrew and cargo). It tells Claude to read the gws-shared skill first, so step 3 adds both. The README says gws auth setup creates a Cloud project, enables the APIs and logs you in, and that gws auth login handles later sign-ins. If you have no gcloud CLI, use the manual OAuth setup in the README instead. The Claude app ZIP upload is not offered because the commands must run on your own machine.
From the project README. Source.
What's in the skill
When it loads
Gmail: Reply to a message (handles threading automatically).
Sections in SKILL.md
- Usage
- Flags
- Examples
- Tips
- See Also
Key facts
- Repository
- googleworkspace/cli (the gws CLI repo)
- Installs on skills.sh
- 35,541 as of 2026-11-02
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Last commit to the repo
- 2026-10-30
- skills.sh audits
- Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn
What it includes
Reply to a message and handle threading automatically
Needs a Gmail message ID and a body. Per the tips it sets In-Reply-To, References and threadId, and quotes the original message in the reply.
Try: “Reply to Gmail message 18f1a2b3c4d with "Thanks, got it!" and save it as a draft.”
Runs code ·
gws gmail +replySave the reply as a draft instead of sending
The safer first step. You review the draft in Gmail before it goes out.
Write ·
--draftShow the request without sending it
Prints what would be sent without executing it.
Read ·
--dry-runExtra recipients and send-as alias
Adds recipients, or sends from an alias. Without --from the account default is used.
Write ·
--cc, --bcc, --to, --fromAttach a file, repeatable
Reads local files you name and attaches them to the reply.
Files ·
--attachTreat the body as HTML
Quoted text keeps Gmail quote styling and inline images in the quoted message are preserved.
Write ·
--htmlSeparate command for reply-all
The SKILL.md points to +reply-all for replying to everyone. It is not part of this skill.
Network ·
+reply-all
From the official docs
Permissions
High risk
This skill can send real email from your Google account and attach files from your disk. Ask Claude to use drafts first and read the recipients before anything is sent.
What it can do
- Read your data
- Create and change things
- Delete things
- Read-only mode
Watch out for
It sends real email from your account
Without --draft or --dry-run the reply goes out. Tell Claude to use --draft, then review in Gmail. github.com
Attachments are read from your disk
The --attach flag uploads any file path Claude passes. Check the file list before approving the command. github.com
CC and BCC recipients can be added
Check the To, CC and BCC lines in the command before approving it. github.com
Not an official Google product
The README says the gws CLI is not officially supported by Google. github.com
Technical details
| Turning on read-only | No read-only switch is documented in SKILL.md. |
|---|---|
| Talks to | Gmail API via the gws CLI |
| Sign-in and keys | Sign-in is handled by gws. The README says credentials are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) with the key in your OS keyring, or in ~/.config/gws/.encryption_key when the file backend is chosen. |
| Scopes |
|
Questions
What does gws-gmail-reply do?
It tells Claude how to run gws gmail +reply to answer a Gmail message. The command handles threading and quotes the original.
How do I install gws-gmail-reply?
Use the install box at the top of this page. It covers the gws CLI, the sign-in step and both skills, because the skill needs the gws command and the shared gws skill.
Will Claude send email without asking?
Without --draft or --dry-run the command sends the reply. The gws-shared skill says to confirm with you before write or delete commands, but ask Claude to use --draft so you can review first.
Is gws-gmail-reply safe to use?
It can send real email from your account and attach files from your disk. Use drafts first, check recipients and attachments, and keep the Google sign-in limited to the accounts you mean to use.
How do I reply to everyone?
The SKILL.md says to use +reply-all for that, which is a different gws command.
Is the gws CLI an official Google product?
The README says it is not an officially supported Google product, although it lives in the googleworkspace GitHub organization.
Information
updated Nov 2, 2026
- Repository
- googleworkspace/cli
- Folder
skills/gws-gmail-reply
Sources
Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.
Show all 3Hide
- googleworkspace/cli README · github.com
- gws-shared SKILL.md · github.com
- gws-gmail-reply SKILL.md · github.com