gws-gmail-reply-all Skill: Reply to Everyone on a Gmail Thread

Lets your coding assistant reply to everyone on a Gmail thread by running the gws command line tool.

Installs: 33.3K; on skills.sh
Stars: 32K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

gws-gmail-reply-all teaches your assistant to run gws gmail +reply-all. It replies to the sender and everyone on the original To and CC lines, and it handles threading automatically. You can add recipients, remove some, attach files, or save a draft instead of sending.

The skill is a short instruction file. The gws tool sends the mail, so you must install gws and sign in to Google first. The skill tells the assistant to read the gws-shared skill before it runs anything.

Good for

Claude Code or Codex users who want to answer a thread without leaving the terminal
People who draft replies with an assistant and want to review them as Gmail drafts
Google Workspace teams that script routine thread replies

Install gws-gmail-reply-all

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the gws-gmail-reply-all 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+.

Do steps 1 to 3 in order. The skill only gives your assistant instructions. The gws tool does the work, and it needs a Google sign-in. gws auth setup needs the gcloud CLI to create a Google Cloud project for you; without gcloud, use the manual setup in the README. The README also lists a GitHub Releases download, Homebrew and cargo as other ways to get gws.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Gmail: Reply-all to a message (handles threading automatically).

Sections in SKILL.md

Usage
Flags
Examples
Tips
See Also

Key facts

Author: googleworkspace org (the README says it is not an officially supported Google product)
Repo: googleworkspace/cli
Installs on skills.sh: 33,330 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 32,038 for the whole googleworkspace/cli repo, 2026-11-02
License: Apache-2.0 (README)
Last commit to the repo: 2026-10-30
What is inside: 1 file (SKILL.md). It points to the separate gws-shared skill.
Needs: The gws command line tool (Node.js 18+ for the npm route), a Google account and a Google Cloud project for sign-in
Also installs: gws-shared, which the skill tells the assistant to read first for sign-in, flags and safety rules
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk warn (2026-11-02)

What it includes

Replies to the sender and all original recipients
Takes a Gmail message ID and a body. It replies to the sender and everyone on the original To and CC lines, and keeps the thread together.
Try: “Reply all to Gmail message 18f1a2b3c4d with "Sounds good to me!"”
Runs code · gws gmail +reply-all
Leaves chosen people off the reply
Takes comma-separated addresses to exclude, including the sender or Reply-To target. The command fails if no To recipient remains.
Try: “Reply all to 18f1a2b3c4d saying "Updated" but remove bob@example.com.”
Write · --remove
Adds recipients to the reply
--to adds extra To addresses, --cc adds new CC addresses, and --bcc adds recipients the others cannot see.
Write · --to, --cc and --bcc
Saves the reply as a draft instead of sending it
Use this to read the reply in Gmail before it goes out.
Write · --draft
Shows the request that would be sent without sending it
A preview of the call. The skill lists it as a flag; nothing is sent when it is set.
--dry-run
Sends HTML formatting or attached files
With --html the quoted block keeps Gmail formatting and inline images, and you pass fragment tags such as <p>. --attach can be repeated to add several files.
Files · --html and --attach
Replies from a send-as address or alias
Leave it out to use the account default.
--from

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

This skill makes your assistant send email from your Google account to everyone on a thread. Approve each run yourself, or ask for a draft first.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It emails everyone on the thread
A reply-all goes to the sender and all original To and CC recipients unless you use --remove. Read the recipient list before you approve each run. github.com
BCC can add people the thread cannot see
The skill lets the assistant add --bcc recipients. Tell the assistant not to BCC anyone unless you ask. github.com
Setup installs a global npm package
The npm route downloads the gws binary from GitHub Releases. The README also says to expect breaking changes before v1.0, so pin what you rely on. github.com
You need a Google Cloud project to sign in
gws uses OAuth credentials from your own Google Cloud project. If the consent screen is unverified, Google caps the scopes you can pick, so choose individual services with gws auth login -s. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only mode. --dry-run shows the request without sending, and --draft saves a draft instead of sending.
Talks to	Google Workspace APIs, called by the gws tool. Anything the assistant reads from your account goes to your AI provider as part of the chat
Sign-in and keys	gws encrypts saved credentials (AES-256-GCM) with a key in your OS keyring, or in ~/.config/gws/.encryption_key when the file backend is chosen.
Scopes	Whatever Google permissions you approve when you run gws auth login

Questions

What does gws-gmail-reply-all do?

It makes your assistant reply to everyone on a Gmail thread with gws gmail +reply-all. It replies to the sender and all original To and CC recipients, and keeps the reply in the same thread.

How do I install gws-gmail-reply-all?

Use the install box at the top of this page and run all three steps. The skill does nothing without the gws tool and a Google sign-in. The skills command also adds gws-shared, which the skill tells the assistant to read first.

Does it need a Google Cloud project or an API key?

It needs a Google Cloud project, because gws signs in with OAuth credentials from one, according to the README. gws auth setup can create it if you have the gcloud CLI. Without gcloud, follow the README's manual setup.

Is gws-gmail-reply-all safe to use?

It sends real email to every person on the thread, so read the recipient list before you approve a run. The shared rules tell the assistant to confirm write commands first and to prefer --dry-run. Use --draft to review the reply in Gmail first.

Can I leave someone off the reply?

Yes. Pass --remove with their address. It can also remove the sender or the Reply-To target. If no To recipient is left, the command fails.

Can I use it in the Claude app or Claude.ai?

The README does not document that. The skill tells the assistant to run gws shell commands, so it fits an assistant that can run commands on a machine where gws is installed and signed in, such as Claude Code or Codex.

How is it different from the gws-gmail skill?

The SKILL.md points to gws-gmail for all send, read and manage email commands. This skill covers only +reply-all. The README lists +reply as a separate helper for replying to the sender only.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: googleworkspace/cli
Folder: skills/gws-gmail-reply-all

googleworkspace/cli skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 4

googleworkspace/cli README · github.com
gws-gmail-reply-all SKILL.md · github.com
skills CLI commands · github.com
gws-shared SKILL.md · github.com