Himalaya Email CLI

Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.

25 stars

Best use case

Himalaya Email CLI is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.

Teams using Himalaya Email CLI should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/himalaya/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub/main/skills/elizaOS/eliza/himalaya/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/himalaya/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How Himalaya Email CLI Compares

Feature / AgentHimalaya Email CLIStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

# Himalaya Email CLI

Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.

## References

- `references/configuration.md` (config file setup + IMAP/SMTP authentication)
- `references/message-composition.md` (MML syntax for composing emails)

## Prerequisites

1. Himalaya CLI installed (`himalaya --version` to verify)
2. A configuration file at `~/.config/himalaya/config.toml`
3. IMAP/SMTP credentials configured (password stored securely)

## Configuration Setup

Run the interactive wizard to set up an account:

```bash
himalaya account configure
```

Or create `~/.config/himalaya/config.toml` manually:

```toml
[accounts.personal]
email = "you@example.com"
display-name = "Your Name"
default = true

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "imap.example.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.encryption.type = "tls"
backend.login = "you@example.com"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/imap"  # or use keyring

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.example.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.encryption.type = "start-tls"
message.send.backend.login = "you@example.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/smtp"
```

## Common Operations

### List Folders

```bash
himalaya folder list
```

### List Emails

List emails in INBOX (default):

```bash
himalaya envelope list
```

List emails in a specific folder:

```bash
himalaya envelope list --folder "Sent"
```

List with pagination:

```bash
himalaya envelope list --page 1 --page-size 20
```

### Search Emails

```bash
himalaya envelope list from john@example.com subject meeting
```

### Read an Email

Read email by ID (shows plain text):

```bash
himalaya message read 42
```

Export raw MIME:

```bash
himalaya message export 42 --full
```

### Reply to an Email

Interactive reply (opens $EDITOR):

```bash
himalaya message reply 42
```

Reply-all:

```bash
himalaya message reply 42 --all
```

### Forward an Email

```bash
himalaya message forward 42
```

### Write a New Email

Interactive compose (opens $EDITOR):

```bash
himalaya message write
```

Send directly using template:

```bash
cat << 'EOF' | himalaya template send
From: you@example.com
To: recipient@example.com
Subject: Test Message

Hello from Himalaya!
EOF
```

Or with headers flag:

```bash
himalaya message write -H "To:recipient@example.com" -H "Subject:Test" "Message body here"
```

### Move/Copy Emails

Move to folder:

```bash
himalaya message move 42 "Archive"
```

Copy to folder:

```bash
himalaya message copy 42 "Important"
```

### Delete an Email

```bash
himalaya message delete 42
```

### Manage Flags

Add flag:

```bash
himalaya flag add 42 --flag seen
```

Remove flag:

```bash
himalaya flag remove 42 --flag seen
```

## Multiple Accounts

List accounts:

```bash
himalaya account list
```

Use a specific account:

```bash
himalaya --account work envelope list
```

## Attachments

Save attachments from a message:

```bash
himalaya attachment download 42
```

Save to specific directory:

```bash
himalaya attachment download 42 --dir ~/Downloads
```

## Output Formats

Most commands support `--output` for structured output:

```bash
himalaya envelope list --output json
himalaya envelope list --output plain
```

## Debugging

Enable debug logging:

```bash
RUST_LOG=debug himalaya envelope list
```

Full trace with backtrace:

```bash
RUST_LOG=trace RUST_BACKTRACE=1 himalaya envelope list
```

## Tips

- Use `himalaya --help` or `himalaya <command> --help` for detailed usage.
- Message IDs are relative to the current folder; re-list after folder changes.
- For composing rich emails with attachments, use MML syntax (see `references/message-composition.md`).
- Store passwords securely using `pass`, system keyring, or a command that outputs the password.

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