OpenClaw Email & Gmail Setup: AI-Powered Email Automation (2026)
Quick Answer: Connect OpenClaw to Gmail or any email provider in 10 minutes. Install the email skill with openclaw skills add @openclaw/skill-email, then configure with your Gmail app password or SMTP credentials. Your AI agent can read, compose, sort, and auto-reply to emails — all running on your server.
No third-party email service required. OpenClaw connects directly to your email provider using standard IMAP/SMTP protocols. Your credentials are stored encrypted on your own server and never leave your infrastructure.
What Can OpenClaw Email Automation Do?
Your AI agent becomes a full-featured email assistant. From reading and summarizing to composing and scheduling — here is what it handles.
Read & Summarize
Read your inbox, summarize unread messages, highlight urgent items, and provide daily email digests. Ask your agent 'What is in my inbox?' and get an AI-powered summary in seconds.
Compose & Reply
Draft and send emails from natural language instructions. Tell your agent 'Reply to John's email about the proposal — confirm the meeting time and attach the updated doc.' Context-aware responses.
Sort & Triage
Automatically categorize incoming emails: urgent, follow-up, newsletter, spam. Move emails to appropriate folders or labels. Prioritize what matters and archive what does not.
Schedule & Follow-Up
Schedule emails to send at optimal times. Set follow-up reminders: 'If they do not reply in 3 days, send a polite follow-up.' Automate entire drip sequences for leads.
Lead Follow-Up
Pair with the browser skill for lead research, then auto-compose personalized outreach emails. Track open rates and schedule follow-up sequences based on engagement.
Newsletter Drafting
Compile weekly or monthly newsletters from your notes, blog posts, or data sources. The agent formats, personalizes, and schedules distribution to your subscriber list.
Method 1: How Do You Set Up Gmail with OpenClaw?
Gmail is the most popular email provider for OpenClaw users. This method uses Gmail App Passwords for secure, revocable access. Takes about 10 minutes.
Step 1: Create a Gmail App Password
Gmail app passwords let OpenClaw access your email without using your main password. You can revoke them anytime without changing your account password.
- 1Go to myaccount.google.com and sign in
- 2Navigate to Security > 2-Step Verification (enable if not already active)
- 3Scroll down to App Passwords (or search for it)
- 4Select 'Other (Custom name)' and type 'OpenClaw'
- 5Click Generate and copy the 16-character password
- 6Store this password securely — you will need it in Step 3
Step 2: Install the Email Skill
The email skill adds IMAP/SMTP capabilities to your OpenClaw agent. One command from ClawHub.
- 1Open your terminal (or SSH into your OpenClaw server)
- 2Run: openclaw skills add @openclaw/skill-email
- 3Wait for installation to complete (about 30 seconds)
- 4Verify with: openclaw skills list
Step 3: Configure Gmail Credentials
The interactive configuration wizard stores your credentials encrypted on your server. They are never transmitted to external servers.
- 1Run: openclaw configure email
- 2Select 'Gmail' when prompted for provider
- 3Enter your full Gmail address (you@gmail.com)
- 4Paste the 16-character app password from Step 1
- 5Choose default send behavior: require confirmation (recommended) or auto-send
- 6Configuration saved — credentials are encrypted at rest
Step 4: Test the Connection
Verify everything works by sending a test message and reading your inbox through the agent.
- 1Tell your agent: 'Send a test email to myself'
- 2Check your inbox for the test message
- 3Then try: 'Summarize my last 5 unread emails'
- 4If both work, your email automation is fully operational
Method 2: How Do You Set Up SMTP/IMAP for Other Providers?
Not using Gmail? OpenClaw supports any email provider with standard SMTP/IMAP access. Run openclaw configure email and select "Custom SMTP/IMAP" to enter your provider settings.
Generic SMTP/IMAP Configuration
openclaw configure email
# Select: Custom SMTP/IMAP
# SMTP Host: smtp.yourprovider.com
# SMTP Port: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
# IMAP Host: imap.yourprovider.com
# IMAP Port: 993 (SSL)
# Username: your@email.com
# Password: your-app-password-or-password
# Auth: STARTTLS or SSL
Popular Provider Settings
Outlook / Office 365
SMTP: smtp.office365.com
Port: 587 (STARTTLS)
IMAP: outlook.office365.com
Use your full email address as username. May require an app password if MFA is enabled.
Yahoo Mail
SMTP: smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)
IMAP: imap.mail.yahoo.com
Generate an app password from Yahoo Account Security settings. Standard password will not work.
Custom Domain (cPanel)
SMTP: mail.yourdomain.com
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)
IMAP: mail.yourdomain.com
Check your hosting provider's email settings. Username is usually the full email address.
ProtonMail
SMTP: 127.0.0.1 (via Bridge)
Port: 1025 (Bridge local)
IMAP: 127.0.0.1 (via Bridge)
Requires ProtonMail Bridge running locally. Bridge provides local IMAP/SMTP access to encrypted mail.
What Are the Best Email Automation Use Cases?
Real scenarios where OpenClaw email automation saves hours of manual inbox management every week.
Auto-Reply to Customer Inquiries
Set up rules to automatically respond to common customer questions within minutes. The agent reads the email, understands the context, drafts an appropriate response, and sends it — or flags complex issues for your review.
"Auto-reply to support emails. For billing questions, include our pricing page link. For technical issues, ask for screenshots and escalate to me."
Email Sorting & Triage
Process your inbox automatically every morning. Categorize emails by priority, sender type, and topic. Move newsletters to a digest folder, flag client emails as urgent, and archive automated notifications.
"Every morning at 7 AM, sort my inbox. Flag anything from clients or partners as urgent. Move newsletters to Digest. Archive all automated notifications."
Lead Follow-Up Sequences
Automate multi-step outreach sequences. Send initial contact, wait for a response, and follow up at configured intervals with personalized messages that reference previous interactions.
"Send a follow-up to leads who have not replied in 3 days. Reference their company name and the service we discussed. Stop after 3 follow-ups."
Newsletter Drafting & Distribution
Compile content from your notes, blog posts, or data sources into a formatted newsletter. Review the draft, make edits, and distribute to your subscriber list on schedule.
"Draft this week's newsletter using my last 3 blog posts. Include a section on industry news. Send me the draft for review before distributing on Friday."
How Do You Configure Email Safely?
Use the configuration flow available in your installed OpenClaw version, then validate access with a test account before connecting a production inbox.
Open the configuration wizard
openclaw configureSelect the channel or integration options supported by the version you installed. Do not copy credentials into prompts or workspace documentation.
Validate the resulting configuration
openclaw config validateResolve configuration errors before the agent can read or act on live messages.
Test with limited permissions
openclaw gateway statusStart with a test inbox or draft-only workflow. Review tool calls and failure behavior before enabling any send, move, or delete action.
How Does OpenClaw Keep Your Email Secure?
Email security depends on your provider, integration method, host, permissions, and OpenClaw configuration. Apply least privilege and verify each layer.
App Passwords, Not Your Main Password
Use the authentication method supported by your provider and integration. Prefer revocable, scoped credentials over your primary account password whenever that option is available.
Protect Credentials
Store credentials only through the supported secret, environment, or provider-authentication flow. Never place secrets in prompts, screenshots, repositories, or workspace markdown.
Start With Least Privilege
Use the narrowest permissions your integration supports. Begin with read or draft workflows and require human approval before sending, moving, or deleting messages.
Isolate the Runtime
Separate agent workloads from sensitive systems and keep the Gateway off the public internet. Containerization can help, but it is not a substitute for permissions and secret hygiene.
Review Activity
Use the logs and activity views available in your installed version and email provider. Test expected and failure paths, and keep human review for consequential actions.
TLS/SSL Encryption in Transit
All connections to your email provider use TLS/SSL encryption. Email content is encrypted in transit between your server and Gmail/SMTP providers. No plaintext email data on the wire.
Frequently Asked Questions
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