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Gmail Forward

Forward a Gmail message to new recipients via the gws command-line tool

Source Download skill
Repository
googleworkspace/cli
Stars
32,059
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
1 file

What it does

This skill teaches an AI agent how to forward an existing Gmail message to one or more new people using the gws command-line tool. Once installed, the agent can run a forward command with the message ID and recipient addresses, optionally adding a note, extra attachments, CC/BCC recipients, or saving the result as a draft instead of sending it. The skill also covers options like dry-run preview and whether original attachments are included.

Great for

  • People who regularly forward Gmail messages and want an agent to handle it from a terminal or chat
  • Developers automating email workflows who already use the gws CLI and have Gmail authenticated
  • Users who want a safe preview (--dry-run) or draft (--draft) before anything is actually sent

Skip it if

  • Anyone without the gws CLI installed and authenticated to a Google account; the skill cannot forward mail on its own (it depends on the external tool)
  • Sending mail on another person's behalf without authorization, since forwards go out from the connected account and are irreversible once sent
  • Large forwards exceeding the 25MB combined attachment limit, which will fail

Try asking

  • “Forward message 18f1a2b3c4d to dave@example.com with a note saying FYI see below”
  • “Forward this email to eve@example.com and CC the team, but save it as a draft first”
  • “Forward the message to dave@example.com without the original attachments, and add notes.pdf”
  • “Preview the forward request to dave@example.com using dry-run before sending”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Gmail ForwardInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    gws-gmail-forward.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip gws-gmail-forward.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip gws-gmail-forward.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Run with --dry-run first to confirm the recipients and content before sending, or use --draft to review in Gmail.
  • Use --html only when your --body is HTML; plain text is the default and avoids formatting surprises.
  • Check the recipient list carefully, since the agent will send from your real account once the command runs without --dry-run or --draft.

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from googleworkspace/cli under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.