Email (IMAP/SMTP via curl)

Send and receive email from the terminal. Just curl. Works with any provider — AgentMail, Gmail, Outlook, Fastmail, self-hosted, anything with IMAP/SMTP.

By default uses the agent's own inbox (env vars below). Can also target any arbitrary SMTP/IMAP server by swapping the credentials.

---

Default Credentials (agent's inbox)

These env vars are pre-configured:

USER="$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_USER_NAME"
PASS="$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_PASSWORD"
SMTP="smtps://$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_SMTP_HOST:$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_SMTP_PORT"
IMAP="imaps://$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_IMAP_HOST:$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_IMAP_PORT"
FROM="$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_FROM_NAME <$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_FROM_EMAIL>"
EMAIL="$KORTIX_AGENT_EMAIL_INBOX_FROM_EMAIL"

To use a different mailbox, just swap those values.

Never print credentials.

---

Send

TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
cat > "$TMPFILE" <<EOF
From: $FROM
To: recipient@example.com
Subject: Hello
Date: $(date -R)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Your message body here.
EOF

curl -sS "$SMTP" --user "$USER:$PASS" \
  --mail-from "$EMAIL" \
  --mail-rcpt "recipient@example.com" \
  --upload-file "$TMPFILE"

rm -f "$TMPFILE"

Multiple recipients: add more --mail-rcpt flags. CC: add Cc: header in the file AND a --mail-rcpt per CC address.

---

List Folders

curl -sS "$IMAP/" --user "$USER:$PASS" | tr -d '\r'

---

Inbox Count

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X "EXAMINE INBOX" | tr -d '\r'

* N EXISTS = total messages.

---

List Messages

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" \
  -X "FETCH 1:* (FLAGS BODY.PEEK[HEADER.FIELDS (FROM SUBJECT DATE)])" | tr -d '\r'

---

Read a Message

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" \
  -X "FETCH 3 BODY.PEEK[]" | tr -d '\r'

BODY.PEEK[] = read without marking seen. BODY[] = mark as read.

---

Search

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X "SEARCH UNSEEN" | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'SEARCH FROM "bob@example.com"' | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'SEARCH SUBJECT "meeting"' | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'SEARCH SINCE 01-Jan-2026' | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'SEARCH UNSEEN FROM "bob"' | tr -d '\r'

Returns * SEARCH 1 4 7 — matching sequence numbers.

---

Mark Read / Unread

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'STORE 3 +FLAGS (\Seen)' | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'STORE 3 -FLAGS (\Seen)' | tr -d '\r'

---

Delete

curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'STORE 3 +FLAGS (\Deleted)' | tr -d '\r'
curl -sS "$IMAP/INBOX" --user "$USER:$PASS" -X 'EXPUNGE' | tr -d '\r'

---

Reply

1. FETCH original to get From, Subject, Message-ID
2. Compose reply with In-Reply-To: and References: set to original Message-ID
3. Prefix subject with Re:
4. Send via SMTP as above

---

Rules

• Act, don't ask. Send/read when instructed.
• Never print credentials.
• Human language. Say "I sent the email" not "curl smtps://..."
• Always tr -d '\r' on IMAP output.
• Identity: when sending from the agent's own inbox, always use the configured FROM_NAME/FROM_EMAIL.