Email for OpenClaw Agents

Give every OpenClaw agent its own inbox in two commands. @openmail/openclaw is a native channel plugin: mail from people wakes the agent, its reply goes out in the same thread, and the OpenMail CLI runs inside the gateway — no SMTP config, no separate process.

How OpenMail works with OpenClaw

01

Install the plugin

@openmail/openclaw is a native OpenClaw channel plugin, on ClawHub and npm.

openclaw plugins install clawhub:@openmail/openclaw

02

Add the channel

Pass an API key from the console. With an account key, channels add creates the inbox, mints an inbox-scoped key for it, and stores only that. --mailbox-name picks the address.

openclaw channels add --channel openmail --api-key <key> --mailbox-name sales
openclaw gateway restart

03

Check the channel

The gateway holds the connection. No bridge, no service file.

openclaw channels status
# - OpenMail: enabled, configured, running, connected

04

Let the agent use email

Mail from a person wakes the agent as a conversation and its reply goes out in the same thread. For everything else, the plugin bundles the OpenMail CLI as openclaw openmail with the channel's credentials.

# Read a thread
openclaw openmail -- threads get --thread-id <id> --json

# Send with an attachment
openclaw openmail -- send --to hello@example.com --subject "Report" --body "See attached" --attach report.pdf

What your OpenClaw agent can do with email

• Answer inbound mail from people in-thread, with the sender's full history
• Get told about verification codes, notifications, and newsletters without replying to them
• Run one account per inbox or one pod account covering every inbox the agent creates
• Read PDF, DOCX, XLSX, and image attachments as text, extracted server-side
• Handle OTP codes and verification links for autonomous account-creation flows

What's included

Native channel plugin
Runs inside the OpenClaw gateway like WhatsApp or Telegram. Install from ClawHub, add the channel, restart. No skill files or env vars to write.

Three modes

• channel: mail wakes the agent and it replies.
• notify: the agent tells you on your usual chat.
• tool: nothing inbound; the agent uses email only when asked.

Only people get a reply
OpenMail classifies inbound mail on the server. Notifications, marketing, and bounces are announced as information; spam is dropped.

Narrow keys by default
channels add mints an inbox-scoped key and never stores your account key in openclaw.json. SecretRefs supported.

Bundled CLI
openclaw openmail -- <command> runs the OpenMail CLI with the channel's credentials. The agent skill ships inside the plugin.

Managed deliverability
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured automatically on provisioning. Primary inbox placement from day one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I give an OpenClaw agent an email address?

Two commands: openclaw plugins install clawhub:@openmail/openclaw then openclaw channels add --channel openmail --api-key <key>. Restart the gateway and the inbox is live. Full guide at docs.openmail.sh/integrations/openclaw.

What does channels add do with my key?

An inbox-scoped key is stored as-is. An account or pod key is used once to pick or create the inbox and mint an inbox-scoped key; only that narrow key is written to openclaw.json. Pass --pod to make one account cover a whole pod instead.

How does my OpenClaw agent receive inbound emails?

The gateway holds a WebSocket to OpenMail. In channel mode, mail from a person wakes the agent as a conversation and its reply goes out in-thread. Automated mail is announced as information. In notify mode the agent relays new mail to you on your usual chat. In tool mode nothing arrives on its own.

Who can email the agent?

That is OpenMail's inbound and outbound policy, not the plugin. Set allow and block rules per account, pod, or inbox in the console under Allow/Block List, or with openmail policy on the CLI.

I used openmail setup and the bridge. What changed?

@openmail/cli 0.7.0 removed setup, openclaw, status, and doctor. Stop the old bridge service, install the plugin, and run channels add with the key from ~/.openclaw/openmail.env. The upgrade steps are in the docs.

Is there a free tier?

Yes. Three inboxes and 3,000 emails per month. No credit card required.