How to Automate Email with OpenClaw

Introduction

Email is one of the biggest time sinks in professional life. The average knowledge worker spends 28% of their workweek on email. An OpenClaw agent with the right skills can read your inbox, prioritize messages, draft replies in your writing style, and even send routine responses automatically.

Prerequisites

• A KiwiClaw account with an active agent (setup guide)
• Email account credentials (IMAP/SMTP -- works with Gmail, Outlook, and most providers)
• For Gmail: an App Password (if 2FA is enabled)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Install the Himalaya Email Skill

Navigate to your agent's Skills page and install the Himalaya email skill. This gives your agent the ability to read, compose, and send emails via IMAP/SMTP.

Step 2: Configure Email Credentials

In the skill configuration, enter your email server settings: IMAP host, SMTP host, username, and password (or App Password for Gmail). The credentials are stored encrypted and only accessible by your agent.

Step 3: Test Email Reading

Ask your agent: "Show me my 10 most recent emails." It should fetch and display your latest messages with subjects, senders, and previews.

Step 4: Set Up Draft Automation

Tell your agent how you want it to handle emails:

"Read my unread emails. For each one, categorize it as urgent, routine, or newsletter. Draft replies for routine emails in a professional but friendly tone. Show me the drafts for review."

Step 5: Create Email Templates

Give your agent standard responses for common situations: meeting requests, follow-ups, acknowledgments, and out-of-office messages. The agent learns to apply the right template based on context.

Step 6: Schedule Daily Email Processing

Use cron jobs to have your agent process emails automatically. For example, schedule a task at 8:00 AM daily: "Read all unread emails, categorize them, and post a summary to my Slack DM."

Pro Tips

• Start with read-only -- Let the agent summarize and draft before enabling auto-send. Review drafts for a week to train it on your style.
• Use the Email Assistant template for a pre-configured setup with email automation best practices.
• Combine with Slack to get email summaries in your team workspace.
• Set rules -- Tell your agent to never auto-reply to messages from specific senders or containing certain keywords.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can OpenClaw send emails on my behalf?

Yes. With the Himalaya email skill installed, your agent can read, draft, and send emails. You can configure it to draft responses for your review or send automatically based on rules you define.

Which email providers does OpenClaw support?

The Himalaya skill supports any email provider that uses IMAP and SMTP, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, ProtonMail (via Bridge), and custom email servers.

Can the agent prioritize my emails?

Yes. Ask your agent to sort emails by urgency, sender importance, or topic. It can create daily email digests that summarize what needs your attention and draft responses for routine messages.