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How to Build an AI Email Assistant with OpenClaw

A practical, security-first guide to building an OpenClaw email assistant with Gmail. Compare CLI, IMAP/SMTP and Pub/Sub connections, configure permissions, test workflows and avoid common failures.
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You can build an OpenClaw email assistant in three progressively more capable ways: connect a Gmail command-line skill, connect Gmail through IMAP and SMTP with an app password, or use Gmail Pub/Sub for near-real-time notifications. Start with read-only access, move to draft creation, and permit sending only after you have reviewed the assistant’s behavior.

The safest design keeps OpenClaw’s permissions narrow, separates reading from sending, and treats OAuth, app passwords, webhook endpoints and stored tokens as production credentials. The exact OpenClaw skill name and Google Cloud labels can change, so verify the current OpenClaw and Google documentation before installing a package or approving a scope.

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What an OpenClaw email assistant can do

An email assistant is an OpenClaw agent connected to a mailbox through a mail tool. Depending on the route and permissions you grant, it can find unread messages, summarize threads, identify urgent requests, apply labels or archive mail, prepare replies, and send messages.

Those capabilities are not automatic. OpenClaw needs a running mail connector, valid Google authorization, and a prompt or scheduled task that tells it what to do. Reading, changing mailbox state, creating drafts and sending are separate risk levels and should be enabled in that order.

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A practical first version

  • Read today’s unread messages.
  • Return a summary grouped by sender, subject and requested action.
  • Flag messages that appear time-sensitive, without changing the mailbox.
  • Create a draft reply only when you explicitly request one.

Do not begin with an instruction such as “manage my inbox and reply to everything.” Broad instructions make it difficult to audit why a message was changed or sent.

Choose a Gmail connection route

The three routes differ in setup effort, access model, reaction speed and infrastructure. Select the least powerful route that satisfies your workflow.

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Route Setup effort Access and actions Reaction model Infrastructure
Gmail CLI skill (gogcli or a similarly named tool, often distributed through ClawHub) Moderate: Google Cloud OAuth credentials, local registration and account authorization Can be limited to Gmail API scopes such as gmail.readonly, gmail.modify and gmail.send Usually on demand or scheduled; add a separate trigger for immediate events OpenClaw where you run the commands; an always-on host is needed for unattended schedules
IMAP/SMTP with an app password Lightest: enable 2-Step Verification and create a 16-character app password IMAP reads mail and SMTP sends it; mailbox features exposed by the connector vary Polling or on-demand unless you build another event layer Any OpenClaw host that can reach Gmail’s mail servers
Gmail Pub/Sub Heaviest: Cloud project, billing, Pub/Sub, authorization and a public webhook endpoint Event notification plus a separate mail API connection for reading or acting on messages Near-real-time notification when new mail arrives An always-available OpenClaw service and a publicly reachable webhook endpoint, such as one exposed through a secure tunnel

The CLI route is the usual starting point because it can expose Gmail API functions while allowing you to request only the scopes you need. IMAP/SMTP is simpler when you only need basic reading and sending. Pub/Sub is appropriate when waiting for a schedule is unacceptable and you are prepared to operate a webhook service.

Prepare the OpenClaw host

Run OpenClaw on a machine that can securely store OAuth tokens or an app password. For scheduled summaries or alerts while your personal computer is off, the instance must remain running; that generally means a server, home machine or other continuously available host.

Use a dedicated account boundary

  • Use a separate operating-system user or container for the assistant where practical.
  • Keep credential files outside publicly served directories and source-control repositories.
  • Restrict file permissions so only the OpenClaw process owner can read tokens.
  • Back up configuration without copying live secrets into the backup unless it is encrypted.
  • Record which mailbox, scopes and actions the assistant is allowed to use.

Decide where conversations and drafts live

Before connecting mail, decide whether OpenClaw will retain message content in its own logs or memory. Disable unnecessary transcript retention, redact sensitive content from notifications, and avoid sending complete messages to an external channel when a short summary is sufficient.

Route 1: connect Gmail through a CLI skill

Guides commonly describe a Gmail CLI skill as the easiest full-featured route. The tool name is inconsistent: one guide calls the command-line client gogcli, while another calls it gog. Treat the name, package source and install command as version-specific and confirm them in the current OpenClaw skill listing and the tool’s official documentation before installing.

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1. Create Google OAuth credentials

  1. Open Google Cloud Console and create or select a project dedicated to this assistant.
  2. Under APIs & Services, configure the OAuth consent screen. Google’s labels and verification requirements can change, so follow the current screen rather than an old tutorial.
  3. Open APIs & Services → Credentials and create an OAuth client ID.
  4. Choose the Desktop app application type when the CLI documentation calls for a local OAuth flow.
  5. Download the resulting JSON credential file and move it to a protected location on the OpenClaw host.

The downloaded JSON identifies the OAuth client; it is not the same thing as the user authorization token created when you approve mailbox access. Protect both files.

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2. Register the credential with the CLI

Use the registration command documented for the exact CLI package you installed. Because package names and commands differ between the gogcli and gog variants, do not substitute a command copied from an unrelated guide. The expected result is that the tool knows which OAuth client JSON to use for this account.

3. Authorize the mailbox

Start the CLI’s account-authorization flow and sign in to the Google account that OpenClaw should use. Review the requested scopes on Google’s consent screen. If the tool offers a scope selection, begin with read-only access.

On a headless server, one documented mode prints a URL rather than opening a browser. Copy that URL to a trusted device, complete consent there, and return the resulting authorization to the server exactly as the tool instructs. Never paste an authorization URL or token into a public chat or ticket.

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4. Install and configure the OpenClaw skill

Install the Gmail skill from the current ClawHub listing or the OpenClaw documentation, then configure it to call the authorized CLI account. Confirm that the skill’s account identifier, token location and command name match your installation. If the skill expects gog and you installed gogcli, or the reverse, correct the mapping before testing.

5. Test with a read-only prompt

Use a deliberately narrow instruction such as:

Read only. Find unread Gmail messages received today. Return sender, subject, received time, a two-sentence summary, and any explicit deadline. Do not label, archive, draft, or send anything.

Confirm in Gmail that no message state changed. Check the OpenClaw log for the account used and the tool calls made.

6. Add drafts, then sending

After several successful read-only runs, allow draft creation. Require the assistant to show the recipient, subject and complete body before it creates a draft. Keep sending disabled while you evaluate tone, recipient selection, quoted text and handling of attachments.

Only after reviewing drafts over time should you add the gmail.send scope and a narrowly defined send rule. A send rule should specify allowed recipients or domains, required human confirmation and what to do when the message contains confidential information or an attachment.

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Route 2: use IMAP and SMTP with an app password

Google does not accept a normal account password for IMAP or SMTP in this setup. The documented alternative is an app-specific password, which requires 2-Step Verification on the Google account.

1. Enable 2-Step Verification

In the Google account’s security settings, enable 2-Step Verification. The exact menu wording can change. Do not proceed to app-password creation until the account reports that 2-Step Verification is active.

2. Generate the app password

  1. Open the account’s app-password settings.
  2. Create a credential for the OpenClaw mail connection, using a recognizable label such as the host name.
  3. Copy the generated 16-character app password when it is displayed.
  4. Store it in the secret store or protected environment configuration used by OpenClaw; do not place it in a prompt, log or repository.

An app password grants access to the services for which it is accepted. Revoke it from the Google account if the host is retired, compromised or no longer needs mail access.

3. Configure separate reading and sending functions

Point the assistant’s IMAP connection at the mailbox for reading and its SMTP connection at Gmail’s documented submission service for sending. Use the current Google and OpenClaw configuration references for host names, ports, encryption and authentication settings; these details can change and should not be inferred from an old tutorial.

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Test IMAP first with a read-only operation. Then test SMTP by sending a message to yourself, not to an external recipient. Verify the From address, date, subject and body before enabling any automated draft or send workflow.

When IMAP/SMTP is the better choice

  • You need basic inbox reading and outbound mail, not Gmail-specific labels or API features.
  • You want fewer Google Cloud setup steps.
  • You can tolerate polling instead of event-driven notification.

Connector behavior varies. Features such as Gmail labels, archive semantics, thread handling and reliable draft management may not map cleanly through IMAP/SMTP. Test each operation you intend to automate rather than assuming that a successful login proves every feature works.

Route 3: react to new mail with Gmail Pub/Sub

Pub/Sub is the event-driven option. It notifies your service that mailbox activity occurred; it is not, by itself, a replacement for the Gmail connection that reads a message or creates a draft.

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Prerequisites

  • A Google Cloud project with billing enabled.
  • The Pub/Sub API enabled in that project.
  • The Gmail CLI already installed and authorized, according to the setup guidance for your chosen tool.
  • An OpenClaw service with a public webhook endpoint. A secure tunnel can expose a local service, but it must be configured and maintained safely.
  • Credential storage and request validation so unauthenticated internet traffic cannot trigger mail actions.

Event-driven flow

  1. Configure Gmail notification delivery to the Pub/Sub topic using the current Google instructions.
  2. Run a webhook receiver that validates incoming requests and records the notification identifier without treating the payload as trusted email content.
  3. Have OpenClaw use the authorized Gmail connection to fetch the changed message or thread.
  4. Apply the same read, draft and send permissions used in the non-event workflow.
  5. Return quickly from the webhook and process work asynchronously so a slow summary does not cause repeated deliveries.

Expect duplicate or delayed notifications in a distributed system. Make processing idempotent: record a message or notification identifier and avoid creating multiple drafts when the same event is delivered twice.

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Design Gmail permissions deliberately

One setup guide names three Gmail scopes: gmail.readonly for reading mail, gmail.send for sending as the user, and gmail.modify for actions such as labels and archive. Request only the scopes required by the current stage.

Stage Minimum intended capability Recommended control
Read-only trial gmail.readonly No mailbox mutation; summaries are returned to you for review
Draft workflow Read access plus the connector’s draft capability Show recipient, subject and body before creating a draft; never send automatically
Mailbox organization gmail.modify Allow only named labels or explicit archive rules; log every mutation
Sending gmail.send Require confirmation, recipient restrictions and a clear stop mechanism

Scopes are not a substitute for instructions. A read-capable agent can still expose sensitive text in its response, so constrain where summaries are delivered and who can invoke the agent.

Prompts and workflows that are safe to operate

Morning triage

Read only. Review unread messages from the last 24 hours. Group them into: needs my reply, informational, account or security alert, and unclear. For each message include sender, subject, received time, one-sentence summary, and the exact action requested. Do not change labels, archive, draft, or send.

Draft a response for one thread

Read the specified thread and draft a reply only. Preserve factual commitments from the thread, do not invent dates or prices, and ask me about any missing information. Show the recipient, subject and complete draft before creating it. Do not send.

Human-approved sending

Send only after I explicitly approve this exact recipient, subject and body. If any of those fields changes, stop and request approval again. Do not add recipients, attachments, links or claims that are not in the approved draft.

Keep prompts explicit about what the assistant must not do. “Summarize” should not silently become “archive,” and “prepare a reply” should not become “send.”

Scheduling and always-on operation

A scheduled assistant needs OpenClaw running when the schedule fires. If the host sleeps or the process stops, no polling task or alert can run during that period. Choose a schedule that matches the mailbox volume and your tolerance for delay, then start with a manual invocation so you can inspect output.

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For Pub/Sub, availability is continuous rather than periodic: the webhook and worker must be reachable whenever notifications may arrive. Monitor process restarts, queue depth, failed authorizations and duplicate event handling. Do not treat a green health check as proof that Gmail permissions are still valid.

Testing checklist before unattended use

  • Run a read-only summary against a test mailbox or a small set of non-sensitive messages.
  • Confirm that unread status, labels, archive state and stars remain unchanged after read-only runs.
  • Generate a draft to yourself and inspect recipients, quoted text, signature, formatting and attachments.
  • Test a refusal case: ask for a send without approval and verify that the assistant stops.
  • Test ambiguous instructions, missing deadlines, conflicting messages and suspected phishing content.
  • For Pub/Sub, deliver the same notification twice and verify that only one processing result or draft is produced.
  • Revoke the credential and confirm that the assistant fails closed rather than retrying forever.
  • Review logs for message bodies, tokens and authorization URLs; remove sensitive values from logs.

Troubleshooting common failures

The CLI command in a guide does not exist

Check whether your installation uses gogcli or gog, and whether the OpenClaw skill expects the same executable. Package names and install commands differ between guides. Use the current package documentation and update the skill’s command mapping instead of guessing.

OAuth opens on the wrong machine

Use the CLI’s documented manual or headless authorization mode. It should print a URL that you open on a trusted device, then return the authorization result to the server. Do not expose the callback or token publicly.

Google rejects the password

IMAP and SMTP do not use the ordinary Google account password in this arrangement. Enable 2-Step Verification and create a 16-character app password. If app-password creation is unavailable, the account’s administrator or security policy may restrict it; use an approved OAuth route instead.

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The assistant can read but cannot archive or label

Read-only authorization does not include mailbox modification. Reauthorize with gmail.modify only if those actions are necessary, then test each mutation on a controlled message.

Pub/Sub notifications arrive but no summary appears

A notification is only a trigger. Check that the webhook is reachable, the worker is running, the Gmail authorization is still valid, and the worker fetches the changed message after receiving the event. Inspect duplicate-delivery handling and queue failures before increasing permissions.

Drafts are duplicated

Duplicate event delivery, retries or a schedule overlap can create repeated drafts. Store a stable message or event identifier, check for an existing draft before creating another, and make the operation idempotent.

Maintenance and change control

Google’s OAuth consent screens, scope labels and account-security requirements change over time. OpenClaw skills and their command names can change as well. Recheck the official documentation before upgrading, reauthorizing or moving the assistant to another host.

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Keep a simple access register containing the account, granted scopes, credential creation date, host, schedule and revocation contact. Rotate or revoke app passwords and OAuth tokens when staff, hosts or workflows change. Review a sample of summaries and drafts periodically, and remove the send scope if the assistant no longer needs it.

Recommended build sequence

  1. Choose the CLI skill for Gmail API features, IMAP/SMTP for basic mail, or Pub/Sub only when event-driven response justifies the extra infrastructure.
  2. Prepare a protected, preferably always-on OpenClaw host for unattended work.
  3. Connect one mailbox with the smallest practical permission set.
  4. Run read-only summaries and verify that no mailbox state changes.
  5. Add draft creation with mandatory human review.
  6. Add labels or archive rules only when each rule is explicit and logged.
  7. Enable sending last, with exact approval, recipient restrictions and an emergency stop.
  8. For immediate notifications, add Pub/Sub after the basic workflow is reliable and idempotent.

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