This Claude skill integrates the Himalaya CLI to provide a powerful, terminal-based email management system. It allows users to list, read, compose, reply to, and organize emails using IMAP and SMTP protocols directly within their workflow. Supporting multiple accounts and MML (MIME Meta Language) for rich message composition, it is designed for users who need an efficient, scriptable, and distraction-free way to handle professional communications.

When should I use himalaya?

himalaya is useful in the following scenarios: • Automated Inbox Triage: Use Claude to list and summarize recent emails, helping you quickly identify and prioritize urgent messages without opening a heavy GUI client. • Streamlined Email Composition: Draft and send professional replies or new messages using MML syntax for structured content and attachments. • Multi-Account Management: Seamlessly switch between personal, work, and project-specific email accounts to monitor all communications from a single interface. • Advanced Email Searching: Locate specific messages or threads using powerful search filters based on sender, subject, or date ranges. • Efficient Attachment Handling: Quickly download and save email attachments to specific local directories for immediate processing or analysis. • Inbox Organization: Perform bulk operations like moving messages to folders, archiving, or managing flags (e.g., marking as seen) to maintain a clean inbox.

name	himalaya
description	"CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language)."
homepage	https://github.com/pimalaya/himalaya
metadata	{"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📧","requires":{"bins":["himalaya"]},"install":[{"id":"brew","kind":"brew","formula":"himalaya","bins":["himalaya"],"label":"Install Himalaya (brew)"}]}}

Himalaya Email CLI

Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.

References

references/configuration.md (config file setup + IMAP/SMTP authentication)
references/message-composition.md (MML syntax for composing emails)

Prerequisites

Himalaya CLI installed (himalaya --version to verify)
A configuration file at ~/.config/himalaya/config.toml
IMAP/SMTP credentials configured (password stored securely)

Configuration Setup

Run the interactive wizard to set up an account:

himalaya account configure

Or create ~/.config/himalaya/config.toml manually:

[accounts.personal]
email = "you@example.com"
display-name = "Your Name"
default = true

backend.type = "imap"
backend.host = "imap.example.com"
backend.port = 993
backend.encryption.type = "tls"
backend.login = "you@example.com"
backend.auth.type = "password"
backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/imap"  # or use keyring

message.send.backend.type = "smtp"
message.send.backend.host = "smtp.example.com"
message.send.backend.port = 587
message.send.backend.encryption.type = "start-tls"
message.send.backend.login = "you@example.com"
message.send.backend.auth.type = "password"
message.send.backend.auth.cmd = "pass show email/smtp"

Common Operations

List Folders

himalaya folder list

List Emails

List emails in INBOX (default):

himalaya envelope list

List emails in a specific folder:

himalaya envelope list --folder "Sent"

List with pagination:

himalaya envelope list --page 1 --page-size 20

Search Emails

himalaya envelope list from john@example.com subject meeting

Read an Email

Read email by ID (shows plain text):

himalaya message read 42

Export raw MIME:

himalaya message export 42 --full

Reply to an Email

Interactive reply (opens $EDITOR):

himalaya message reply 42

Reply-all:

himalaya message reply 42 --all

Forward an Email

himalaya message forward 42

Write a New Email

Interactive compose (opens $EDITOR):

himalaya message write

Send directly using template:

cat << 'EOF' | himalaya template send
From: you@example.com
To: recipient@example.com
Subject: Test Message

Hello from Himalaya!
EOF

Or with headers flag:

himalaya message write -H "To:recipient@example.com" -H "Subject:Test" "Message body here"

Move/Copy Emails

Move to folder:

himalaya message move 42 "Archive"

Copy to folder:

himalaya message copy 42 "Important"

Delete an Email

himalaya message delete 42

Manage Flags

Add flag:

himalaya flag add 42 --flag seen

Remove flag:

himalaya flag remove 42 --flag seen

Multiple Accounts

List accounts:

himalaya account list

Use a specific account:

himalaya --account work envelope list

Attachments

Save attachments from a message:

himalaya attachment download 42

Save to specific directory:

himalaya attachment download 42 --dir ~/Downloads

Output Formats

Most commands support --output for structured output:

himalaya envelope list --output json
himalaya envelope list --output plain

Debugging

Enable debug logging:

RUST_LOG=debug himalaya envelope list

Full trace with backtrace:

RUST_LOG=trace RUST_BACKTRACE=1 himalaya envelope list

Tips

Use himalaya --help or himalaya <command> --help for detailed usage.
Message IDs are relative to the current folder; re-list after folder changes.
For composing rich emails with attachments, use MML syntax (see references/message-composition.md).
Store passwords securely using pass, system keyring, or a command that outputs the password.

himalaya

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases