
Automates Gmail message forwarding through the command line, handling the tedious parts like preserving original attachments, inline images, and proper message formatting. You'll reach for this when building email workflows, automated reporting systems, or when you need to forward messages programmatically without clicking through Gmail's web interface. The HTML preservation is solid and it respects Gmail's 25MB attachment limits. Honestly, it's one of those utilities that seems niche until you need to forward 50 messages with specific notes attached, then it becomes indispensable.
$ npx -y skills add googleworkspace/cli --skill gws-gmail-forward --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
PREREQUISITE: Read
../gws-shared/SKILL.mdfor auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, rungws generate-skillsto create it.
Forward a message to new recipients
gws gmail +forward --message-id <ID> --to <EMAILS>
| Flag | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--message-id | ✓ | — | Gmail message ID to forward |
--to | ✓ | — | Recipient email address(es), comma-separated |
--from | — | — | Sender address (for send-as/alias; omit to use account default) |
--body | — | — | Optional note to include above the forwarded message (plain text, or HTML with --html) |
--no-original-attachments | — | — | Do not include file attachments from the original message (inline images in --html mode are preserved) |
--attach | — | — | Attach a file (can be specified multiple times) |
--cc | — | — | CC email address(es), comma-separated |
--bcc | — | — | BCC email address(es), comma-separated |
--html | — | — | Treat --body as HTML content (default is plain text) |
--dry-run | — | — | Show the request that would be sent without executing it |
--draft | — | — | Save as draft instead of sending |
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --body 'FYI see below'
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --cc eve@example.com
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --body '<p>FYI</p>' --html
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com -a notes.pdf
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --no-original-attachments
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --draft
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