Recipe Create Vacation Responder

A straightforward three-step recipe for setting up Gmail's vacation responder through the command line. You get the essential commands to enable auto-reply with a custom message, verify your settings are correct, and disable it when you return. The workflow handles the common scenario where you need to quickly set an out-of-office message without clicking through Gmail's web interface. It's bare-bones but covers what most people actually need: turning it on, checking it worked, and turning it off. The commands are ready to customize with your own message text and contact details.

installs: 30.1K
GitHub stars: 31.9K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add googleworkspace/cli --skill recipe-create-vacation-responder --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Set Up a Gmail Vacation Responder

PREREQUISITE: Load the following skills to execute this recipe: gws-gmail

Enable a Gmail out-of-office auto-reply with a custom message and date range.

Steps

Enable vacation responder: gws gmail users settings updateVacation --params '{"userId": "me"}' --json '{"enableAutoReply": true, "responseSubject": "Out of Office", "responseBodyPlainText": "I am out of the office until Jan 20. For urgent matters, contact backup@company.com.", "restrictToContacts": false, "restrictToDomain": false}'
Verify settings: gws gmail users settings getVacation --params '{"userId": "me"}'
Disable when back: gws gmail users settings updateVacation --params '{"userId": "me"}' --json '{"enableAutoReply": false}'

SKILL.md on GitHub