osascript-email#

Send email via Mail.app using AppleScript. No password or API key needed — Mail.app handles auth.

Prerequisites#

• macOS with Mail.app installed
• At least one email account configured in Mail.app
• Verify the sender address matches a configured Mail.app account
• Authorization: This skill sends email silently from Mail.app. Only use with explicit user consent. Never use to send on behalf of a user without their knowledge.

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Quick send (exec)#

Use exec to run an inline osascript command. The script below is the canonical pattern — copy it exactly, then substitute values.

bash

osascript << 'APPLESCRIPT'
tell application "Mail"
  set m to make new outgoing message with properties {subject:"YOUR SUBJECT", content:"YOUR BODY", visible:false}
  tell m
    make new to recipient with properties {address:"recipient@example.com"}
    make new to recipient with properties {address:"cc@example.com"}
  end tell
  send m
end tell
return "sent"
APPLESCRIPT

Escaping rules:

• Double quotes inside subject/content must be escaped: \"
• Backslashes must be doubled: \\
• Newlines inside content: use \n (AppleScript treats literal newlines in the string as content)

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Python helper (for agent scripts)#

Use when sending email from a Python cron script or agent workflow. Copy the function from scripts/send_email.py — do not rewrite it.

python

from scripts.send_email import send_email

send_email(
    subject="Daily Report — 2026-01-01",
    body="Here is the summary...",
    to="primary@example.com",
    cc="secondary@example.com",       # optional
    sender="your-mail-app-account@icloud.com"  # must match Mail.app account
)

See scripts/send_email.py for the full implementation.

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Multi-recipient#

Add additional make new to recipient lines inside the tell m block:

applescript

make new to recipient with properties {address:"a@example.com"}
make new to recipient with properties {address:"b@example.com"}

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Troubleshooting#

SymptomLikely causeFixosascript: Mail got an errorMail.app not open or account not configuredOpen Mail.app, check accountsEmail lands in Draftssend m not reached (script errored before)Check escape charactersexecution error: Mail got an error: Invalid recipientAddress typoVerify recipient addressEmail sends but empty bodyNewline escape issue in content stringUse Python helper insteadreturncode != 0 with no stderrosascript permission deniedGrant Automation permission: macOS Ventura+: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation; older macOS: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Automation

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Limitations#

• Plain text only (no HTML, no inline images)
• Attachments possible but require additional AppleScript — see references/attachments.md
• Rate: Mail.app will queue and send; not suitable for bulk sends (>10 emails)
• Sender must be a configured Mail.app account — cannot spoof arbitrary addresses