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Build an Email AI Agent with nanobot

docs/guides/email-ai-agent.md

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Build an Email AI Agent with nanobot

This guide turns nanobot into an email AI agent that polls IMAP for accepted messages and replies through SMTP.

What this guide builds

  • a dedicated mailbox for nanobot
  • IMAP and SMTP credentials in config.json
  • an allowed sender list
  • a gateway process that polls and replies

Prerequisites

  • A working local nanobot reply:
bash
nanobot agent -m "Hello!"
  • A mailbox for the bot.
  • IMAP and SMTP access. For Gmail, use an app password rather than your account password.

Install nanobot

bash
python -m pip install nanobot-ai
nanobot onboard --wizard

Enable the Email channel

Merge this snippet into ~/.nanobot/config.json and replace the addresses and passwords:

json
{
  "channels": {
    "email": {
      "enabled": true,
      "consentGranted": true,
      "imapHost": "imap.gmail.com",
      "imapPort": 993,
      "imapUsername": "[email protected]",
      "imapPassword": "your-app-password",
      "smtpHost": "smtp.gmail.com",
      "smtpPort": 587,
      "smtpUsername": "[email protected]",
      "smtpPassword": "your-app-password",
      "fromAddress": "[email protected]",
      "allowFrom": ["[email protected]"],
      "autoReplyEnabled": true
    }
  }
}

Run nanobot gateway

bash
nanobot channels status
nanobot gateway

Test a message

Send an email from an address in allowFrom to the bot mailbox. Keep the gateway running long enough for the polling interval to receive it.

Security notes

  • Use a dedicated mailbox, not your primary personal inbox.
  • Set consentGranted to false to fully disable mailbox access.
  • Email does not use DM pairing. Keep allowFrom narrow; ["*"] accepts mail from anyone.
  • Use environment variables for mailbox passwords.
  • Enable attachment types only when the agent needs them.

Troubleshooting

  • If login fails, confirm IMAP/SMTP access and app-password setup.
  • If the bot reads but does not reply, check autoReplyEnabled, SMTP settings, and allowed sender addresses.
  • If attachments are missing, review allowedAttachmentTypes, size limits, and gateway logs.

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