osascript-email

Send automated plain-text emails on macOS via Mail.app using AppleScript without SMTP credentials, suitable for alerts and reports, not bulk or HTML emails.

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:"[e-mail]"}
    make new to recipient with properties {address:"[e-mail]"}
  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="[e-mail]",
    cc="[e-mail]",       # optional
    sender="[e-mail]"  # 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:"[e-mail]"}
make new to recipient with properties {address:"[e-mail]"}

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
osascript: Mail got an error	Mail.app not open or account not configured	Open Mail.app, check accounts
Email lands in Drafts	send m not reached (script errored before)	Check escape characters
execution error: Mail got an error: Invalid recipient	Address typo	Verify recipient address
Email sends but empty body	Newline escape issue in content string	Use Python helper instead
returncode != 0 with no stderr	osascript permission denied	Grant 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