gmail +forward
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
Usage
gws gmail +forward --message-id <ID> --to <EMAILS>
Flags
| 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 above the forwarded message, used verbatim (plain text, or HTML with --html). \n is NOT a newline — use $'...' or a real line break |
--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 |
Examples
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
# Multi-line note — $'...' quoting turns \n into a real newline:
gws gmail +forward --message-id 18f1a2b3c4d --to dave@example.com --body $'Dave,\n\nSee the thread below.\n\nBlake'
Tips
- IMPORTANT: --body is verbatim. Writing --body "Hi,\n\nFYI" sends a literal backslash-n to the recipient; it does NOT create a line break. Use $'Hi,\n\nFYI' or "$(cat file.txt)". See gws-shared Shell Tips.
- Includes the original message with sender, date, subject, and recipients.
- Original attachments are included by default (matching Gmail web behavior).
- With --html, inline images are also preserved via cid: references.
- In plain-text mode, inline images are not included (matching Gmail web).
- Use --no-original-attachments to forward without the original message's files.
- Use -a/--attach to add extra file attachments. Can be specified multiple times.
- Combined size of original and user attachments is limited to 25MB.
- With --html, the forwarded block uses Gmail's gmail_quote CSS classes and preserves HTML formatting. Use fragment tags (<p>, <b>, <a>, etc.) — no <html>/<body> wrapper needed.
- Use --draft to save the forward as a draft instead of sending it immediately.
See Also
- gws-shared — Global flags and auth
- gws-gmail — All send, read, and manage email commands