> **gws-gmail-watch** — skill 22 of 95 in [googleworkspace/cli](https://skillsdocs.com/googleworkspace/cli).
>
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> Install the book: `npx skills add googleworkspace/cli`
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> Licence: Apache-2.0 — https://spdx.org/licenses/Apache-2.0.html
>
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<!-- Verbatim upstream SKILL.md follows, YAML frontmatter included. -->

---
name: gws-gmail-watch
description: "Gmail: Watch for new emails and stream them as NDJSON."
metadata:
  version: 0.22.5
  openclaw:
    category: "productivity"
    requires:
      bins:
        - gws
    cliHelp: "gws gmail +watch --help"
---

# gmail +watch

> **PREREQUISITE:** Read `../gws-shared/SKILL.md` for auth, global flags, and security rules. If missing, run `gws generate-skills` to create it.

Watch for new emails and stream them as NDJSON

## Usage

```bash
gws gmail +watch
```

## Flags

| Flag | Required | Default | Description |
|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `--project` | — | — | GCP project ID for Pub/Sub resources |
| `--subscription` | — | — | Existing Pub/Sub subscription name (skip setup) |
| `--topic` | — | — | Existing Pub/Sub topic with Gmail push permission already granted |
| `--label-ids` | — | — | Comma-separated Gmail label IDs to filter (e.g., INBOX,UNREAD) |
| `--max-messages` | — | 10 | Max messages per pull batch |
| `--poll-interval` | — | 5 | Seconds between pulls |
| `--msg-format` | — | full | Gmail message format: full, metadata, minimal, raw |
| `--once` | — | — | Pull once and exit |
| `--cleanup` | — | — | Delete created Pub/Sub resources on exit |
| `--output-dir` | — | — | Write each message to a separate JSON file in this directory |

## Examples

```bash
gws gmail +watch --project my-gcp-project
gws gmail +watch --project my-project --label-ids INBOX --once
gws gmail +watch --subscription projects/p/subscriptions/my-sub
gws gmail +watch --project my-project --cleanup --output-dir ./emails
```

## Tips

- Gmail watch expires after 7 days — re-run to renew.
- Without --cleanup, Pub/Sub resources persist for reconnection.
- Press Ctrl-C to stop gracefully.

## See Also

- [gws-shared](../gws-shared/SKILL.md) — Global flags and auth
- [gws-gmail](../gws-gmail/SKILL.md) — All send, read, and manage email commands