# Reading mail All reads go to your mail server live, and none of them mark messages as read. ## List a folder ```bash fob-email emails list # newest 50 in INBOX fob-email emails list --unseen --limit 20 # newest 20 unread fob-email emails list --folder Archive fob-email emails list --fields id,from,subject,date,attach ``` ```text ID FROM SUBJECT DATE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1423 billing@vendor.example Invoice INV-2291 for September 2026-10-01 14:42:44 1419 noreply@bank.example Your statement is ready 2026-09-30 11:32:10 1417 ap@northwind.example Remittance advice: payment 88213 2026-09-29 20:10:00 ``` - Messages come **newest first**, with dates in your computer's time zone. `--limit` sets how many (default 50). There's no paging: to see older messages, raise `--limit` or use `search` with `--since`. - `--fields` picks columns from `id`, `from`, `to`, `subject`, `date`, `flags` and `attach`. `to` shows the first recipient, and `attach` shows `*` when a message has attachments. Empty cells show `—`. - When the list fills `--limit`, a note `(showing 50; raise --limit for more)` prints on stderr. ## Message IDs The `ID` column is the message's number **within that folder** (its IMAP UID). Keep two rules in mind: - Pass the same `--folder` when you use the ID: `fob-email emails show 1423 --folder Archive`. The default folder is `INBOX`. - A message gets a new ID when it moves to another folder. ## Search ```bash fob-email emails search "invoice" # in headers and body fob-email emails search --from billing@vendor.example fob-email emails search --subject statement --since 2026-09-01 fob-email emails search "overdue" --folder Archive --limit 100 ``` The query matches anywhere in the message. `--from`, `--subject` and `--since` (a `YYYY-MM-DD` date, inclusive) narrow it further, and all conditions must match. Matching is done by your mail server: it finds words and addresses, not meaning. ## Open a message ```bash fob-email emails show 1423 ``` ```text --- Email #1423 --- From: Vendor Billing To: you@example.com Subject: Invoice INV-2291 for September Date: 2026-10-01T09:12:44.000Z Msg-Id: Hi, please find attached your invoice for September. --- Attachments --- INV-2291.pdf (application/pdf, 84.2 KB) ``` `show` prints the plain-text body, and the date in UTC. With `--json` you also get the HTML body and attachment details. See [Output and scripting](/docs/email/cli/output-and-scripting). ## Download attachments ```bash fob-email emails download 1423 -o ./invoices ``` Every attachment is saved into the `-o` folder (default: the current folder), which is created if needed. A file with the same name is overwritten. Each saved file prints `Wrote ` on stderr, and `--json` prints the list of saved files on stdout. ## Conversations ```bash fob-email threads list --limit 20 fob-email threads show 1423 ``` ```text LATEST MSGS SUBJECT DATE ------------------------------------------------------- 1423 3 Re: Invoice INV-2291 2026-10-01 14:42:44 1402 1 Contract renewal 2026-09-27 15:30:00 ``` - `threads list` groups the folder's recent messages into conversations, most recent activity first. `LATEST` is the ID of the newest message in each. - `threads show ` takes **any message ID** in the conversation and prints the whole conversation, oldest first. - Gmail and servers that provide conversation IDs group exactly. On other servers fob-email follows reply headers, looking back over the folder's most recent 500 messages. - A conversation is read from one folder (default `INBOX`). Only messages in that folder are included, so your own replies, which sit in your Sent folder, usually don't appear. ## Folders ```bash fob-email folders list ``` ```text PATH SPECIAL SUBSCRIBED -------------------------------------- INBOX — yes [Gmail]/Drafts \Drafts yes [Gmail]/Sent Mail \Sent yes Invoices/2026 — yes ``` `PATH` is the name to use with `--folder`. `SPECIAL` marks your provider's Drafts, Sent, Trash, Junk and All Mail folders. Folder names with spaces or brackets need quotes, for example `--folder "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"`.