ReadBot

ReadBot gives your AI coding tool newsletter digest commands. It connects to your email inbox, lets your AI summarize everything, and emails you a clean briefing.

It works with Claude Code, OpenCode, and any tool that supports markdown command files.

How it works

ReadBot doesn't call any LLM API. Your AI tool is the LLM. ReadBot just:

1. Installs Himalaya (a terminal email client)
2. Configures it with your IMAP/SMTP credentials
3. Drops two command files into your AI tool's commands directory

After setup, you get two commands:

• /wake-up — fetches unread newsletters, summarizes them, emails you a digest, marks them as read
• /catch-up — fetches all newsletters, summarizes them, emails you a digest (read-only, nothing marked)

The digest looks like this in your inbox:

🔴 Must Read
  - React 20 drops IE support — migration guide and breaking changes. React Blog

🟡 Worth Knowing
  - Bun 1.5 adds native S3 support
  - Node.js 24 enters LTS next month
  - New CSS anchor positioning lands in Firefox

⚪ Skipped
  - DevToolsWeekly — all sponsored content

Setup

npx readbot-ai init

The wizard will:

1. Detect your AI tool (Claude Code, OpenCode, or ask for a path)
2. Install Himalaya if it's not already on your machine
3. Ask for your email credentials (IMAP/SMTP host, port, username, app password)
4. Test the connection to make sure it works
5. Ask where to send digests (which email address)
6. Install the commands into the right directory for your tool

That's it. Open your AI tool and run /wake-up.

Gmail setup

If you use Gmail, you'll need an App Password (not your regular password):

1. Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
2. Generate a new app password for "Mail"
3. Use that 16-character password during setup

IMAP and SMTP are pre-filled for Gmail — just enter your email and app password.

Other providers

ReadBot works with any email provider that supports IMAP/SMTP. You'll need:

| Setting | Typical value | |---------|--------------| | IMAP host | imap.yourprovider.com | | IMAP port | 993 | | SMTP host | smtp.yourprovider.com | | SMTP port | 465 |

Check your provider's documentation for the exact values.

Commands

/wake-up

Morning briefing. Fetches unread emails, triages them into Must Read / Worth Knowing / Skip, sends an HTML digest to your inbox, marks processed emails as read, and saves a markdown copy locally.

/catch-up

Full inbox scan. Same as wake-up but fetches all emails regardless of read status and does not mark anything as read. Use this when you've been away and want to catch up on everything.

Other CLI commands

# Re-configure email credentials
readbot config

# Remove command files (keeps Himalaya installed)
readbot uninstall

Supported tools

| Tool | Commands dir | Skills | |------|-------------|--------| | Claude Code | ~/.claude/commands/ | — | | OpenCode | ~/.config/opencode/commands/ | ~/.config/opencode/skills/himalaya/ | | Custom | You provide the path | — |

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• macOS, Linux, or Windows
• An email account with IMAP/SMTP access

How the digest is built

ReadBot's command files are prompts. When you run /wake-up, your AI tool:

1. Runs himalaya envelope list not flag seen to find unread emails
2. Reads each email with himalaya message read <id>
3. Uses its own LLM to triage everything into three buckets
4. Builds an HTML email and sends it via himalaya message send
5. Marks emails as read and saves a markdown copy

The LLM cost comes from your AI tool's existing subscription or API key — ReadBot doesn't add any.

License

MIT