---
name: send-email
description: Use when any skill or workflow needs to send an email - triggers on "send email", "email this to", "email someone", or when another skill references emailing as a delivery step. Supports plain text, HTML, and markdown formats with CC/BCC.
---

# Send Email

## Overview

Sends emails via Mailjet using a Python script. Supports plain text, HTML, and markdown (auto-converted to styled HTML). Designed to be called by other skills or directly.

This skill uses Mailjet as the email provider, but the pattern could be adapted to SendGrid, AWS SES, or any transactional email API.

## Setup

### 1. Install the email sender script

Clone or create a Python script that sends emails via the Mailjet API. The script should accept command-line arguments for recipient, subject, and body content.

A minimal implementation needs:
- `mailjet_rest` Python package (`pip install mailjet-rest`)
- A `.env` file with your credentials
- Support for `--to`, `--subject`, `--body`, `--html`, `--markdown`, and `--markdown-file` flags

### 2. Configure credentials

Create a `.env` file in your script's directory:

```
MAILJET_API_KEY=YOUR_MAILJET_API_KEY
MAILJET_API_SECRET=YOUR_MAILJET_API_SECRET
SENDER_EMAIL=your-verified-sender@example.com
SENDER_NAME=Your Name
DEFAULT_RECIPIENT_EMAIL=your-default-recipient@example.com
```

Sign up at https://www.mailjet.com (free tier: 200 emails/day). Verify your sender address in the Mailjet dashboard.

### 3. Set the script path

Update the paths below to match your setup:

```
SCRIPT_DIR: YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender
SCRIPT_NAME: send_email.py
```

## Usage

**Always run from the script's directory** (so it can find its imports and .env):

```bash
cd YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender && \
python3 send_email.py \
  --to "recipient@example.com" \
  --subject "Subject" \
  --body "Plain text content"
```

## Quick Reference

| Format | Flag | Notes |
|--------|------|-------|
| Plain text | `--body "text"` | Simple text email |
| HTML | `--html "<h1>Hi</h1>"` | Raw HTML |
| Markdown | `--markdown "## Heading"` | Auto-converts to styled HTML |
| Markdown file | `--markdown-file /path/to/file.md` | Best for long content |

| Option | Flag | Example |
|--------|------|---------|
| Multiple recipients | `--to` | `"a@x.com,b@x.com"` |
| CC | `--cc` | `"cc@x.com"` |
| BCC | `--bcc` | `"bcc@x.com"` |
| Override sender | `--from` | `"other@example.com"` |
| Override sender name | `--from-name` | `"Other Name"` |

## Examples

**Simple email:**
```bash
cd YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender && \
python3 send_email.py \
  --to "recipient@example.com" \
  --subject "Test" \
  --body "Hello from Claude!"
```

**Markdown email (best for skill output):**
```bash
cd YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender && \
python3 send_email.py \
  --to "recipient@example.com" \
  --subject "Weekly Digest" \
  --markdown "## This Week\n\n- Item 1\n- Item 2\n\n**Bold text** and [links](https://example.com) work."
```

**From a markdown file (best for long content):**
```bash
cd YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender && \
python3 send_email.py \
  --to "recipient@example.com" \
  --subject "Report" \
  --markdown-file /tmp/report.md
```

## For Long Content

For messages with special characters, newlines, or multi-paragraph content, write to a temp file first:

```bash
# Write content to temp file
cat > /tmp/email_body.md << 'EOF'
## Weekend Plan

- **Event 1** - Details here
- **Event 2** - More details

[Link to info](https://example.com)
EOF

cd YOUR_PATH/scripts/email_sender && \
python3 send_email.py \
  --to "recipient@example.com" \
  --subject "Weekend Plan" \
  --markdown-file /tmp/email_body.md
```

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Running from wrong directory | Always `cd` to the email_sender directory first |
| Unverified sender address | Verify in Mailjet dashboard before using `--from` |
| Special chars in --markdown | Use `--markdown-file` with a temp file instead |
| No content flag | Must provide one of `--body`, `--html`, `--markdown`, or `--markdown-file` |
| Sending without asking user | Always confirm recipient and content before sending |

## Integration with Other Skills

Any skill can reference this as a delivery step. Examples:
- A digest skill can email its output
- A meeting summarizer can email notes to attendees
- A daily report skill can email the summary

When combining skills, use `--markdown-file` with a temp file for the cleanest results.