# Email and calendar — community wiki

Zdroj: https://hermes-ai.cz/en/wiki/features/email-and-calendar/
Ověřeno proti oficiální dokumentaci: 17. 10. 2026
Oficiální stránka: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/messaging/email
Language: English. AI version — paste the whole text into your agent.

## Three ways to email
1) Email as a channel (gateway) — write to an address, agent replies; needs IMAP/SMTP + app password.
2) Own address + Himalaya — the agent checks the inbox itself, no always-on bot.
3) Google Workspace — Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, Docs, Contacts (OAuth, Google Cloud project).
Email only -> way 1 or 2 (minutes). Calendar -> way 3.

## Setting up the email channel
hermes gateway setup -> pick Email
~/.hermes/.env:
  EMAIL_ADDRESS, EMAIL_PASSWORD (app password!), EMAIL_IMAP_HOST, EMAIL_SMTP_HOST
  EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS=... (who may write) · EMAIL_AUTHSERV_ID=... (receiving server identity)
Optional: EMAIL_IMAP_PORT 993, EMAIL_SMTP_PORT 587, EMAIL_POLL_INTERVAL 15 s, EMAIL_HOME_ADDRESS
Run: hermes gateway (foreground) or hermes gateway install (service)
At startup existing messages are marked as seen — only new mail is processed.

## Who may write
Allowlist set = only those addresses. Empty = unknown senders silently ignored. pair = pairing code.
decline = one polite refusal then nothing (24 h).
Authentication: the agent acts only when the receiving server confirms From (DMARC or SPF/DKIM) —
hence EMAIL_AUTHSERV_ID.

## Calendar (Google Workspace)
The agent guides setup: Google Cloud project + APIs, desktop-type OAuth credentials, approve in the
browser, token refreshes itself afterwards.
Usage: "What meetings do I have tomorrow?" / "Book a 30-minute consultation on Thursday from 10:00."
WARNING: times need a timezone offset (+02:00) or UTC; a bare time is treated as UTC.

## Pitfalls from our systems
1. Nothing processed -> EMAIL_AUTHSERV_ID mismatch or address not allowlisted (check the service log).
2. Replies never arrived -> your domain needs SPF/DKIM/DMARC.
3. "Allow everyone" = the agent obeys anyone; the allowlist is the protection.
4. Password change -> update the app password in the settings too.
5. Meeting two hours off -> missing timezone offset.
6. Old emails are ignored (marked seen at startup) -> forward them again.

## Tips
An address of its own for the agent · meaningful subjects · email is a letter, not a chat (sensitive
things elsewhere) · EMAIL_HOME_ADDRESS for morning digests · try one email first.