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Connectors · Calendar & mail

Connect Apple Mail

Set up with your AI

Every account Mail already has, iCloud, Exchange, Gmail or any IMAP, in your Mac's notch.

You need
No token Mail open; macOS asks to let CoIsland control Mail
The form asks
  • Connector name
You can watch
  • Unread mail
  • Mail from people
Access
Read unread messages while Mail is open, never marking one read
On this page

To connect Apple Mail you need Mail open with your accounts in it. CoIsland asks Mail for its unread messages on your Mac: no password or app password for CoIsland, and nothing leaves the Mac. CoIsland reads Mail only while it is open and never opens it.

Connect Apple Mail in CoIsland

  1. Open Mail.
  2. Open Settings › Connectors, click + and choose Apple Mail. Keep the name mail, or type your own.
  3. Click Test connector. macOS asks “CoIsland wants access to control Mail”: click OK. A success lists Mail’s accounts and how many messages are unread in the inboxes.
  4. Click Add Connector.

If you click Don’t Allow, turn it on later in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation › CoIsland › Mail.

Choose what to watch

  • Unread mail alerts on each new unread message in every account’s inbox, or in the mailboxes you pick.
  • Mail from people alerts only on unread mail from the addresses or @domains you pick. Mail does not share its VIP list with other apps: add your VIPs here.
-- name: Mail from Acme
-- kind: applemail.senders
-- every: 1m

mailbox:inbox from:@acme.com

The kinds are applemail.unread and applemail.senders. mailbox: takes inbox or Account/Mailbox (write a space as %20; the editor lists them while Mail is open) and may repeat; from: takes an address or @domain and may repeat.

What an Apple Mail alert shows

The subject, the sender, the account and the mailbox. Opened, it asks Mail for the recipients and the text, shown as plain text; the message stays unread. Open in Mail shows the message in Mail.

Troubleshooting

  • Mail is not open. Open Mail; the next check reads it. CoIsland never opens Mail itself.
  • CoIsland has not been allowed to read Mail yet. Open Mail and press Test connector.
  • CoIsland may not read Mail. Turn Mail on under CoIsland in Privacy & Security › Automation. Open System Settings goes there.
  • Mail took too long to answer. A very large mailbox can be slow; the next check tries again. Pick a smaller mailbox if it keeps happening.

Next: the Apple Mail connector for what it watches.

Stuck? Open an issue on GitHub, or write to hello@coisland.app.

Docs