This document outlines the functionality and characteristics of the Gmail Reader node, which enables automated email processing from Gmail accounts.

Node Inputs

The Gmail Reader node accepts the following inputs:

  • Label: The Gmail label to read from (default: ‘INBOX’)
  • Number of Emails: Maximum number of emails to process. Leave blank to read all emails.

Optional Settings

  • Search Query: Optional Gmail search syntax to filter emails
  • Mark as Read: Whether to mark processed emails as read (default: False)
  • Ignore Read Status: If checked, this will include both unread and previously read emails in your search. By default, only unread emails are processed
  • Read Full Thread: If checked, the full message chain will be read for each email thread (default: False)

Node Output

The Gmail Reader node produces the following outputs (all in list format):

  • Email Bodies: Content of the email messages
  • Attachment Files: Names and contents of attached files
  • Message ID: Unique ID of each individual email
  • Thread ID: Unique ID of the entire conversation thread that can contain multiple emails
  • Sender Addresses: Email addresses of senders
  • Recipient Addresses: All recipients (including CC/BCC)
  • Subjects: Email subject lines
  • Dates: Date & timestamp of emails (in UTC)
  • Sender Display Names: Names of the email sender

Node Functionality

The Gmail Reader node provides automated access to Gmail inbox content and email data.

Key features include:

  • Support for Gmail search syntax filtering
  • Attachment handling
  • Customizable email processing options
  • Secure authentication with Gumloop

Trigger Functionality

This node can also function as a trigger to start your flow when new emails arrive in Gmail. Learn more about triggers in our Triggers documentation.

When To Use

The Gmail Reader node is particularly valuable in scenarios requiring automated email processing. Common use cases include:

  • Customer Support: Automatically process incoming support emails
  • Data Extraction: Extract information from scheduled reports
  • Email Monitoring: Track important communications
  • Attachment Processing: Handle incoming file attachments

Some specific examples:

  • Processing order confirmations
  • Collecting daily reports
  • Monitoring support tickets
  • Archiving attachments

Important Considerations:

  1. Requires Authentication with Gmail - Set up in the Credentials page
  2. By default, only processes unread emails
  3. Output types change to single string if reading just one email

In summary, the Gmail Reader node streamlines email processing tasks by providing automated access to Gmail content, with flexible filtering options and comprehensive data extraction capabilities.