Build an Email AI Agent with nanobot

This guide turns nanobot into an email AI agent that polls IMAP for accepted messages and replies through SMTP.

What this guide builds

a dedicated mailbox for nanobot
IMAP and SMTP credentials in config.json
an allowed sender list
a gateway process that polls and replies

Prerequisites

A working local nanobot reply:

nanobot agent -m "Hello!"

A mailbox for the bot.
IMAP and SMTP access. For Gmail, use an app password rather than your account password.

Install nanobot

python -m pip install nanobot-ai
nanobot onboard --wizard

Enable the Email channel

Merge this snippet into ~/.nanobot/config.json and replace the addresses and passwords:

{
  "channels": {
    "email": {
      "enabled": true,
      "consentGranted": true,
      "imapHost": "imap.gmail.com",
      "imapPort": 993,
      "imapUsername": "my-nanobot@gmail.com",
      "imapPassword": "your-app-password",
      "smtpHost": "smtp.gmail.com",
      "smtpPort": 587,
      "smtpUsername": "my-nanobot@gmail.com",
      "smtpPassword": "your-app-password",
      "fromAddress": "my-nanobot@gmail.com",
      "allowFrom": ["your-real-email@gmail.com"],
      "autoReplyEnabled": true
    }
  }
}

Run nanobot gateway

nanobot channels status
nanobot gateway

Test a message

Send an email from an address in allowFrom to the bot mailbox. Keep the gateway running long enough for the polling interval to receive it.

Security notes

Use a dedicated mailbox, not your primary personal inbox.
Set consentGranted to false to fully disable mailbox access.
Keep allowFrom narrow; ["*"] accepts mail from anyone.
Use environment variables for mailbox passwords.
Enable attachment types only when the agent needs them.

Troubleshooting

If login fails, confirm IMAP/SMTP access and app-password setup.
If the bot reads but does not reply, check autoReplyEnabled, SMTP settings, and allowed sender addresses.
If attachments are missing, review allowedAttachmentTypes, size limits, and gateway logs.

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