CLI

Every part of the API from a terminal, with no install.

npx carlyemail signup

It asks for your email, offers an inbox name, and saves the key to ~/.carlyemail/config.json. Scripting it? Pass --human-email and --username; with no terminal it fails rather than waiting on a prompt.

Confirm the emailed code and it can send:

npx carlyemail verify 123456
npx carlyemail send --from my-agent@agents.carlyemail.com \
  --to someone@example.com --subject "Hello" --text "Sent by an agent."

Install it if you reach for it often. The same package carries the SDK.

npm install -g carlyemail

Node 18 or newer. No dependencies.

Commands


`signup`	Create an account and an inbox
`verify <code>`	Confirm the owner email
`whoami`	Identity and scope of the current key
`inboxes`	List inboxes
`create --username <u>`	Create an inbox
`delete <inbox> --yes`	Delete an inbox and its mail
`send --from <i> --to <a> --subject <s> --text <t>`	Send an email
`messages <inbox>`	List messages
`read <inbox> <id>`	Read one message in full
`search <inbox> <text>`	Search messages
`threads <inbox>`	List conversations
`reply <inbox> <id\\|--last> --text <t>`	Reply to the sender (`--all` to copy everyone)
`drafts <inbox>`	List drafts
`draft <inbox> --to <a> --text <t>`	Write a draft without sending
`send-draft <inbox> <id>`	Send a draft written earlier
`webhook <url> --events <e,e>`	Create a webhook endpoint
`webhooks`	List webhook endpoints
`domains`	List custom domains, with their DNS records
`plan`	Current plan and usage against every limit
`upgrade <plan>`	A Stripe checkout link
`billing`	Invoices, card changes, cancellation
`mcp`	The MCP endpoint, for Claude and other clients

Checking your headroom

Usage against every limit in one view, so you see what is about to run out before a request is refused:

carlyemail plan

free  $0/mo

  inboxes   3 / 3
  domains   0 / 1
  pods      1 / 2
  webhooks  0 / 2
  storage   0.0 GB / 3.0 GB
  email     3000 a month

Scripting

--json prints the API response untouched — the same shape the API reference documents.

carlyemail inboxes --json | jq -r '.inboxes[].email'
carlyemail plan --json | jq '.organization.storage_bytes'

Failures exit 1 under --json too, and the error is still printed, so set -e behaves.

Configuration

The key is saved to ~/.carlyemail/config.json, written 0600.

Two environment variables override it, and the environment always wins:


`CARLYEMAIL_API_KEY`	Use this key instead of the saved one
`CARLYEMAIL_API_URL`	Point at a different deployment

So running as a different account is a prefix, not a login:

CARLYEMAIL_API_KEY=ce_us_... carlyemail whoami

Things worth knowing

An owner email is not a login. Running sign-up again for an existing address returns account_exists and leaves every key untouched. Recover access with an emailed code in the console; use create from an authenticated CLI session to add another inbox.

delete requires --yes. It removes the inbox and every message in it, and there is no undo.

reply goes to the sender only. --all is opt-in.

reply --last skips the id. It answers the newest message the inbox did not itself send. messages prints every id if you want to pick one.

Errors carry their fix.

✗ Inbox limit reached (3 on the free plan).
  Upgrade the plan, or delete an inbox you no longer need.
  https://docs.carlyemail.com/inboxes