mailmate 1.1.0 → 1.3.0

checksums.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 SHA256:
-  metadata.gz: 5e25504c9cfa00a8d2c0c94e387b593c9151a66981150c17e1fbd328d531707d
-  data.tar.gz: 4f0ac4ca053f30eed50305e2f333e9969871bbf02565115c2a72dacb0072c023
+  metadata.gz: '048aab794be796fae6993d06f902be520dd044a3e09b65ea8f673a127c670de0'
+  data.tar.gz: 17f3dcd902490b4077676f61c50e5c600b14382a6b753046d75e5e4b7d76f611
 SHA512:
-  metadata.gz: 8953a409f2855ca1b04a1f4c574c73c4a724e29398d5a5951423b61fd0313f06a21242581219d14f1de3c28436d777f09ee1289f5cb69ca02deeb70bedb8a5ef
-  data.tar.gz: b4dc5f74fa58a58c592ce125c2e42dce062ebbeb841284d74c878e12c6202856f2624f2da4adba6bc24a2919d150a1b8f5b54c302fd71507d1c9085d6d5e4c35
+  metadata.gz: a05405be8bf33235663c439d96af6afab59c9dbdd6a1a238d3746affe964c1bb4cbc9e7865a1a5c1f69276fe92598605f5814bc3cd3b31e3607c7e89d5957791
+  data.tar.gz: d722a40a671b8d44b5106a6a094cbf78d7886c7d85d1a048dabe8767453e235d3272ead4361c4655b2b2aef562a26659a77a810863d14760fe3f85b41f176859

data/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # mailmate
 
-Ruby toolkit for [MailMate](https://freron.com) on macOS — a smart-mailbox filter engine, on-disk index readers, and CLI tools (`mmsearch`, `mmmessage`, `mmopen`, `mm-mailboxes`, `mmtags`, `mm-modify`, `mm-send`, `mmdiscover`) for searching, reading, modifying, and sending mail.
+Ruby toolkit for [MailMate](https://freron.com) on macOS — a smart-mailbox filter engine, on-disk index readers, and CLI tools (`mmsearch`, `mmmessage`, `mmopen`, `mm-mailboxes`, `mmtags`, `mm-modify`, `mm-send`, `mm-draft`, `mmdiscover`) for searching, reading, modifying, and sending mail.
 
 **Requires macOS with MailMate installed.** The library code (filter parser, evaluator) works anywhere, but the integration with MailMate itself — AppleScript, on-disk index reads, the `emate` binary — is macOS-only by way of MailMate being macOS-only.
 
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ mmopen 'message://%3Cabc%40example.com%3E'
 
 # Print the mid: URL instead of opening it (useful in pipelines)
 mmopen 183715 --print
+
+# Spawn the viewer in the background — MailMate stays where it is and
+# your keyboard focus is not stolen. Useful when scripting / cross-app.
+mmopen 183715 --background    # also: -g
 ```
 
 ### `mm-mailboxes` — list accounts and mailboxes
@@ -113,6 +117,11 @@ mm-modify 183715 archive --dry-run
 
 # Verify the new flags after acting
 mm-modify 183715 read --verify
+
+# As of 1.2.0, `--verify` works in `--dry-run` mode too — pair them as a
+# post-hoc state probe (run the action first, then re-run with --dry-run
+# --verify to confirm the change took effect).
+mm-modify 183715 read --dry-run --verify
 ```
 
 **Tip — batch your actions.** Doing all related changes in **one** `mm-modify` invocation is still worthwhile: one open/close cycle instead of two, and the chain runs deterministically without you having to think about ordering. Splitting is safe — `path_for` falls back to a filesystem glob if MailMate's `#source` index is briefly stale after a fast-move — just slower than batching.
@@ -137,22 +146,63 @@ EOF
 mm-send -t friend@example.com -s "Photos" /path/to/photo1.jpg /path/to/photo2.jpg <<<"See attached."
 ```
 
+#### Replies and threading
+
+MailMate auto-generates the outgoing `Message-ID` for every send — never the caller's job. `In-Reply-To` and `References` are pure pass-through: whatever you set via `--header` ships verbatim, and **what you don't set is absent**. A reply with a `Re: …` subject but no threading headers shows up as a brand-new conversation in modern mail clients (they thread on headers, not subjects).
+
+To make a reply land in-thread, pass both headers:
+
+```bash
+mm-send -f you@x -t them@y -s "Re: foo" \
+  --header "In-Reply-To: <parent-message-id@domain>" \
+  --header "References: <root-mid> <parent-mid>" \
+  --send-now <<<"body"
+```
+
+Construct `References` as the source message's `References` header (if any) with the source's `Message-ID` appended. If the source is itself a thread root with no `References`, just use its `Message-ID` alone.
+
+The same passthrough applies to the `mailmate-mcp` `send` tool — see the `from`, `in_reply_to`, and `references` fields.
+
+### `mm-draft` — compose without sending
+
+`mm-draft` is identical to `mm-send` in every way except one: it **never sends**. It refuses the `--send-now` flag with a nonzero exit, so a "compose this but don't send it" instruction can't be silently defeated by passing the flag that flips `emate mailto` from draft-pause to send. Without `--send-now` the two commands already behave identically (open a draft window in MailMate and wait) — `mm-draft` just removes the ability to send at all.
+
+```bash
+# Opens a draft in MailMate; never sends.
+echo "Quick **markdown** body." | mm-draft -t friend@example.com -s "Hello"
+
+# Threading headers and attachments work exactly as in mm-send.
+mm-draft -f you@x -t them@y -s "Re: foo" \
+  --header "In-Reply-To: <parent-message-id@domain>" \
+  --header "References: <root-mid> <parent-mid>" <<<"body"
+
+# Passing --send-now is refused (exit 2):
+mm-draft -t friend@example.com -s "nope" --send-now <<<"body"
+# → mm-draft: refusing --send-now — mm-draft only ever creates drafts. Use mm-send to send.
+```
+
+Reach for `mm-draft` (or the `mailmate-mcp` `draft` tool) whenever the instruction is "write/compose but don't send" — it's the unambiguous, can't-misfire choice. The `draft` MCP tool mirrors `send` minus the `send_now` field.
+
 ### Why the names
 
 The `mm` prefix is for tab completion: typing `mm<tab>` in a shell lists every command in the toolkit. The dash matters:
 
 - **`mm<name>`** (no dash) — **read** operations. `mmsearch`, `mmmessage`, `mmopen`, `mmtags`, `mmdiscover` observe MailMate's on-disk state without changing it. (`mmopen` activates MailMate's UI but doesn't modify any message.)
-- **`mm-<name>`** (with dash) — **write** operations. `mm-modify`, `mm-send` change state (or send mail). `mm-mailboxes` is an exception: read-only, but uses the dash to keep `mmm<tab>` free for the daily-driver `mmmessage`. Typing `mm-<tab>` filters to the write-leaning commands.
+- **`mm-<name>`** (with dash) — **write** operations. `mm-modify`, `mm-send`, `mm-draft` change state (or compose/send mail). `mm-mailboxes` is an exception: read-only, but uses the dash to keep `mmm<tab>` free for the daily-driver `mmmessage`. Typing `mm-<tab>` filters to the write-leaning commands. (`mm-draft` only ever opens a draft — it never sends.)
 
 ## Limitations
 
 A few rough edges to be aware of:
 
-1. **Non-move `mm-modify` actions still take over the UI.** Same-account `move` actions use a fast path — a direct `.eml` rename on disk — so they're silent and don't activate MailMate. Everything else (`read`, `flag`, `tag`, `archive`, `junk`, `delete`, etc.) still drives MailMate's UI: each invocation opens a message-viewer window via the `mid:` URL, runs AppleScript key-binding selectors against it, then closes the window. Two consequences:
-   - **Focus is stolen.** When the `mid:` URL fires, macOS brings MailMate forward and the spawned message-viewer window takes keyboard focus. Anything you were typing into another app goes to MailMate instead.
-   - **The close at the end can close the wrong window.** `mm-modify` ends by sending the standard "close window" keystroke. If focus has drifted (or another app's window has come forward in the meantime), that keystroke lands on **your** window — your editor, your browser tab — not MailMate's viewer.
+1. **Non-move `mm-modify` actions briefly spawn a MailMate viewer window.** Same-account `move` actions use a fast path — a direct `.eml` rename on disk — so they're entirely silent. Everything else (`read`, `flag`, `tag`, `archive`, `junk`, `delete`, etc.) drives MailMate's URL handler: each invocation opens a message-viewer window via the `mid:` URL in the background, runs AppleScript key-binding selectors against it, then closes the window.
+
+   **As of 1.2.0 this runs in the background.** MailMate is not brought to the foreground, your keyboard focus stays in whatever app you were using, and you can keep working — even during bulk loops. The viewer windows still appear briefly in MailMate's own window list before closing, but they don't take over your screen. The previous behavior (full-screen takeover, close-keystroke landing on the wrong window) is gone.
 
-   For one-off changes this is just annoying; for a loop of hundreds of messages it makes the machine unusable while it runs. Batch multiple actions into one `mm-modify` invocation when you can — they share a single open/close cycle (or skip it entirely for pure-move). The `--keep-window` flag avoids the close-keystroke entirely if you don't mind cleaning up viewers manually.
+   Two residual caveats:
+   - **Don't bring MailMate to the foreground during a run.** If you click into MailMate or Cmd-Tab to it while `mm-modify` is mid-flight, MailMate's responder chain shifts and subsequent perform-selectors may misbehave. Wait for the run to finish.
+   - **MailMate must be running.** See #3.
+
+   The `--keep-window` flag leaves the spawned viewers open if you want to inspect them. Batch multiple actions into one `mm-modify` invocation when you can — they share a single open/close cycle (or skip it entirely for pure-move).
 
 2. **`eml-id` is machine-local; prefer `Message-ID:`.** The integer eml-id (also shown as MailMate's "Msg ID" column) is just the filename of the `.eml` on disk and differs on every install — copy/pasting an eml-id from your desktop to your laptop will refer to a different message (or none at all). For anything you want to keep, store the RFC `Message-ID:` header (which `mmmessage` prints) and pass that to the CLIs. The `mid:%3C<message-id>%3E` URL scheme works portably for the same reason.
 
@@ -162,6 +212,8 @@ A few rough edges to be aware of:
 
 ## Status
 
+1.2.0 — `mm-modify` no longer brings MailMate to the foreground and is roughly 8× faster on single-action invocations. Internally: the open call uses `open -g -a MailMate <url>` to keep MailMate in the background, and the fixed `--settle` sleeps are replaced by active waits (polling for the spawned viewer window to appear). `mmopen` gains a `--background` / `-g` flag for ad-hoc use. `mm-modify --verify` now works in `--dry-run` mode as a post-hoc state probe. `--settle` is preserved for backward compat; it now caps the active-wait timeout rather than fixing sleep duration.
+
 1.1.0 — `reverse_markdown` (and its transitive `nokogiri` dep) is now opt-in rather than auto-installed. Run `gem install reverse_markdown` if you want `mmmessage --markdown`; everything else is unchanged.
 
 1.0.0 — initial public release; API stable from this point. Breaking changes bump the major version going forward.
@@ -263,6 +315,7 @@ Restart Claude Desktop after any change to server code or config.
 | `mmtags` | List user tags applied to messages (with counts) or defined in Preferences. |
 | `mm-modify` | Mark read/flag/tag/archive a message via AppleScript; same-account `move` uses a fast `.eml`-rename path with no UI takeover. |
 | `mm-send` | Send mail through `emate` with a markdown body on stdin. |
+| `mm-draft` | Like `mm-send`, but only ever opens a draft — refuses `--send-now` (exit 2). |
 | `mmdiscover` | First-run bootstrap; (re-)writes the user config from MailMate's plists. |
 
 Each command takes `--help` for usage. Tab-completion: `mm<tab>` lists every command; `mms<tab>` → `mmsearch`; `mmm<tab>` → `mmmessage`; `mm-<tab>` lists the write-side commands.

data/exe/mm-draft

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+$LOAD_PATH.unshift File.expand_path("../lib", __dir__)
+require "mailmate"
+require "mailmate/cli/draft"
+
+exit Mailmate::CLI::Draft.run(ARGV)

data/lib/mailmate/applescript_driver.rb

@@ -32,13 +32,20 @@ module Mailmate
     end
 
     # Open a URL in MailMate (used for `mid:` URLs to select a message).
+    # Uses `open -g -a MailMate` so the URL is dispatched to MailMate's URL
+    # handler without bringing MailMate to the foreground — keeping the
+    # user's keyboard focus where it was. The viewer window is still spawned
+    # for `mid:` URLs. The AppleScript-native alternative
+    # (`tell application "MailMate" to open location`) was tried but is
+    # synchronous and can hang on `mid:` URLs while MailMate processes the
+    # spawn — `open -g` is asynchronous and avoids the wait.
     def open_url(url)
       Mailmate::PlatformError.check_darwin!(component: "AppleScriptDriver") unless dry_run
       if dry_run
-        @output.puts "DRY: open -a MailMate #{url.inspect}"
+        @output.puts "DRY: open -g -a MailMate #{url.inspect}"
         return
       end
-      success = system("open", "-a", "MailMate", url)
+      success = system("/usr/bin/open", "-g", "-a", "MailMate", url)
       raise Error, "open command failed for #{url}" unless success
     end
 

data/lib/mailmate/cli/draft.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require "mailmate/cli/send"
+
+module Mailmate
+  module CLI
+    # `mm-draft` — identical to `mm-send` but guaranteed never to actually
+    # send. It refuses `--send-now` with a nonzero exit, so a "compose this
+    # but don't send it" instruction can't be silently defeated by the flag
+    # that flips `emate mailto` from draft-pause to send. Without `--send-now`
+    # both commands behave identically (open a draft window in MailMate); the
+    # only difference is that mm-draft *cannot* be talked into sending.
+    # @api private
+    module Draft
+      extend self
+
+      NOTE = <<~NOTE
+        mm-draft — same as `mm-send`, but it only ever opens a draft and refuses
+        `--send-now`. Use `mm-send` when you actually want to send. All other
+        flags pass through to `emate mailto` exactly as in mm-send (its help
+        follows below).
+
+      NOTE
+
+      # Returns the exit status. Refuses `--send-now` (exit 2); otherwise
+      # delegates verbatim to `Mailmate::CLI::Send`.
+      def run(argv)
+        if argv.include?("--send-now")
+          warn "mm-draft: refusing --send-now — mm-draft only ever creates drafts. Use mm-send to send."
+          return 2
+        end
+        warn NOTE if argv.include?("--help") || argv.include?("-h")
+        Send.run(argv)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end

data/lib/mailmate/cli/message.rb

@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ module Mailmate
         $stdout.puts "subject:    #{mail.subject}"
         $stdout.puts "date:       #{Mailmate.localize(mail.date)&.iso8601}"
         $stdout.puts "message-id: #{mail.message_id}"
+        thread_id = Mailmate::Attributes.thread_id_for(mail)
+        $stdout.puts "thread-id:  #{thread_id}" if thread_id
         if mail.attachments.any?
           $stdout.puts "attachments:"
           mail.attachments.each do |a|

data/lib/mailmate/cli/modify.rb

@@ -98,9 +98,9 @@ module Mailmate
               mute                          Toggle mute state
               delete                        Delete (move to trash)
           BANNER
-          o.on("--verify", "After running, print the message's current flags") { opts[:verify] = true }
+          o.on("--verify", "Print the message's current flags. Works with --dry-run as a post-hoc 'check state' probe (run the action first, then re-run with --dry-run --verify).") { opts[:verify] = true }
           o.on("--dry-run", "Print the actions; don't run") { opts[:dry_run] = true }
-          o.on("--settle SECONDS", Float, "Sleep between operations (default 3.5)") { |s| opts[:settle] = s }
+          o.on("--settle SECONDS", Float, "Timeout for waiting for MailMate's viewer window to spawn after open_url (default 3.5)") { |s| opts[:settle] = s }
           o.on("--keep-window", "Don't close the spawned message-viewer window") { opts[:keep_window] = true }
         end
         parser.parse!(argv)
@@ -256,11 +256,33 @@ module Mailmate
         driver  = Mailmate::AppleScriptDriver.new(dry_run: opts[:dry_run])
         mid_url = Mailmate::MidUrl.for(message_id)
 
+        # Opening the `mid:` URL displays the message in a viewer, which
+        # causes MailMate to mark it `\Seen`. If the caller's action chain
+        # neither sets nor clears the read state, snapshot it first and
+        # restore after the open so this side-effect doesn't silently
+        # change read state. Skip in dry-run — no real open happens.
+        preserve_unread = should_preserve_unread?(eml_id, actions, opts)
+
         windows_before = driver.window_ids
         driver.open_url(mid_url)
-        sleep(opts[:settle]) unless opts[:dry_run]
-        new_windows = driver.window_ids - windows_before
+        # Active wait: poll for the new viewer window instead of sleeping a
+        # fixed `settle`. Windows typically spawn in 200-500ms; the previous
+        # fixed 3.5s sleep was wildly conservative. `--settle` now controls
+        # the timeout for this wait rather than the sleep duration.
+        new_windows = opts[:dry_run] ? [] : wait_for_new_window(driver, windows_before, timeout: opts[:settle])
+
+        # Restore unread BEFORE user actions: a subsequent move / archive /
+        # delete moves the message out of the viewer's selection, after
+        # which a `markAsUnread:` would land on whatever MailMate selected
+        # next (or be a silent no-op).
+        if preserve_unread
+          $stdout.puts "preserve-read-state: re-marking #{eml_id}.eml unread (opening the mid: URL marks it read)"
+          driver.perform("markAsUnread:")
+        end
 
+        # Send each action's selector without sleeping between them.
+        # AppleEvents queue per-app and process in order, so a subsequent
+        # `close window id N` will execute only after `perform` is committed.
         actions.each do |name, selector, args|
           case selector
           when :ensure_flagged, :ensure_not_flagged
@@ -271,16 +293,19 @@ module Mailmate
               $stdout.puts "#{name}: already #{want ? "flagged" : "not flagged"} — no-op"
             else
               driver.perform("toggleFlag:")
-              sleep(opts[:settle]) unless opts[:dry_run]
             end
           else
             driver.perform(selector, *args)
-            sleep(opts[:settle]) unless opts[:dry_run]
           end
         end
 
-        if opts[:verify] && !opts[:dry_run]
-          sleep(opts[:settle])
+        # --verify is now permitted in --dry-run mode so callers can use
+        # `mm-modify <id> <any-action> --dry-run --verify` as a post-hoc
+        # "what's the current flag state?" probe after a separate action run.
+        # In non-dry-run mode, a short fixed wait gives MailMate time to
+        # flush #flags before we read it back; in dry-run no wait is needed.
+        if opts[:verify]
+          sleep(1) unless opts[:dry_run]
           $stdout.puts "Flags now: #{current_flags(eml_id).inspect}"
         end
 
@@ -289,6 +314,31 @@ module Mailmate
         end
       end
 
+      # Poll for a new MailMate window appearing in `driver.window_ids` that
+      # isn't in `windows_before`. Returns the set of new window IDs, or an
+      # empty array if `timeout` elapses without a new window appearing.
+      def wait_for_new_window(driver, windows_before, timeout:, poll: 0.05)
+        deadline = Time.now + timeout
+        loop do
+          diff = driver.window_ids - windows_before
+          return diff unless diff.empty?
+          break if Time.now >= deadline
+          sleep(poll)
+        end
+        []
+      end
+
+      # True iff we should re-mark the message unread after opening it.
+      # - Skip when any user action already touches read state (read/unread)
+      #   — the user's chain wins.
+      # - Skip in dry-run — no real open, so no real read-flip to undo.
+      # - Otherwise: read the index; preserve only if currently unread.
+      def should_preserve_unread?(eml_id, actions, opts)
+        return false if opts[:dry_run]
+        return false if actions.any? { |name, _, _| name == "read" || name == "unread" }
+        !current_flags(eml_id).include?("\\Seen")
+      end
+
       def current_flags(eml_id)
         # AppleScript actions write the index asynchronously — bust just the
         # #flags cache to pick up the latest values without throwing away

data/lib/mailmate/cli/open.rb

@@ -44,26 +44,30 @@ module Mailmate
           return 0
         end
 
-        system("/usr/bin/open", url)
+        cmd = ["/usr/bin/open"]
+        cmd << "-g" if opts[:background]
+        cmd << url
+        system(*cmd)
         $?.exitstatus
       end
 
       def parse_options(argv)
-        opts = { print_only: false }
+        opts = { print_only: false, background: false }
         OptionParser.new do |o|
-          o.banner = "Usage: mmopen <id> [--print]"
+          o.banner = "Usage: mmopen <id> [--print] [--background|-g]"
           o.separator ""
           o.separator "Open a MailMate message in MailMate's UI. <id> can be a local"
           o.separator "eml-id, an RFC Message-ID (with or without angle brackets), or"
           o.separator "a message://… or mid:… URL."
           o.on("--print", "Print the mid: URL instead of opening it (for piping)") { opts[:print_only] = true }
+          o.on("-g", "--background", "Open without bringing MailMate to the foreground") { opts[:background] = true }
         end.parse!(argv)
         opts
       end
 
       def usage_error(msg)
         warn "mmopen: #{msg}"
-        warn "Usage: mmopen <id> [--print]"
+        warn "Usage: mmopen <id> [--print] [--background|-g]"
         2
       end
     end

data/lib/mailmate/cli/send.rb

@@ -12,6 +12,35 @@ module Mailmate
 
       EMATE_PATH = "/Applications/MailMate.app/Contents/Resources/emate"
 
+      PREAMBLE = <<~PREAMBLE
+        mm-send — thin wrapper around `emate mailto` with `--markup markdown` enforced.
+        Body is read from stdin. All other flags pass through to emate (its help follows).
+
+        Replies and threading
+          MailMate auto-generates the outgoing Message-ID — never your job.
+          In-Reply-To and References are PURE PASS-THROUGH: whatever you set via
+          `--header` ships verbatim; what you don't set is absent (and recipients'
+          clients will see the message as a fresh thread, no matter how `Re:` the
+          subject looks). To make a reply land in-thread, pass both:
+
+            mm-send -f you@x -t them@y -s "Re: foo" \\
+              --header "In-Reply-To: <parent-message-id@domain>" \\
+              --header "References: <root-mid> <parent-mid>" \\
+              --send-now <<<"body"
+
+          References is constructed as the source message's References header (if
+          any) with the source's Message-ID appended. If the source is a thread
+          root with no References, just use its Message-ID alone.
+
+        Identity selection
+          `-f <address>` picks which of MailMate's configured identities sends.
+          Without `-f`, MailMate uses its default identity. See `mmdiscover` to
+          list available addresses.
+
+        ──────────────────────────── emate help follows ────────────────────────────
+
+      PREAMBLE
+
       # Returns the exit status of the spawned `emate` invocation. Uses
       # `system` (not `exec`) so the caller — and the test suite — can
       # actually observe the result.
@@ -21,6 +50,7 @@ module Mailmate
           warn "mm-send: emate not found at #{EMATE_PATH}. Is MailMate installed?"
           return 1
         end
+        warn PREAMBLE if argv.include?("--help") || argv.include?("-h")
         system(EMATE_PATH, "mailto", "--markup", "markdown", *argv)
         $?.exitstatus
       end

data/lib/mailmate/mcp.rb

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ require "mailmate/cli/search"
 require "mailmate/cli/message"
 require "mailmate/cli/modify"
 require "mailmate/cli/send"
+require "mailmate/cli/draft"
 require "mailmate/cli/open"
 require "mailmate/cli/mailboxes"
 require "mailmate/cli/tags"
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ require "mailmate/mid_url"
 
 module Mailmate
   # Stdio MCP server (JSON-RPC 2.0, line-delimited). Exposes the gem's CLIs —
-  # search, message, modify, send — plus a resolve_id helper that round-trips
+  # search, message, modify, send, draft — plus a resolve_id helper that round-trips
   # between local eml-id, RFC Message-ID, and the cross-machine message:// URL.
   #
   # In-process: each tool call runs the corresponding `Mailmate::CLI::*.run`
@@ -118,22 +119,45 @@ module Mailmate
       },
       {
         name: "send",
-        description: "Send mail via MailMate's `emate` (markdown body). Recipients and subject via fields; body is the markdown source.",
+        description: "Send mail via MailMate's `emate` (markdown body). Recipients and subject via fields; body is the markdown source. For replies, set `in_reply_to` and `references` so recipients' clients thread the message — without them a `Re:` subject alone is not enough. MailMate generates the outgoing Message-ID automatically.",
         inputSchema: {
           type: "object",
           properties: {
+            from: { type: "string", description: "Sender identity (one of MailMate's configured addresses; see mmdiscover). If omitted, MailMate uses its default identity." },
             to: { type: "string", description: "Recipient(s), comma-separated." },
             cc: { type: "string", description: "CC recipient(s), comma-separated." },
             bcc: { type: "string", description: "BCC recipient(s), comma-separated." },
             subject: { type: "string", description: "Subject line." },
             body: { type: "string", description: "Markdown body." },
             attachments: { type: "array", items: { type: "string" }, description: "Absolute paths to files to attach." },
+            in_reply_to: { type: "string", description: "Message-ID of the parent message (with or without angle brackets). Sets the In-Reply-To header on the outgoing message so recipients' clients thread it correctly." },
+            references: { type: "string", description: "Space-separated chain of Message-IDs (with angle brackets). Conventionally: parent's References header + parent's Message-ID. Required alongside in_reply_to for clean threading in deep chains." },
             send_now: { type: "boolean", description: "Send immediately (skip the Drafts pause)." },
           },
           required: %w[to subject body],
           additionalProperties: false,
         },
       },
+      {
+        name: "draft",
+        description: "Compose a draft via MailMate's `emate` (markdown body) — IDENTICAL to `send` but it never sends: the draft opens in MailMate and waits. There is no `send_now` option; use this whenever the instruction is 'write/compose but don't send'. For replies, set `in_reply_to` and `references` so the draft threads correctly. MailMate generates the outgoing Message-ID automatically.",
+        inputSchema: {
+          type: "object",
+          properties: {
+            from: { type: "string", description: "Sender identity (one of MailMate's configured addresses; see mmdiscover). If omitted, MailMate uses its default identity." },
+            to: { type: "string", description: "Recipient(s), comma-separated." },
+            cc: { type: "string", description: "CC recipient(s), comma-separated." },
+            bcc: { type: "string", description: "BCC recipient(s), comma-separated." },
+            subject: { type: "string", description: "Subject line." },
+            body: { type: "string", description: "Markdown body." },
+            attachments: { type: "array", items: { type: "string" }, description: "Absolute paths to files to attach." },
+            in_reply_to: { type: "string", description: "Message-ID of the parent message (with or without angle brackets). Sets the In-Reply-To header so recipients' clients thread it correctly." },
+            references: { type: "string", description: "Space-separated chain of Message-IDs (with angle brackets). Conventionally: parent's References header + parent's Message-ID. Required alongside in_reply_to for clean threading in deep chains." },
+          },
+          required: %w[to subject body],
+          additionalProperties: false,
+        },
+      },
       {
         name: "open",
         description: "Open one MailMate message in MailMate's UI (activates the window). Accepts any of the id forms `resolve_id` takes. Read-side semantically, but does shift focus to MailMate.",
@@ -246,6 +270,7 @@ module Mailmate
       when "message"        then call_message(args)
       when "modify"         then call_modify(args)
       when "send"           then call_send(args)
+      when "draft"          then call_draft(args)
       when "open"           then call_open(args)
       when "list_mailboxes" then call_list_mailboxes(args)
       when "list_tags"      then call_list_tags(args)
@@ -289,14 +314,40 @@ module Mailmate
     end
 
     def call_send(args)
+      argv = compose_argv(args)
+      argv << "--send-now" if args["send_now"]
+      with_stdin(args["body"].to_s) { run_cli(Mailmate::CLI::Send, argv) }
+    end
+
+    # `draft` mirrors `send` but never sends — it has no send_now option and
+    # routes through CLI::Draft, which refuses `--send-now` outright.
+    def call_draft(args)
+      argv = compose_argv(args)
+      with_stdin(args["body"].to_s) { run_cli(Mailmate::CLI::Draft, argv) }
+    end
+
+    # Shared message-composition argv for both send and draft (everything bar
+    # the body, which is piped on stdin, and the send-only `--send-now`).
+    def compose_argv(args)
       argv = []
+      argv.push("-f", args["from"].to_s)    if args["from"]
       argv.push("-t", args["to"].to_s)      if args["to"]
       argv.push("-c", args["cc"].to_s)      if args["cc"]
       argv.push("-b", args["bcc"].to_s)     if args["bcc"]
       argv.push("-s", args["subject"].to_s) if args["subject"]
-      argv << "--send-now"                  if args["send_now"]
+      argv.push("--header", "In-Reply-To: #{bracket_mid(args["in_reply_to"])}") if args["in_reply_to"]
+      argv.push("--header", "References: #{args["references"]}")                if args["references"]
       Array(args["attachments"]).each { |p| argv << p.to_s }
-      with_stdin(args["body"].to_s) { run_cli(Mailmate::CLI::Send, argv) }
+      argv
+    end
+
+    # Wrap a bare Message-ID in `<…>` if it doesn't already have them. Both
+    # forms are valid input to the MCP for ergonomics; the header value
+    # going on the wire needs the brackets per RFC 5322.
+    def bracket_mid(id)
+      s = id.to_s.strip
+      return s if s.start_with?("<") && s.end_with?(">")
+      "<#{s}>"
     end
 
     def call_open(args)

data/lib/mailmate/version.rb

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
 
 module Mailmate
-  VERSION = "1.1.0"
+  VERSION = "1.3.0"
 end

metadata

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 --- !ruby/object:Gem::Specification
 name: mailmate
 version: !ruby/object:Gem::Version
-  version: 1.1.0
+  version: 1.3.0
 platform: ruby
 authors:
 - Brian Murphy-Dye
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ email:
 - brian@murphydye.com
 executables:
 - mailmate-mcp
+- mm-draft
 - mm-mailboxes
 - mm-modify
 - mm-send
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ files:
 - README.md
 - config.yml.example
 - exe/mailmate-mcp
+- exe/mm-draft
 - exe/mm-mailboxes
 - exe/mm-modify
 - exe/mm-send
@@ -122,6 +124,7 @@ files:
 - lib/mailmate/ast.rb
 - lib/mailmate/attributes.rb
 - lib/mailmate/cli/discover.rb
+- lib/mailmate/cli/draft.rb
 - lib/mailmate/cli/mailboxes.rb
 - lib/mailmate/cli/message.rb
 - lib/mailmate/cli/modify.rb
@@ -166,7 +169,7 @@ required_rubygems_version: !ruby/object:Gem::Requirement
     - !ruby/object:Gem::Version
       version: '0'
 requirements: []
-rubygems_version: 3.6.9
+rubygems_version: 4.0.12
 specification_version: 4
 summary: Ruby toolkit for MailMate on macOS — search, read, modify, send, and smart-mailbox
   evaluation