Gmail Configuration
Gmail uses special IMAP folder names prefixed with [Gmail]/. neomd works with Gmail, but requires adjusted folder mappings and comes with performance caveats.
Folder Mapping
Gmail has built-in system folders that must be referenced by their IMAP names. Custom neomd folders (ToScreen, Feed, etc.) are created as regular labels.
[folders]
inbox = "INBOX"
sent = "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"
trash = "[Gmail]/Trash"
drafts = "[Gmail]/Drafts"
to_screen = "ToScreen"
feed = "Feed"
papertrail = "PaperTrail"
screened_out = "ScreenedOut"
archive = "Archive Neomd"
waiting = "Waiting"
scheduled = "Scheduled Neomd"
someday = "Someday"
spam = "[Gmail]/Spam"
tab_order = ["inbox", "to_screen", "feed", "papertrail", "waiting", "someday", "scheduled", "sent", "archive", "screened_out", "trash"]Why “Archive Neomd” and “Scheduled Neomd”?
Gmail reserves [Gmail]/All Mail for its own archive (which includes all labeled emails, not just archived ones). Using it as neomd’s archive would mix archived emails with everything else. Archive Neomd creates a clean, dedicated folder.
Similarly, Gmail doesn’t expose its scheduled send feature via IMAP, so [Gmail]/Scheduled doesn’t exist. Scheduled Neomd avoids Gmail creating it under [IMAP]/Scheduled.
Gmail system folders reference
| Gmail folder | IMAP name |
|---|---|
| Inbox | INBOX |
| Sent Mail | [Gmail]/Sent Mail |
| Drafts | [Gmail]/Drafts |
| Trash | [Gmail]/Trash |
| Spam | [Gmail]/Spam |
| All Mail | [Gmail]/All Mail |
| Starred | [Gmail]/Starred |
| Important | [Gmail]/Important |
Performance Warning
Gmail’s IMAP is significantly slower than dedicated email providers. On a sustained session, each IMAP command takes ~180ms on Gmail vs ~12ms on providers like Hostpoint or Fastmail. This means every folder switch, email open, and move feels noticeably slower (~570ms vs ~33ms per folder switch).
See the Benchmark section in the README for detailed measurements.
For the best neomd experience, consider a dedicated email provider. If you still want to use Gmail, it works — just expect ~1 second per action instead of instant.
App Password
Gmail requires an app-specific password for IMAP access:
- Enable 2-Step Verification at https://myaccount.google.com/security
- Generate an app password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
- Use the generated password in your
config.toml(not your Gmail password)