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Glama

Forward an email

forward_email
Destructive

Forward a message to new recipients, exactly as clicking Forward in Outlook or webmail would. The forwarded message shows the original's From, Date, Subject and To in a "---------- Forwarded message ----------" block above its body, the way a real client does - unlike reply_email, recipients here are exactly the addresses you supply and are never resolved from the original message. The forward is NOT threaded onto the original conversation. THE ORIGINAL'S ATTACHMENTS ARE CARRIED, inline images included, because passing someone else's file on is what forwarding is for - the result NAMES the files it sent. A file too big to carry is listed separately as skipped, and you MUST tell the user when that happens, because the recipient will not get it. Files you attach yourself with attachments are sent IN ADDITION to the original's, not instead of them. This delivers real mail to real people and cannot be undone.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
ccNo
toYesRecipient email addresses.
uidYesThe UID of the message to forward, from list_emails.
bodyNoOptional note in your own words, shown above the forwarded content - the same box a real client's Forward button opens with. Leave it out to forward with no added note.
fromNoSend as one of the other addresses on this mailbox instead of its default. Use it only when the user names an address to send from. It must be one already added to the mailbox; anything else is refused with the list of addresses that would have worked. The mail server still decides whether it will carry the address, and may refuse it at send time.
htmlNoOptional HTML body. Send real markup, used exactly as given and never escaped or unescaped by us: `<p>Hi</p>`, never `&lt;p&gt;Hi&lt;/p&gt;`. Escaped markup is delivered as visible tags and nothing will warn you. Leave it out unless you have real markup to send: the message still goes out as HTML, built from `text`, carrying the mailbox owner's HTML signature. This is your note only: the forwarded original is always carried in this part as well, as HTML, whether the parent itself was HTML or plain text - never dropped.
mailboxNoIMAP folder the message is in. Defaults to INBOX.
attachmentsNoFiles to attach. FOUR WAYS IN, AND ONLY ONE OF THEM COSTS YOU ANYTHING. For a file already in this mailbox, call read_email on the message holding it and pass the `ref` from its `attachments` list as `fileRef`. For a file on the web, pass its https:// link as `url` and this server fetches it. For a file on the person's own computer, make a link with create_upload_link and pass its `uploadId` once the file is up - one entry attaches everything that arrived there. Those three work at any size, because the bytes never pass through this conversation. `content` is the last resort and is only for something you generated yourself in this conversation that exists nowhere else: it costs roughly 450,000 tokens per megabyte, so keep it under about 50 KB. All attachments TOGETHER must come to under 10 MB - a whole-message limit, not an allowance per file, so three 4 MB files are refused however they arrived.
plainTextOnlyNoSend with no HTML part at all. Leave this out unless the user has asked for plain text or the recipient is a list that rejects HTML - it drops the mailbox owner's HTML signature and their formatting. Do not set it to be cautious; HTML is the normal format and what their own mail client sends. On a forward it costs more than elsewhere: the message being forwarded reaches the recipient as a plain-text rendering rather than as the sender wrote it.
requestReadReceiptNoAsk the recipient's mail program to confirm when the message is opened, exactly as Outlook's "request a read receipt" tick box does. Only set it when the user asks for it. TELL THEM WHAT IT REALLY DOES before promising anything: it is a request their mail program may ignore and that many clients ask them to approve, so most messages never produce one however promptly they are read - consumer Gmail never sends one, Workspace only if an administrator enabled it, Apple Mail only behind a setting that ships off. Use check_receipts afterwards to see whether one came back, and never treat silence there as evidence the message was unread. There is no delivery-receipt option: that needs an SMTP feature none of the mail providers this connects to offer.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already mark destructiveHint=true, and the description reinforces and expands on this with 'This delivers real mail to real people and cannot be undone.' It also discloses crucial non-obvious behaviors: original attachments are carried, too-large files are skipped and must be reported to the user, user-supplied attachments are added in addition, and the forward is not threaded. No contradiction with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is long but justifiably so for a 10-parameter side-effect-heavy tool. It is front-loaded with the purpose, then covers forwarding format, attachment behavior, required user notification, and irreversibility. Some sentences are run-ons, but every major block earns its place and critical warnings are visually emphasized.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With no output schema, the description covers the most important invocation-time facts: real mail is sent, it cannot be undone, forwarded attachments are carried, skipped files must be disclosed, and the forward is separate from the original conversation. It gives only partial return-value detail ('the result NAMES the files it sent') and does not mention draft_forward as the draft path, but overall it is sufficient for safe use.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 90%, so the schema already explains most parameters. The description still adds meaning beyond the schema, particularly for `to` ('recipients here are exactly the addresses you supply and are never resolved from the original message') and `attachments` ('Files you attach yourself with `attachments` are sent IN ADDITION to the original's, not instead of them').

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Forward a message to new recipients, exactly as clicking Forward in Outlook or webmail would.' It further distinguishes the tool from reply_email by stating recipients are exactly supplied, never resolved, and that the message is not threaded onto the original conversation. This makes the tool's role unmistakable.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description explicitly contrasts with reply_email ('unlike reply_email, recipients here are exactly the addresses you supply...') and notes that the forward is not threaded onto the original conversation. It also stresses that this sends real, irreversible mail. However, it does not explicitly mention draft_forward as the non-sending alternative, so sibling routing is not fully covered.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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TDQS

A4/5.0
Disambiguation4/5

Most tools target clearly distinct actions, but there are several close pairs that require careful reading: check_bounces vs check_receipts, list_emails vs search_emails, and the send/reply/forward vs draft_email/draft_reply/draft_forward families. The descriptions are strong enough that a careful agent can disambiguate, but the boundaries are not always obvious from the tool names alone.

Naming Consistency5/5

Every tool uses a consistent snake_case verb_noun convention, such as check_bounces, list_mailboxes, send_email, and update_draft. Related operations use parallel forms like mark_read/mark_unread and flag_email/unflag_email, making the naming predictable and coherent.

Tool Count2/5

With 28 tools, this exceeds the 25+ threshold where a tool set starts to feel too heavy. Email is a broad domain and many tools are individually justified, but the surface could be consolidated, especially the draft_forward/draft_reply/draft_email and send_email/reply_email/forward_email variants.

Completeness4/5

The core email lifecycle is thoroughly covered: send, read, search, move, delete, drafts, replies, forwards, folders, flags, attachments, upload links, contacts, identities, deliverability, bounces, and receipts. The main gap is that permanent deletion is referenced as a separate operation but no such tool is actually provided, and contact/identity management is effectively read-only.

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