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Automate sending and receiving emails, and mailbox management.

Using the Gmail API with Trigger.dev

You can use Trigger.dev with any existing Node SDK or even just using fetch. Using io.runTask makes your Gmail background job resumable and appear in our dashboard.

Use io.runTask() and the official SDK or fetch.

Example code using Gmail

Below is a working code example of how you can use Gmail with Trigger.dev. These samples are open source and maintained by the community, you can copy and paste them into your own projects.

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import { TriggerClient, eventTrigger } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
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import { google } from "googleapis";
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import { JWT } from "google-auth-library";
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import z from "zod";
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// NB: This job only works if you have a Google Workspace account
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// Create a service account and project: https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/service-account-overview
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// Create a JWT (JSON Web Token) authentication instance for Google APIs.
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// https://cloud.google.com/nodejs/docs/reference/google-auth-library/latest/google-auth-library/jwt
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const auth = new JWT({
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  email: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL, // The email associated with the service account
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  key: process.env.GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY!.split(String.raw`\n`).join("\n"), // The service account private key
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  scopes: ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send"], // The desired scope for sending Gmail emails
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});
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// In order to send an email from a user's account, you must enable Gmail API Domain-Wide Delegation of Authority:
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// 1. Google Admin Console: Go to your Google Admin Console.
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// 2. Security Settings: Navigate to Security > API controls.
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// 3. Manage Domain-Wide Delegation: In the "Domain wide delegation" panel, click on "Manage Domain-Wide Delegation".
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// 4. Add Service Account: Click on "Add new" and provide:
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//  4a. Client ID: This is the Service Account's Client ID, which can be found in your Google Cloud Console under the Service Account's details.
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//  4b. OAuth Scopes: Enter https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send to grant send permissions via Gmail.
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// 5. Click on "Authorize".
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// Replace with the email of the user you're impersonating (the user that will send the email)
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auth.subject = process.env.GOOGLE_IMPERSONATION_EMAIL;
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// Initialize the Gmail API
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const gmail = google.gmail({ version: "v1", auth });
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client.defineJob({
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  id: "send-gmail-email",
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  name: "Send an email from Gmail",
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  version: "1.0.0",
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  trigger: eventTrigger({
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    name: "send-gmail-email",
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    schema: z.object({
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      to: z.string(),
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      subject: z.string(),
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      message: z.string(),
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    }),
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  }),
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  run: async (payload, io, ctx) => {
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    const { to, subject, message } = payload;
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    // Wrap an SDK call in io.runTask so it's resumable and displays in logs
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    await io.runTask(
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      "Send Gmail",
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      async () => {
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        // Create the email message
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        const email = `To: ${to}\r\nSubject: ${subject}\r\n\r\n${message}`;
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        // Send the email
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        const res = await gmail.users.messages.send({
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          userId: "me",
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          requestBody: {
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            raw: Buffer.from(email).toString("base64"),
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          },
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        });
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        console.log("Message sent: ", res.data);
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      },
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      // Add metadata to improve how the task displays in the logs
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      { name: "Send Gmail", icon: "google" }
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    );
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  },
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});