Conversations and threads

icloud groups related synchronized messages into conversations and gives each conversation a stable-looking thr_… selector for normal use.

You do not need to understand the grouping algorithm to use the feature.

List recent conversations

icloud mail threads list

Filter them like normal local mail:

icloud mail threads list --query launch --unread
icloud mail threads list --participant teammate@example.com

The older icloud mail latest command is a compatibility alias for the list view.

Read a conversation

icloud mail threads show thr_…

You can start from a message ID too:

icloud mail threads show msg_…

The default shows a concise chronological conversation. Ask for complete bodies when needed:

icloud mail threads show thr_… --full
icloud mail threads show thr_… --format html

For a body-only stream:

icloud mail threads show thr_… --full --body-only

Continue a long conversation

If the result contains a next_cursor:

icloud mail threads show thr_… --limit 20 --cursor cur_…

Use the cursor only with the same conversation.

Mute a conversation locally

icloud mail threads mute thr_…
icloud mail threads unmute thr_…

Mute is a local CLI preference. It does not move, delete, archive, or mark the mail read in iCloud.

Change a conversation

Thread actions apply the normal message actions to the selected conversation while keeping the provider folder scope explicit.

Examples:

icloud mail threads mark-read thr_… --folder inbox
icloud mail threads flag thr_… --folder inbox
icloud mail threads archive thr_… --from inbox --dry-run
icloud mail threads trash thr_… --from inbox --dry-run

For a real location-changing action, review first and then use the confirmation/idempotency options shown by that command’s help.

If a conversation is very large, the CLI may require explicit paging rather than silently acting on only part of it.

If grouping looks surprising

First synchronize the folders that may contain the rest of the conversation:

icloud mail sync
icloud mail threads show thr_…

If you need diagnostic detail:

icloud mail threads show thr_… --metadata-only --verbose --json

Old conversation selectors can sometimes redirect to a newer canonical thread after more mail arrives. Existing msg_… message IDs remain the safest exact selectors for one-message actions.

For bulk actions over a reviewed set of messages or conversations, see Reviewed bulk actions.