Supported features

This page describes the current project at a human level. For machine-readable truth about the installed binary, run:

icloud capabilities
icloud capabilities --json

iCloud Mail

Accounts

Supported:

• multiple Mail accounts;
• app-specific passwords through the system keyring, environment references, protected files, or stdin setup;
• account validation and diagnostics;
• a default account plus per-command selection.

Reading and search

Supported:

• current Inbox and folder synchronization;
• foreground watching for new mail;
• deliberate historical backfill;
• local message and conversation browsing;
• local full-text and metadata search;
• bounded fresh provider search and selective caching;
• complete text and HTML bodies on request;
• exact raw EML access;
• attachments.

Compose and send

Supported:

• new mail;
• reply and reply-all;
• forward;
• CC, BCC, Reply-To, custom safe headers;
• text and HTML bodies;
• file and inline attachments;
• drafts;
• aliases / sender identities;
• reusable signatures;
• idempotent outbound operations;
• review-only dry runs.

Organizing mail

Supported:

• read/unread;
• flag/unflag;
• move and copy;
• archive/unarchive;
• trash/restore;
• junk/not-junk;
• permanent deletion;
• reviewed bulk selections;
• bounded empty Trash/Junk/custom-folder workflows;
• local VIP and blocked-sender preferences;
• local conversation mute preferences.

Folders

Supported:

• discovery and counts;
• choosing routine sync folders;
• create, rename, and delete custom folders;
• subscribe and unsubscribe;
• local role bindings for Sent, Drafts, Archive, Trash, and Junk when needed.

Import, export, and recovery

Supported:

• single-message EML export/import;
• mboxrd mailbox export/import;
• local sync checks and repair;
• operation history;
• safe-retry Outbox for eligible pre-send failures;
• outbound reconciliation against Sent.

S/MIME

Supported:

• signed-message inspection;
• public certificate storage and explicit trust;
• external private-key references;
• local decryption;
• outbound signing, encryption, and sign+encrypt.

Automation

Supported:

• compact human/agent output;
• JSON responses;
• JSONL streams and bulk results;
• strict JSON request files for supported commands;
• published schemas;
• stable exit classes and request IDs;
• shell completion and generated man pages.

Current limitations worth knowing

The current Mail surface does not expose Apple Mail colored flags as provider state. Provider-forwarded state is also not treated as a reliable supported state. Some Apple Mail UI preferences remain local to Apple clients and are not claimed as iCloud CLI features.

Use:

icloud mail settings show --verbose

for the current account’s compatibility notes.

Broader iCloud services

Contacts, Reminders, Calendar, Drive, Notes, Photos, Find My, and other non-Mail iCloud services are not implemented in the current CLI unless they appear in your installed icloud --help / icloud capabilities output.

The project is intentionally structured so more iCloud service families can be added over time. See The iCloud ecosystem.