Clarify email is optional, add provider options, FAQ update

- Rewrite add-gmail-agent skill: Gmail, Outlook, IMAP options documented
- Make clear email is not core — fun to have, not required
- Add NANOCLAW env var FAQ entry explaining NanoClaw compatibility
- Add email integration section to README

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: ziggy

.claude/skills/add-gmail-agent/SKILL.md

@@ -1,42 +1,59 @@
 ---
 name: add-gmail-agent
-description: Wire Gmail MCP server into the agent so it can read, search, and send emails. Requires existing Gmail OAuth setup.
+description: Wire Gmail MCP server into the agent so it can read, search, and send emails. Optional — not core functionality.
 ---
 
-# Add Gmail to Agent
+# Add Email to Agent (Gmail)
 
-Gives the agent access to Gmail via MCP tools. The agent can then read, search, send, and manage emails.
+Gives the agent access to email via MCP tools. Read, search, send, and manage emails from the bot.
 
-## Prerequisites
+**This is optional.** Email is not core to GhostClaw. But it's useful — your bot can read verification codes, check for urgent emails, send summaries, or flag things that need attention. One practical use: the bot reads its own auth codes automatically during setup.
 
-Gmail MCP server must be set up with OAuth credentials. If not done:
+## Email providers
+
+Gmail is the easiest path because there's a well-maintained MCP server for it. But this isn't Gmail-specific — any email provider with an MCP server or IMAP access works. Options:
+
+| Provider | Approach | Difficulty |
+|----------|----------|------------|
+| **Gmail** | MCP server with OAuth (documented below) | Medium — Google Cloud setup required |
+| **Outlook/365** | Microsoft Graph MCP server | Medium — Azure app registration |
+| **Any IMAP** | Generic IMAP MCP server | Easy — just server/user/password |
+| **Proton Mail** | Proton Bridge + IMAP MCP | Medium — needs Bridge running |
+
+The Gmail route is documented here. For other providers, the wiring is identical — just swap the MCP server command in the agent runner config.
+
+## Gmail setup
+
+### 1. Google Cloud OAuth (one-time)
+
+This is the fiddly part. You need a Google Cloud project with Gmail API enabled:
+
+1. Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com)
+2. Create a project (or use existing)
+3. Enable the Gmail API
+4. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop app type)
+5. Download the credentials JSON
+
+Then authenticate the MCP server:
 
 ```bash
-# Install and auth the Gmail MCP server
 npx @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp
 ```
 
-This creates OAuth credentials in `~/.gmail-mcp/`. Follow the browser OAuth flow to authorise.
+Follow the browser OAuth flow. This creates credentials in `~/.gmail-mcp/`.
 
-## Setup
-
-### 1. Add environment variable
+### 2. Enable in GhostClaw
 
 Add to `.env`:
 
 ```bash
 GMAIL_MCP_ENABLED=1
 ```
 
-### 2. Rebuild the agent runner
+### 3. Rebuild and restart
 
 ```bash
 cd container/agent-runner && npx tsc
-```
-
-### 3. Restart
-
-```bash
 launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.ghostclaw  # macOS
 # systemctl --user restart ghostclaw               # Linux
 ```
@@ -45,11 +62,9 @@ launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.ghostclaw  # macOS
 
 Send a message to the bot: "Check my recent emails"
 
-The agent should use `mcp__gmail__search_emails` and `mcp__gmail__read_email` tools to fetch and summarise emails.
-
 ## What the agent can do
 
-With Gmail enabled, the agent has these MCP tools:
+With email enabled, the agent has these MCP tools:
 
 | Tool | What it does |
 |------|-------------|
@@ -68,4 +83,8 @@ The agent runner at `container/agent-runner/src/index.ts` conditionally adds the
 
 ## Disabling
 
-Remove `GMAIL_MCP_ENABLED=1` from `.env` and restart. The agent won't have Gmail tools on next invocation.
+Remove `GMAIL_MCP_ENABLED=1` from `.env` and restart. The agent won't have email tools on next invocation.
+
+## Using other email providers
+
+To swap Gmail for another provider, edit `container/agent-runner/src/index.ts` and change the MCP server command in the `gmail` config block. The rest of the wiring (conditional enable via env var, tool permissions) stays the same.

README.md

@@ -100,12 +100,16 @@ GhostClaw uses NanoClaw's skill system. Skills are scanned for security issues b
 |-------|-------------|
 | `/add-heartbeat` | Periodic health checks (disk, logs, email) |
 | `/add-morning-briefing` | Scheduled daily/weekly briefings |
-| `/add-gmail-agent` | Gmail read/send via MCP |
+| `/add-gmail-agent` | Email read/send via MCP (Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP) |
 | `/add-update-check` | Weekly check for GhostClaw updates |
 | `/add-slack` | Slack as additional channel |
 | `/add-discord` | Discord as additional channel |
 | `/add-telegram-swarm` | Multi-bot agent teams in Telegram |
 
+### Email integration
+
+Email is optional — not core functionality. But it's fun to have the bot read verification codes, check for urgent messages, or send summaries. Gmail is the easiest setup (OAuth MCP server), but any email provider with IMAP or an MCP server works. See `/add-gmail-agent` for details.
+
 ### Security scanning
 
 Skills are automatically scanned before installation. The scanner checks for:
@@ -214,6 +218,10 @@ Yes. Agents have full host access. That's the point — don't run this on a mach
 
 Set `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` and `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` in `.env` for any Anthropic-compatible endpoint.
 
+**Why do I see `NANOCLAW_*` in the code?**
+
+GhostClaw keeps NanoClaw's internal variable names (`NANOCLAW_GROUP_DIR`, `.nanoclaw/` state directory) so that skills from the NanoClaw ecosystem work without modification. User-facing names are all GhostClaw.
+
 **How do I build my own skills?**
 
 See the [NanoClaw skills architecture docs](docs/nanoclaw-architecture-final.md). GhostClaw skills follow the same format — `manifest.yaml` + `add/` + `modify/` directories.