ConnectOnionHow to give an AI agent its own email address
co init gives an AI agent its own mailbox at 0x…@mail.openonion.ai with no DNS records or email provider. Send with co email send, read with co email inbox, claim a readable name.
Run co init. The agent gets a keypair, a 0x address and a mailbox at 0x…@mail.openonion.ai. The mailbox is hosted by OpenOnion, so you don't need an email provider account or any DNS records. The agent sends with co email send and reads with co email inbox. To get a readable address, co email name <name> --buy claims name@openonion.ai from your credits.
1. Create the agent's identity
co init generates the keypair and signs in, which activates the mailbox.
pip install connectonion
co init
2. Find its address
co status shows the agent address, its email address and the credit balance.
co status
# │ Email: 0xcbef…@mail.openonion.ai
3. Send an email
Recipient, subject, body.
co email send alice@example.com "Hello" "Sent by my agent."
4. Read what arrives
Reading does not mark a message read unless you pass --mark-read.
co email inbox --unread
co email read 42
5. Claim a readable name (optional)
Check whether a name is free and what it costs, then claim it. The charge comes from your OpenOnion credits.
co email name support
co email name support --buy
FAQ
Do I need to set up DNS or an email provider?
No. The mailbox is an OpenOnion-hosted service, so there are no SPF, DKIM or MX records and no SendGrid or Resend account.
Can people reply to the agent?
Yes. Replies arrive in the agent's inbox, where co email inbox lists them and co email read shows the body.
Can another account use the same address?
Yes. co email share lets another account send and/or read as one of your addresses without moving it, and co email unshare revokes that.
How is this different from connecting Gmail?
This is the agent's own address. Connecting Gmail with co auth google lets the agent work in your mailbox instead.
Related
Updated 2026-09-26. Commands checked against ConnectOnion 1.8.8.