Extract OTP Codes from Email in One Command — No Inbox Browsing

#cli #email #otp #automation

The nylas otp commands extract one-time passwords from your email automatically. Stop switching to your inbox to copy 6-digit codes — the CLI finds them and copies to your clipboard in under 3 seconds.

What nylas otp does

Scans recent emails for verification codes (6-digit, 8-digit, alphanumeric), extracts them using pattern matching, and copies the latest to your clipboard. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and any IMAP provider.

Quick Start

brew install nylas/nylas-cli/nylas
nylas init
nylas otp get

That's it — the latest OTP code is now in your clipboard. Paste it into the verification form.

Key commands

Command	What it does
`nylas otp get`	Get latest OTP, copy to clipboard
`nylas otp get --raw`	Output only the code (for scripting)
`nylas otp watch`	Watch for new codes in real-time
`nylas otp watch --interval 5`	Poll every 5 seconds
`nylas otp list`	List configured accounts
`nylas otp messages`	Show recent messages with OTP detection

Use in Playwright/Cypress tests

# In your E2E test script:
OTP=$(nylas otp get --raw)
# Use $OTP to fill the verification form programmatically

This eliminates the need for Gmail API credentials in CI/CD pipelines. The CLI handles auth — your test just calls nylas otp get --raw.

Watching for codes in real-time

nylas otp watch --interval 3

Polls every 3 seconds and prints new codes as they arrive. Useful when you triggered a "send verification code" flow and are waiting for delivery.

Common issues

No OTP found
The code might not have arrived yet. Use nylas otp watch to wait, or check nylas otp messages to see what emails were scanned.

Wrong code extracted
If multiple verification emails arrived recently, nylas otp get returns the newest. Use nylas otp messages to see all candidates.

All commands: Nylas CLI Command Reference

Get started: brew install nylas/nylas-cli/nylas — other install methods