getmail for eml2pdf, automatically retrieve emails

getmail for eml2pdf: how to retrieve your emails from the SERVER and automatically transfer them to eml2pdf. You can also define filters!

The following article was written at the suggestion of “Samke,” a user of eml2pdf. Samke has had very good experiences with getmail for automatically retrieving emails and transferring them to eml2pdf for processing.

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Simple Configuration for 1-3 Email Accounts

The Goal

Automatically fetch emails from multiple accounts and store all EML files directly in one directory (./eml-import/) – ready for further processing with tools like eml2pdf.

The Solution: Maildir + Automatic Moving

We use the proven Maildir format (each email as its own .eml file) and simply move the files from the new/ subdirectory up one level.

1. Prepare Directory Structure

bash

mkdir -p getmail-docker/{config,eml-import,logs}
cd getmail-docker

2. Configuration Files for Up to 3 Accounts

Account 1: Gmail – config/getmailrc-gmail

ini

[retriever]
type = SimpleIMAPSSLRetriever
server = imap.gmail.com
port = 993
username = [email protected]
password = TestPasswort.1  # With 2FA: Use App Password!

[destination]
type = Maildir
path = /eml-import/

[options]
verbose = 2
delete = false
delete_after = 0
max_message_size = 0
message_log = /logs/getmail-gmail.log

Account 2: Outlook – config/getmailrc-outlook

ini

[retriever]
type = SimpleIMAPSSLRetriever
server = outlook.office365.com
port = 993
username = [email protected]
password = AnotherPassword

[destination]
type = Maildir
path = /eml-import/

[options]
verbose = 2
delete = false
delete_after = 0
max_message_size = 0
message_log = /logs/getmail-outlook.log

Account 3: Web.de – config/getmailrc-webde

ini

[retriever]
type = SimpleIMAPSSLRetriever
server = imap.web.de
port = 993
username = [email protected]
password = WebdePassword

[destination]
type = Maildir
path = /eml-import/

[options]
verbose = 2
delete = false
delete_after = 0
max_message_size = 0
message_log = /logs/getmail-webde.log

3. Explanation of the Most Important getmail Options

Retriever Section (Server Connection)

Option	Description	Example
type	Protocol and encryption	SimpleIMAPSSLRetriever (IMAP with SSL), SimplePOP3SSLRetriever (POP3 with SSL)
server	Mail server address	imap.gmail.com, outlook.office365.com, imap.web.de
port	Server port	993 (IMAP SSL), 995 (POP3 SSL)
username	Full email address	[email protected]
password	Password or app password	TestPasswort.1 or 16-character app password for Google

Destination Section (Storage Location)

Option	Description	Example
type	Storage format	Maildir (individual EML files in new/, cur/, tmp/)
path	Target directory in container	/eml-import/

Options Section (Behavior)

Option	Description	Example
verbose	Output verbosity level (0-3)	2 (medium detail)
delete	Delete emails from server after download?	false = keep, true = delete
delete_after	Auto-delete after X days	0 = disabled, 30 = after 30 days
max_message_size	Maximum message size in bytes	0 = unlimited, 5242880 = 5 MB
message_log	Path to log file	/logs/getmail.log
delivered_to	Add “Delivered-To” header?	false
received	Add “Received” header?	false

Important Notes on Options

Option	Meaning
delete = false	Emails remain on server (recommended)
delete = true	Emails are deleted from server – only with backup!
delete_after = 30	Automatically deletes emails 30 days after download
max_message_size = 0	All emails, regardless of size
max_message_size = 5242880	Only emails up to 5 MB
verbose = 2	Detailed output (good for setup)

4. Docker-Compose File: docker-compose.yml

yaml

version: '3.8'

services:
  getmail:
    image: python:3.11-slim
    container_name: getmail-multi
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config:ro
      - ./eml-import:/eml-import
      - ./logs:/logs
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin  # Or Asia/Bangkok, whatever you prefer
    command: >
      sh -c "
      pip install --no-cache-dir getmail6 &&
      echo '=== getmail Multi-Account Starter ===' &&
      while true; do
        # Process all configuration files
        for rcfile in /config/getmailrc-*; do
          if [ -f \"\$rcfile\" ]; then
            echo \"\$(date): Processing \$(basename \$rcfile)\"
            getmail --getmaildir /config --rcfile=\$(basename \$rcfile)
          fi
        done
        
        # IMPORTANT: Move all new EMLs directly to /eml-import/
        if [ -d /eml-import/new ] && [ \"\$(ls -A /eml-import/new/ 2>/dev/null)\" ]; then
          echo \"\$(date): Moving new EMLs to /eml-import/\"
          mv /eml-import/new/* /eml-import/ 2>/dev/null || true
          echo \"\$(date): Done - EMLs ready for further processing\"
        fi
        
        echo \"\$(date): Waiting 5 minutes until next run\"
        sleep 300
      done
      "

5. Start and Test

bash

# Start container
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# After a few minutes: Check if EMLs are arriving
ls -la ./eml-import/

# Example output:
# -rw-r--r-- 1 user user  12543 Feb 21 12:34 1701234567.12345_1.server:2,
# -rw-r--r-- 1 user user   8972 Feb 21 12:34 1701234568.12345_2.server:2,
# -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 152034 Feb 21 12:35 1701234569.12345_3.server:2,

6. What Happens Here?

Step	Description
1	Container starts, installs getmail
2	Every 5 minutes, all config files (getmailrc-*) are processed
3	Each account fetches its emails and stores them in Maildir format
4	New emails first land in /eml-import/new/
5	Our script moves all files from new/ to /eml-import/
6	DONE: All EMLs are directly in the main directory

7. Important Notes

Google Mail with 2-Factor Authentication

With Google and 2FA, do not use your normal password – use an App Password instead:

• Google Account → Security → App Passwords
• Generate 16-character password
• Enter it in the configuration

What’s Inside an .eml File?

• Complete email with text and all attachments (PDFs, images, etc.)
• Attachments are Base64-encoded and embedded in the file
• No separate files needed!

For Processing with eml2pdf

bash

# Convert all EMLs to PDFs
eml2pdf ./eml-import/ ./pdf-output/

8. Optional: Filter by Sender or Subject

If you only want to keep specific emails (e.g., only from Cloudflare or with “Invoice” in the subject):

ini

[retriever]
type = SimpleIMAPSSLRetriever
server = imap.gmail.com
username = [email protected]
password = TestPasswort.1

[filter]
type = Filter_classifier
expression = from
pattern = .*@(cloudflare|paypal)\.com
case_sensitive = false

[destination]
type = Maildir
path = /eml-import/

[options]
verbose = 2

9. Troubleshooting

bash

# Run manually once (for testing)
docker exec getmail-multi getmail --getmaildir /config --rcfile=getmailrc-gmail

# Check logs
cat logs/getmail-gmail.log

# If something goes wrong: Restart container
docker-compose restart

Summary

With this simple configuration:

• ✅ Up to 3 email accounts (easily expandable)
• ✅ All EMLs directly in /eml-import/ – exactly where you need them
• ✅ Each EML contains text + attachments – everything in one file
• ✅ Perfect for eml2pdf, archiving, backup
• ✅ Google Mail with 2FA supported (via App Password)
• ✅ Easy to maintain and extend

Emails are fetched every 5 minutes and automatically moved to the right directory – a fully automated, reliable workflow!

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#Docker #eml2pdf #EmailToPdfConverter #Getmail #AutomaticEmailRetrieval #Paperless #DMS