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IMAP

Retrieve emails via IMAP

Actions13

Email → Download Attachment

AI-generated

Overview

This node operation allows users to download email attachments from a specified mailbox using the IMAP protocol. It supports downloading either all attachments or specific attachments by their part IDs, and can include inline attachments if desired. This is useful for automating the retrieval of email attachments for processing, storage, or further workflow automation.

Use Case Examples

  1. Automatically download all attachments from emails in the INBOX mailbox for backup.
  2. Download specific attachments from an email identified by its UID for processing in another system.
  3. Include inline images embedded in HTML emails when downloading attachments for complete email content capture.

Properties

Name Meaning
Credential Type Selects the type of credentials to use for IMAP authentication, either credentials from this node or from an existing N8N IMAP Trigger node.
Mailbox Specifies the mailbox path from which to download the email attachments. Can be selected from a list or entered as a full path.
Email UID The unique identifier of the email from which to download attachments.
All Attachments Boolean flag indicating whether to download all attachments from the email.
Attachment Part IDs Comma-separated list of specific attachment part IDs to download. Required if not downloading all attachments.
Include Inline Attachments Boolean flag indicating whether to include inline attachments such as images embedded in HTML emails when downloading all attachments.

Output

JSON

  • attachmentData - The downloaded attachment data, typically including file content and metadata.
  • attachmentInfo - Information about the attachments downloaded, such as part IDs and filenames.

Dependencies

  • Requires IMAP credentials, either provided directly in the node or via an existing N8N IMAP Trigger node.

Troubleshooting

  • Connection failures due to incorrect IMAP credentials or network issues. Verify credentials and network connectivity.
  • Errors indicating unknown operation or resource if the node parameters are misconfigured. Ensure the resource is set to 'Email' and operation to 'Download Attachment'.
  • Errors related to invalid or missing email UID or attachment part IDs. Confirm the email UID and part IDs are correct and exist in the specified mailbox.
  • If the node returns no data, check that the email contains attachments and the part IDs are accurate.

Discussion