Hey everyone,
I’m a big fan of using the terminal for most of my tasks. I was wondering if there’s a way to access Gmail chat through the command line on Linux. Has anyone come across a tool like this? Or maybe you know if it’s possible to create one?
I’ve looked around but haven’t found much info. It would be super handy to chat with my Gmail contacts without leaving the terminal. Any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve been searching for a CLI solution for Gmail chat too, but no luck finding an official one. However, I stumbled upon a Python library called ‘hangups’ that might be worth checking out. It’s an unofficial client for Google Hangouts, which integrates with Gmail chat.
You’d need to install it via pip and set up authentication, but once configured, it allows you to send and receive messages through the command line. It’s not perfect and might break if Google changes their API, but it’s the closest I’ve found to a true CLI for Gmail chat.
Another option is using a terminal-based XMPP client like Profanity, though as mentioned by others, XMPP support for Gmail is limited. These aren’t ideal solutions, but they might get you closer to your goal of terminal-based chatting.
yo, i feel ya on wanting a terminal solution for gmail chat. haven’t found anything perfect, but check out BitlBee. it’s an irc proxy that can connect to various chat networks, including gmail (kinda). pair it with irssi or weechat for a sweet cli setup. might take some tinkering tho.
As a long-time Linux user and command-line enthusiast, I’ve explored this question myself. Unfortunately, there isn’t a native CLI for Gmail chat that I know of. However, I’ve found a workaround that might interest you.
I use Finch, a console-based IM client that supports multiple protocols including XMPP, which Gmail chat uses. It’s not a perfect solution, as Google has been phasing out XMPP support, but it still works for basic chatting.
To set it up, you’ll need to enable IMAP in your Gmail settings and generate an app-specific password. Then, configure Finch with your Gmail credentials. It takes some initial setup, but once done, you can chat from the terminal.
Another option is to use a terminal-based email client like Mutt or Alpine, which can handle basic chat functionality through email. It’s not real-time, but it keeps you in the CLI environment.
These solutions aren’t ideal, but they’ve helped me stay terminal-centric. Hope this gives you some ideas to explore!