Command

nylas chat

Launch a web-based AI chat interface for email, calendar, and contacts.

Written by Qasim Muhammad Staff SRE

Published February 13, 2026Updated June 21, 2026

What does nylas chat do?

The nylas chat command starts a local web server (default port 7367) that provides an AI-powered chat interface in your browser. Ask questions in natural language and the agent reads email, creates calendar events, searches contacts, and sends messages on your behalf. Supports Claude, Codex, and Ollama as AI backends. Includes Slack integration for cross-channel messaging.

Usage

nylas chat [--agent claude|codex|ollama] [--port PORT] [--no-browser]

Flags

Flag	Description
--json	Output as JSON
--no-color	Disable color output
--verbose(-v)	Enable verbose output
--config	Custom config file path
--help(-h)	Show help for the command
--limit	Limit results (most list commands)
--yes(-y)	Skip confirmations
--port	Port to run the chat server on (default: 7367)
--no-browser	Start server without opening browser
--agent	AI agent to use: claude, codex, or ollama
--model	Model name for the ollama agent

Examples

Launch chat with default agent

nylas chat

Use Claude as the AI backend

nylas chat --agent claude

Use a local Ollama model

nylas chat --agent ollama --model llama2

Run on a custom port without opening browser

nylas chat --port 8080 --no-browser

Example output

Starting chat (agent: claude)...
✓ Server running at http://localhost:7367

you › How many unread emails do I have?
nylas › You have 4 unread messages, the most recent from bob@example.com about "Q3 planning".

Troubleshooting

Chat fails to start

Ensure you have authenticated first with `nylas init` or `nylas auth config`.

Agent not found

Install the agent locally. Claude requires `claude` CLI, Ollama requires `ollama` running.

Port already in use

Use --port to specify a different port, e.g. `nylas chat --port 8080`.

Recommended guides

List Fastmail emails from the CLI

List Fastmail emails from the CLI through Nylas IMAP access, using app passwords, inbox filters, JSON output, and Fastmail-specific auth troubleshooting.

Book meeting rooms from the CLI

Book meeting rooms from the CLI by listing calendar resources, using each room email as a calendar ID, and adding it as an event participant with less setup.

Google Calendar API Sync Tokens

Use Google Calendar API sync tokens for incremental event sync, handle the 410 GONE full-resync, and read calendars from the CLI.

Microsoft Graph calendarView Explained

Query the Microsoft Graph calendarView endpoint for events in a date range with recurrences expanded. Compare it to list events and read calendars from the CLI.

Microsoft Graph getSchedule Free/Busy

Call the Microsoft Graph getSchedule action to read free/busy for Outlook and Exchange calendars, then check availability across providers from the CLI.

Why Cloud Servers Block SMTP Ports

AWS, GCP, and Azure block outbound SMTP port 25 while ports 587 and 465 stay open. Confirm the block and send email over an HTTPS API instead.

Run nylas chat --help for full help output.