# Get email message

Read an archived email record. The record is a copy of correspondence, not a message draft or an instruction to send mail.

POST https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage

## Access & visibility

Allow `customers.GetEmailMessage` on your API key. Resource read permissions: `core:EmailMessage`.

**Workspace access by default.** Private member data requires [approved member delegation](https://developer.brigg.app/authentication#member-delegation) through `Brigg-Act-As`; the key supplies permissions while private ownership and project boundaries remain enforced.

[Set up authentication](https://developer.brigg.app/authentication) · [Choose permissions](https://developer.brigg.app/permissions)

## Request fields

Send a JSON object with the following fields. Required fields must be included; omit optional fields you do not need.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Yes | ID of a visible `core:EmailMessage` record. Use the relevant list operation to discover records. Use the record's top-level `id`, not a business field or account ID. |

## Response

Returns **200 OK** with a JSON body.

`item: null` means there is no matching record visible to this caller. It does not reveal whether an inaccessible record exists.

Record metadata sits outside `data`. Timestamps `created_at` and `updated_at` are Unix milliseconds. Optional business fields may be absent; absence does not mean false or zero. A field accepts null only when its type includes null.

This is a read-only email activity record. Listing it neither sends an email nor returns full mailbox access.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `item` | [EmailMessageRecord](#emailmessagerecord-response-item) or null | Yes | null when no such record |

### EmailMessageRecord · response.item

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Yes | Stable core:EmailMessage record ID. Keep this top-level value when reading or referring to this record. Available actions are linked under Next steps; an ID does not imply the resource can be edited. |
| `created_at` | number | Yes | Time the record was created, in Unix milliseconds. |
| `updated_at` | number | Yes | Time the record most recently changed, in Unix milliseconds. Use with overlapping windows for incremental reads. |
| `created_by` | string or null | Yes | Account that originally created the record, or null for a workspace/system-originated record. This is provenance, not its current owner or a Person record ID. |
| `private` | boolean | Yes | True for a member-owned private record. An API key needs approved delegation to that owner; false alone does not bypass resource grants or other access rules. |
| `data` | [EmailMessage](#emailmessage-response-item-data) | Yes | The record's fields. |

### EmailMessage · response.item.data

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `channel` | string | No | Communication channel recorded for this message. |
| `subject` | string | Yes | Email subject line. |
| `sent_at` | number | Yes | Time the message was sent, in Unix milliseconds. |
| `recipients` | array of string | No | Recipient addresses recorded for this email. |
| `contact_refs` | array of string | No | Person record IDs linked to this message. |
| `company_refs` | array of string | No | Company record IDs linked to this message. |
| `sender_ref` | string | No | ID of a `core:Person` record. Find it with [customers.ListPeople](https://developer.brigg.app/reference/customers/ListPeople) and use the top-level `id`. This is not an account ID or a display name. |
| `email_id` | string | No | Identifier of the underlying email, distinct from this timeline record's ID. |
| `attachment_file_ids` | array of string | No | File IDs for email attachments; use the file download API with the caller's current access. |

## Errors & retries

This operation reads data. It needs no idempotency key and can be retried after a transient failure.

For rate limits, follow the server’s retry guidance and back off. See [HTTP errors](https://developer.brigg.app/http#errors) and [safe retries and limits](https://developer.brigg.app/reliability).

| HTTP status | Code | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400 | `invalid_json` | Send a JSON object with Content-Type: application/json. |
| 400 | `invalid_input` | Check the request fields and types. |
| 401 | `invalid_key` | The workspace API key is missing, invalid or revoked. |
| 403 | `forbidden` | Check the key’s operation and resource grants. If Brigg-Act-As is supplied, the key must be authorized to delegate to that member. |
| 404 | `not_found` | The requested operation or resource is not available to this credential. |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Wait for Retry-After before retrying. |

## Next steps

- [List email messages](https://developer.brigg.app/reference/customers/ListEmailMessages)

[Download OpenAPI](https://developer.brigg.app/openapi.json) · [Versioning & retirement](https://developer.brigg.app/versioning)

## Examples

### Example request

Fictional values. Replace IDs and business details with values from your workspace.
#### cURL


```sh
curl 'https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGG_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
}'
```

#### TypeScript


```typescript
const response = await fetch("https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.BRIGG_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
  }),
});
const result = await response.json();
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`${response.status}: ${result.error} — ${result.message}`);
console.log(result);
```

#### Python


```python
import json
import os
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen
from urllib.error import HTTPError

payload = {
  "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
}
request = Request(
    "https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage",
    data=json.dumps(payload).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIGG_API_KEY']}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urlopen(request) as response:
        print(json.load(response))
except HTTPError as error:
    print(error.code, json.load(error))
    raise
```

#### Response example


```json
{
  "item": {
    "id": "e_emailmessage_example",
    "created_at": 1791276900000,
    "updated_at": 1791280800000,
    "created_by": "a_jamie",
    "private": false,
    "data": {
      "subject": "Pilot next steps",
      "sent_at": 1791279900000,
      "channel": "email",
      "recipients": [
        "alex@example.org"
      ],
      "company_refs": [
        "e_company_northstar"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### No visible record

A missing or inaccessible record returns item: null. Do not treat this as proof that a record exists for another member.
#### cURL


```sh
curl 'https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIGG_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
}'
```

#### TypeScript


```typescript
const response = await fetch("https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.BRIGG_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
  }),
});
const result = await response.json();
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`${response.status}: ${result.error} — ${result.message}`);
console.log(result);
```

#### Python


```python
import json
import os
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen
from urllib.error import HTTPError

payload = {
  "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
}
request = Request(
    "https://api.brigg.app/v1/operations/customers.GetEmailMessage",
    data=json.dumps(payload).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIGG_API_KEY']}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urlopen(request) as response:
        print(json.load(response))
except HTTPError as error:
    print(error.code, json.load(error))
    raise
```

#### Response example


```json
{
  "item": null
}
```

## JSON schemas


```json-schema-request
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "ID of a visible `core:EmailMessage` record. Use the relevant list operation to discover records. Use the record's top-level `id`, not a business field or account ID."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "id": "e_emailmessage_example"
    }
  ]
}
```


```json-schema-response
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "item": {
      "type": [
        "object",
        "null"
      ],
      "properties": {
        "id": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Stable core:EmailMessage record ID. Keep this top-level value when reading or referring to this record. Available actions are linked under Next steps; an ID does not imply the resource can be edited."
        },
        "created_at": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "Time the record was created, in Unix milliseconds."
        },
        "updated_at": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "Time the record most recently changed, in Unix milliseconds. Use with overlapping windows for incremental reads."
        },
        "created_by": {
          "type": [
            "string",
            "null"
          ],
          "description": "Account that originally created the record, or null for a workspace/system-originated record. This is provenance, not its current owner or a Person record ID."
        },
        "private": {
          "type": "boolean",
          "description": "True for a member-owned private record. An API key needs approved delegation to that owner; false alone does not bypass resource grants or other access rules."
        },
        "data": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "channel": {
              "type": "string",
              "description": "Communication channel recorded for this message."
            },
            "subject": {
              "type": "string",
              "description": "Email subject line."
            },
            "sent_at": {
              "type": "number",
              "description": "Time the message was sent, in Unix milliseconds."
            },
            "recipients": {
              "type": "array",
              "items": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "description": "Recipient addresses recorded for this email."
            },
            "contact_refs": {
              "type": "array",
              "items": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "id of a core:Person"
              },
              "description": "Person record IDs linked to this message."
            },
            "company_refs": {
              "type": "array",
              "items": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "id of a core:Company"
              },
              "description": "Company record IDs linked to this message."
            },
            "sender_ref": {
              "type": "string",
              "description": "ID of a `core:Person` record. Find it with [customers.ListPeople](https://developer.brigg.app/reference/customers/ListPeople) and use the top-level `id`. This is not an account ID or a display name."
            },
            "email_id": {
              "type": "string",
              "description": "Identifier of the underlying email, distinct from this timeline record's ID."
            },
            "attachment_file_ids": {
              "type": "array",
              "items": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "description": "File IDs for email attachments; use the file download API with the caller's current access."
            }
          },
          "required": [
            "subject",
            "sent_at"
          ],
          "additionalProperties": false,
          "description": "The record's fields.",
          "title": "EmailMessage"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "id",
        "created_at",
        "updated_at",
        "created_by",
        "private",
        "data"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false,
      "description": "null when no such record",
      "title": "EmailMessageRecord"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "item"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "item": {
        "id": "e_emailmessage_example",
        "created_at": 1791276900000,
        "updated_at": 1791280800000,
        "created_by": "a_jamie",
        "private": false,
        "data": {
          "subject": "Pilot next steps",
          "sent_at": 1791279900000,
          "channel": "email",
          "recipients": [
            "alex@example.org"
          ],
          "company_refs": [
            "e_company_northstar"
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
```