Email OTP Skill

A skill for creating temporary email addresses and automatically extracting OTP codes and validation links from incoming emails. Uses the free mail.tm API (no API key required).

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when the user asks to:

• Create a temporary email address
• Get a disposable email for signup/verification
• Check for OTP (one-time password) codes
• Wait for email verification links
• Monitor an inbox for authentication codes

Quick Start

# Create a new temporary email
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py create

# Monitor for OTP codes (5 minute timeout)
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check

# List current account and messages
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py list

Commands

Create Account

python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py create [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -e, --email ADDRESS - Custom full email address
• -d, --domain DOMAIN - Specific domain to use
• -p, --password PASSWORD - Account password (auto-generated if not specified)
• --json - Output as JSON

Example:

python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py create --domain "marcilzo.com"

Check for OTP/Links

python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check [OPTIONS]

Options:

• --timeout SECONDS - Max seconds to wait (default: 300)
• --poll SECONDS - Poll interval in seconds (default: 3)
• --sender EMAIL - Only accept emails from this sender
• --subject TEXT - Only accept emails with this in subject
• --pattern REGEX - Custom regex pattern for OTP extraction
• --once - Exit after first OTP found
• --json - Output messages as JSON

Examples:

# Wait up to 2 minutes for OTP
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check --timeout 120

# Only accept emails from noreply@example.com
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check --sender "noreply@example.com"

# Exit immediately after finding OTP
python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check --once

List Account and Messages

python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py list

Shows the current account details and all messages in the inbox with extracted links.

List Available Domains

python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py domains [--json]

Output Files

When an OTP or link is found, the script automatically saves them to the unified state directory:

• ~/.tempmail_otp/last_otp - Contains the last extracted OTP code
• ~/.tempmail_otp/last_link - Contains the first interesting validation link found
• ~/.tempmail_otp/account.json - Account credentials (JWT token, email, password)

All state files are stored in ~/.tempmail_otp/ with restricted permissions (0600).

OTP Detection Patterns

The script automatically detects OTP codes using these patterns:

• 6-8 digit numbers (most common)
• 4 digit numbers
• "code: XXXXXX" format
• "verification: XXXXXX" format
• "otp: XXXXXX" format

Link Extraction

The script extracts all HTTP/HTTPS links from email HTML, filtering out:

• Unsubscribe links
• Tracking links
• Image files (.png, .jpg, .gif)

State Management

All state is stored in a unified directory: ~/.tempmail_otp/

• account.json - Account credentials and JWT token (created by create command)
• last_otp - Most recent OTP code extracted (created by check command)
• last_link - First validation link extracted (created by check command)

Files have restricted permissions (0600) for security. The check and list commands automatically use stored credentials.

Design Rationale

The unified state directory follows best practices for CLI tools:

1. No project pollution - No temporary files are created in your working directory
2. Predictable location - All state is in one place, easy to find and clean up
3. Cross-session persistence - Works from any directory on your system
4. Permission safety - Sensitive credentials have proper file permissions

To reset all state: rm -rf ~/.tempmail_otp/

Typical Workflow

1. Create account - Generate a new temporary email address
2. Use email - Provide the email during service signup
3. Monitor inbox - Run the check command to wait for OTP/link
4. Extract code - OTP is automatically displayed and saved to ~/.tempmail_otp/last_otp
5. Verify - Use the OTP or link to complete verification

Example Session

# Create a temp email
$ python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py create
Email: a3b7c9d4@marcilzo.com
Password: f8e4d2a1-1234-5678-9abc-123456789abc
Domain: marcilzo.com

Account saved to /home/user/.tempmail_otp/account.json

# In another terminal, wait for OTP
$ python3 scripts/tempmail_otp.py check --once
Monitoring: a3b7c9d4@marcilzo.com
Timeout: 300s | Poll interval: 3s
--------------------------------------------------

📧 New email from: noreply@service.com
   Subject: Your verification code

✅ OTP FOUND: 842197
OTP saved to /home/user/.tempmail_otp/last_otp
--------------------------------------------------

Error Handling

• If email address is already taken, the script automatically retries with a new username
• Network errors are logged and the script continues polling
• Invalid account state prompts to recreate the account

API

This skill uses the mail.tm REST API:

• Base URL: https://api.mail.tm
• Authentication: JWT Bearer token
• No API key required

Notes

• Temporary emails may expire after inactivity periods
• Some services may block temporary email domains
• The script automatically handles account creation and JWT token management
• OTP patterns cover most common formats, but custom regex can be provided via --pattern