# Read a received message GET /v1/messages/{message_id} Source: https://cherami.to/docs/api/messages/get-message {/* Generated from apps/web/openapi. Edit the contract, not this file. */} `GET /v1/messages/{message_id}` Requires a [Claim-issued API key](https://cherami.to/docs/api#authentication): `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CREDENTIAL`. Returns received metadata, raw size and processing completion time. The list-only `from` and `preview` are omitted. Ready content includes original prepared bodies, parsed header values, extracted reply text and attachment metadata. Unfinished and failed detail responses omit content. Each received attachment has `id` (string), `filename` (string or null), `size` (bytes), `mime_type`, `disposition` (string or null), `content_id` (string or null), and `related` (boolean). Use its `id` in the attachment download route. Reply extraction preserves original bodies and does not change full-body search. It prefers plain text and derives text from HTML-only mail without rendering or fetching resources. It can miss unusual quoting or omit inline answers; read `text` or `html` when the full context matters. Explicitly marked forwards are retained rather than treated as quoted replies. Extraction failure does not fail ordinary retrieval. ### Processing states [#processing-states] `pending` and `processing` mean prepared content is not ready. Check later with bounded backoff. `ready` supplies `content`; `failed` does not. All four states can return detail `200`. Raw MIME remains available in unfinished and failed states. Missing stored content can return `503 content_unavailable`. ## Parameters [#parameters] | Parameter | Location | Required | Type | Meaning | | ------------ | -------- | -------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------- | | `message_id` | path | Yes | string | Owned Cherami resource ID returned by the API. | ## curl example [#curl-example] Replace resource-ID placeholders with returned IDs. Supply `CHERAMI_API_KEY` through your private shell environment. ```sh curl --silent --show-error --include --request GET \ "https://cherami.to/v1/messages/MESSAGE_ID" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $CHERAMI_API_KEY" ``` ## Responses [#responses] ### HTTP 200 [#http-200] Successful operation; inspect resource state and outcome fields. * `X-Request-ID`: Support correlation ID, not an idempotency key. Content type: `application/json`. [ReceivedDetail](#schema-receiveddetail) ```json { "id": "11111111-1111-4111-8111-111111111111", "inbox_id": "11111111-1111-4111-8111-111111111111", "thread_id": null, "envelope_from": "sender@example.com", "envelope_to": "my-agent@cherami.to", "subject": null, "received_at": "2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z", "processing_status": "ready", "labels": [], "message_id": null, "raw_size": 0, "processed_at": null, "content": { "from": null, "sender": null, "reply_to": [], "to": [], "cc": [], "bcc": [], "subject": null, "message_id": null, "in_reply_to": null, "references": null, "date": null, "reply_text": null, "text": null, "html": null, "attachments": [] } } ``` ### HTTP 401 [#http-401] `unauthorized`: Provide a valid bearer credential. Use [human-approved recovery](https://cherami.to/docs/guides/recovery) if access is lost. * `X-Request-ID`: Support correlation ID, not an idempotency key. * `WWW-Authenticate`: `"Bearer"` Content type: `application/json`. [Error](#schema-error) ### HTTP 404 [#http-404] `not_found`: Resource is absent or inaccessible to this account. Reply targets must be in the sending inbox. * `X-Request-ID`: Support correlation ID, not an idempotency key. Content type: `application/json`. [Error](#schema-error) ### HTTP 500 [#http-500] `internal_error`: Operation failed; a write may already have happened. Follow the operation-specific recovery below. * `X-Request-ID`: Support correlation ID, not an idempotency key. Content type: `application/json`. [Error](#schema-error) ### HTTP 503 [#http-503] `content_unavailable`: Expected stored content is unavailable. Retry the read later. * `X-Request-ID`: Support correlation ID, not an idempotency key. Content type: `application/json`. [Error](#schema-error) ## Schema: ReceivedDetail [#schema-receiveddetail] Exactly one of these shapes applies. ### Alternative 1 [#alternative-1] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `id` | Yes | string | Cherami resource ID, distinct from the RFC Message-ID. Use the returned value. | | `inbox_id` | Yes | string | Cherami resource ID, distinct from the RFC Message-ID. Use the returned value. | | `thread_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `envelope_from` | Yes | string | | | `envelope_to` | Yes | string | | | `subject` | Yes | string or null | | | `received_at` | Yes | string | UTC service instant with milliseconds and Z suffix. `format`: `date-time` `pattern`: `^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3}Z$` | | `processing_status` | Yes | `"ready"` | | | `labels` | Yes | array of string | | | `message_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `raw_size` | Yes | integer | `minimum`: `0` | | `processed_at` | Yes | string or null | | | `content` | Yes | [ReceivedContent](#schema-receivedcontent) | | ### Alternative 2 [#alternative-2] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `id` | Yes | string | Cherami resource ID, distinct from the RFC Message-ID. Use the returned value. | | `inbox_id` | Yes | string | Cherami resource ID, distinct from the RFC Message-ID. Use the returned value. | | `thread_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `envelope_from` | Yes | string | | | `envelope_to` | Yes | string | | | `subject` | Yes | string or null | | | `received_at` | Yes | string | UTC service instant with milliseconds and Z suffix. `format`: `date-time` `pattern`: `^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3}Z$` | | `processing_status` | Yes | `"pending"` or `"processing"` or `"failed"` | | | `labels` | Yes | array of string | | | `message_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `raw_size` | Yes | integer | `minimum`: `0` | | `processed_at` | Yes | string or null | | ## Schema: ReceivedContent [#schema-receivedcontent] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | | `from` | Yes | [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) or null | | | `sender` | Yes | [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) or null | | | `reply_to` | Yes | array of [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) | | | `to` | Yes | array of [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) | | | `cc` | Yes | array of [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) | | | `bcc` | Yes | array of [ParsedAddress](#schema-parsedaddress) | | | `subject` | Yes | string or null | | | `message_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `in_reply_to` | Yes | string or null | | | `references` | Yes | string or null | | | `date` | Yes | string or null | | | `reply_text` | Yes | string or null | | | `text` | Yes | string or null | | | `html` | Yes | string or null | | | `attachments` | Yes | array of [ReceivedAttachment](#schema-receivedattachment) | | ## Schema: ParsedAddress [#schema-parsedaddress] Sender-controlled MIME address or group, not verified identity. Exactly one of these shapes applies. ### Alternative 1 [#alternative-1-1] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | --------- | -------- | ------ | ----------------------- | | `name` | Yes | string | | | `address` | Yes | string | | ### Alternative 2 [#alternative-2-1] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------- | -------- | --------------- | ----------------------- | | `name` | Yes | string | | | `group` | Yes | array of object | | #### `group` fields [#group-fields] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | --------- | -------- | ------ | ----------------------- | | `name` | Yes | string | | | `address` | Yes | string | | ## Schema: ReceivedAttachment [#schema-receivedattachment] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------------- | -------- | -------------- | ----------------------- | | `id` | Yes | string | | | `filename` | Yes | string or null | | | `size` | Yes | integer | `minimum`: `0` | | `mime_type` | Yes | string | | | `disposition` | Yes | string or null | | | `content_id` | Yes | string or null | | | `related` | Yes | boolean | | ## Schema: Error [#schema-error] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | ------- | -------- | ------ | ----------------------- | | `error` | Yes | object | | ### `error` fields [#error-fields] | Field | Required | Type | Meaning and constraints | | --------- | -------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `code` | Yes | string | Programmatic error code. Handle unrecognized codes by status and operation-specific recovery. | | `message` | Yes | string | Human-readable context, not a stable string to match. | [HTTP conventions, errors and pagination](https://cherami.to/docs/api/errors) ยท [Download OpenAPI 3.1](https://cherami.to/openapi.json)