Get only NEW Emails imaplib and python

Something like this will do the trick.

conn = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(imap_server)try:    (retcode, capabilities) = conn.login(imap_user, imap_password)except:    print sys.exc_info()[1]    sys.exit(1)conn.select(readonly=1) # Select inbox or default namespace(retcode, messages) = conn.search(None, '(UNSEEN)')if retcode == 'OK':    for num in messages[0].split(' '):        print 'Processing :', message        typ, data = conn.fetch(num,'(RFC822)')        msg = email.message_from_string(data[0][1])        typ, data = conn.store(num,'-FLAGS','\\Seen')        if ret == 'OK':            print data,'\n',30*'-'            print msgconn.close()

There's also a duplicate question here - Find new messages added to an imap mailbox since I last checked with python imaplib2?

Two useful functions for you to retrieve the body and attachments of the new message you detected (reference: How to fetch an email body using imaplib in python?) -

def getMsgs(servername="myimapserverfqdn"):  usernm = getpass.getuser()  passwd = getpass.getpass()  subject = 'Your SSL Certificate'  conn = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(servername)  conn.login(usernm,passwd)  conn.select('Inbox')  typ, data = conn.search(None,'(UNSEEN SUBJECT "%s")' % subject)  for num in data[0].split():    typ, data = conn.fetch(num,'(RFC822)')    msg = email.message_from_string(data[0][1])    typ, data = conn.store(num,'-FLAGS','\\Seen')    yield msgdef getAttachment(msg,check):  for part in msg.walk():    if part.get_content_type() == 'application/octet-stream':      if check(part.get_filename()):        return part.get_payload(decode=1)

PS: If you pass by in 2020 after python 2.7 death: replace email.message_from_string(data[0][1]) with email.message_from_bytes(data[0][1])

The above answer does not actually work anymore or maybe never did but i modified it so it returns only unseen messages, it used to give : error cannot parse fetch command or something like that here is a working code :

mail = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL('imap.gmail.com')(retcode, capabilities) = mail.login('email','pass')mail.list()mail.select('inbox')n=0(retcode, messages) = mail.search(None, '(UNSEEN)')if retcode == 'OK':   for num in messages[0].split() :      print 'Processing '      n=n+1      typ, data = mail.fetch(num,'(RFC822)')      for response_part in data:         if isinstance(response_part, tuple):             original = email.message_from_string(response_part[1])             print original['From']             print original['Subject']             typ, data = mail.store(num,'+FLAGS','\\Seen')print n

I think the error was coming from the messages[0].split(' ') but the above code should work fine.

Also, note the +FLAGS instead of -FLAGS which flags the message as read.

EDIT 2020: If you pass by in 2020 after python 2.7 death: replace email.message_from_string(data[0][1]) with email.message_from_bytes(data[0][1])

original = email.message_from_string(response_part[1])

Needs to be changes to:

original = email.message_from_bytes(response_part[1])