2026.6.3
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Delete message

The Delete message action deletes an email message from your IMAP server. It is meant to run in an automation after an imap_content event, using the entry and the message uid from the event data.

Note

Deleted messages cannot be recovered. Make sure your triggers and filtering are set up correctly, and filter by entry when you have more than one IMAP config entry, so only the intended messages are deleted.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this action in an automation or script:

  1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
  2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create to start a new one.
  3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger.
  4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
  5. From the search box, search for and select IMAP: Delete message.
  6. Select the Config entry and provide the message UID.
  7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label. Instead, you select the IMAP config entry.

Options in the UI

Config entry

The IMAP config entry that holds the message.
UID

The UID of the message to delete. You can find it in the message’s event data.

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as imap.delete. A basic example looks like this:

ActionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called *sequence*. [Learn more] 
action: imap.delete
data:
  entry: 91fadb3617c5a3ea692aeb62d92aa869
  uid: "{{ trigger.event.data['uid'] }}"

This deletes the message from the triggering event.

Options in YAML

entry string Required

The ID of the IMAP config entry that holds the message. In UI mode, you can select the entry from a list. In YAML mode, you find the entry ID.

uid string Required

The UID of the message to delete. You can find it in the message’s event data.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one: