> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.relaycli.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# FAQ

> Find answers to the most frequent questions of the community.

Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Relay. If you weren't able to find an answer to your question, connect with the team on [Discord](https://discord.gg/T4zbT7RcVy) or [GitHub](https://github.com/relaycli/relay).

<Accordion title="What problem does Relay solve?">
  Building apps that **read, classify, and react to e-mail** is still painful—rate-limited Gmail APIs or raw IMAP sockets.
  Relay gives you a modern CLI and library to manage emails locally, with clean Python APIs for building email-powered applications.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I get started?">
  Install the CLI with `pip install relaycli`, then run `relay accounts add` to connect your first email account.
  The [quickstart guide](/documentation/getting-started/quickstart) walks you through the entire setup in under 5 minutes.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Which email providers are supported?">
  Any inbox that speaks IMAP/SMTP: Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, FastMail, or your own Dovecot/Postfix server.
  The same CLI commands work across all of them.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How are my credentials stored?">
  All credentials are stored locally on your machine, encrypted using your OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service).
  Nothing is sent to external servers.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How is this different from Gmail API or other email APIs?">
  * **Gmail API** → Google-only, strict quotas, complex OAuth flows.
  * **SaaS email APIs** → cloud-locked, proprietary, often read-only, expensive.
  * **Relay** → open-source, runs locally, works with any IMAP provider, full read/write access, free.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What can I build with Relay?">
  * Email automation scripts and bots
  * Custom email clients or dashboards
  * Smart auto-responders and filters
  * Integration with other business tools
  * Voice-controlled email interfaces

  If it involves reading, searching, or managing emails, you can build it with Relay.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can I manage multiple email accounts?">
  Yes! Connect unlimited email accounts with `relay accounts add` and switch between them or manage them all simultaneously.
  Each account gets its own secure credential storage.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Is Relay free to use?">
  Yes! The core Relay CLI and library are completely free and open-source.
  Optional cloud services may be introduced in the future, but the local functionality will always remain free.
</Accordion>