Replace Shortwave?

KINDA · weekend project
catalog price reference $8.5/mocategory 📬 emailreported replacement votes 0

The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Shortwave, group Gmail conversations, add bundles and todos, and index mail locally. The hard boundary is deep gmail semantics, cloud search, ai, team features, and mobile sync, plus mail infrastructure, integrations, and client polish.

the prompt
Build a personal replacement for Shortwave in an empty repository.
Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, IMAP, SMTP, and OAuth where available; do not offer alternative stacks.
The core loop is: connect an existing Gmail mailbox, group conversations into bundles with todos, index messages locally, provide a fast focused inbox, and send through the account's normal SMTP service.
Make the first run work locally with one documented command.
Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward.
Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials.
Support one IMAP and SMTP account with credentials stored only in the OS keychain.
Index headers and message bodies locally with resumable sync and a visible status page.
Implement standards-based threading, folders, labels, archive, snooze, drafts, and search.
Render HTML email in a locked-down sandbox and block remote images by default.
Send multipart messages with attachments and preserve a local copy of every draft.
Add export, local cache reset, account reconnect, diagnostics, and safe logging.
Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states.
Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs.
Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path.
Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps.
Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane.
Deliberately leave out running a public mail server.
Deliberately leave out shared team inboxes and sales workflows.
Deliberately leave out mobile push services and provider-scale spam filtering.
Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

why people still pay

People still pay for Shortwave because an email client can be rebuilt; operating a trusted mail service with excellent deliverability cannot. The recurring cost buys IMAP quirks, OAuth, MIME, threading, search, attachments, offline sync, notifications, secure storage, and provider changes, not just the visible interface.

what you lose

xdeep Gmail semantics, cloud search, AI, team features, and mobile sync

xmail hosting and deliverability

xpush on every platform

xadvanced team collaboration

xprovider-specific AI and search

prior art to inspect before buildingmailcowPopular open-source mail-server suite that demonstrates the operational complexity of hosted mail.
reported replacements · 0share on X ↗"Shortwave replacement research and build prompt"
questions
What does the Shortwave verdict mean?

The core job looks buildable, with meaningful gaps: deep Gmail semantics, cloud search, AI, team features, and mobile sync, mail hosting and deliverability. Read the full tradeoff list before committing. This research record is not a hosted IVCIFY tool.

What price does this directory record show for Shortwave?

The directory records $8.5/month for Personal, checked 2026-07-31. Verify the source before making a purchase decision. This reference stays outside retail Stack Math unless current matched evidence supports the comparison.

What do I lose by replacing Shortwave?

Honestly: deep Gmail semantics, cloud search, AI, team features, and mobile sync; mail hosting and deliverability; push on every platform; advanced team collaboration; provider-specific AI and search. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Shortwave?

The listed prior art includes mailcow (Popular open-source mail-server suite that demonstrates the operational complexity of hosted mail.). Inspect those projects before starting from a blank prompt.