Godwit is an open-source, AI-native desktop email client with an assistant called Wit that knows your mail. It launched on Product Hunt on October 31, 2026, and this post is based on its official website, checked on November 1, 2026.
What Godwit does
Godwit is a full email client first: IMAP/SMTP sync, offline changes, conversations, full-text search, and HTML compose, for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Setup is auto-detected for Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and more. On top of that sits Wit, the assistant: it answers questions about your mail, reads attachments including PDFs, Office files, and CSVs, and drafts replies with the model you choose. It never sends without your approval.
You bring your own model. Any OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible service works, including local ones like Ollama and LM Studio, and API keys stay in the system keychain. Built-in AI actions cover summarize, translate, tone and length adjustment, and quick replies, on a message, a selection, or a draft.
Extensions and privacy
Godwit is built to extend: drop in a SKILL.md and a button appears, TypeScript plugins with declared permissions add cards and actions, and MCP servers give Wit external tools. A bundled MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other agents read your mail and create drafts, but never send. On privacy, there is no Godwit account, no telemetry, and no server relaying your mail: synced mail, drafts, and the search index live on your computer, and passwords live only in the system keychain.
Who it is for
Godwit suits people drowning in email who want an assistant inside the client, not a separate chatbot: professionals triaging long threads, researchers working through attachments, and developers who want their own model choice, including fully local setups.
Pricing
Godwit is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. The latest release at the time of checking was v1.21.0, released October 30, 2026. Prices may change, so check the official website for the latest pricing: https://godwit.email/.
