Extract attachments from emails that Gmail doesn't allow you to download. This is dumb. Please use Python >= 3.4.

extract-attachments.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# Get your files that Gmail block. Warning message:
# "Anti-virus warning - 1 attachment contains a virus or blocked file. Downloading this attachment is disabled."
# Based on: https://spapas.github.io/2014/10/23/retrieve-gmail-blocked-attachments/

# Instructions:
# Go to your emails, click the arrow button in the top right, "Show original", then "Download Original".
# Move the files to the same directory as this program, then run it.

import email
import sys
import os

if __name__ == '__main__':
    if sys.version_info[0] < 3:
        print("Please use Python 3.")
        sys.exit()

    if len(sys.argv) < 2:
        print("Press enter to process all files with .txt extension.")
        input()
        files = [f for f in os.listdir('.') if os.path.isfile(f) and f.endswith('.txt')]
    else:
        files = sys.argv[1:]

    print("Files: %s" % ', '.join(files))
    print()

    for f in files:
        msg = email.message_from_file(open(f))
        print("Processing %s" % f)
        print("Subject: %s" % msg['Subject'])
        for pl in msg.get_payload():
            fn_header = pl.get_filename()
            if fn_header:
                fn_data = email.header.decode_header(fn_header)
                (fn_str, fn_charset) = fn_data[0]
                if isinstance(fn_str, str):
                    fn = fn_str
                else:
                    fn = fn_str.decode(fn_charset)
                print("Found %s" % fn)
                if os.path.isfile(fn):
                    print("The file %s already exists! Press enter to overwrite." % fn)
                    input()
                open(fn, 'wb').write(pl.get_payload(decode=True))
        print()

gmail-virus-warning.png