quarto-dev · juleswg23 · Feb 13, 2026 · Feb 23, 2026 · Feb 23, 2026 · Feb 24, 2026
diff --git a/news/changelog-1.9.md b/news/changelog-1.9.md
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ All changes included in 1.9:
 
 - ([#13882](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/pull/13882)): Add support for multiple email outputs when rendering to `format: email` for Posit Connect.
 - ([#14021](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/issues/14021)): Add `email-version` hook to override detected Connect version when rendering emails for Posit Connect.
+- ([#14098](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/pull/14098)): Add support for dynamic email recipients computed via Python or R code.
 
 ### `html`
 

diff --git a/src/resources/filters/quarto-post/email.lua b/src/resources/filters/quarto-post/email.lua
@@ -65,6 +65,41 @@ function str_truthy_falsy(str)
   return false
 end
 
+-- Parse recipients using regex to find email addresses
+-- Matches pattern: local-part@domain.tld
+-- Handles any format: Python lists, R vectors, comma-separated,
+-- space-separated, quoted, unquoted, etc.
+-- Returns an empty array if no valid emails found
+function parse_recipients(recipient_str)
+  recipient_str = str_trunc_trim(recipient_str, 10000)
+
+  if recipient_str == "" then
+    return {}
+  end
+
+  local recipients = {}
+  -- Match anything that's not a separator (quotes, commas, spaces, brackets, parens)
+  -- This allows international characters while stopping at separators
+  for email in string.gmatch(recipient_str, "[^%s,'\"%[%]%(%)]+@[^%s,'\"%[%]%(%)]+%.[^%s,'\"%[%]%(%)]+") do
+    -- Strip any leading/trailing quote characters (both straight and curly)
+    -- Straight quotes: ' "
+    -- Curly single quotes: ' ' (U+2018, U+2019)
+    -- Curly double quotes: " " (U+201C, U+201D)
+    email = string.gsub(email, "^['\"" .. string.char(226, 128, 152) .. string.char(226, 128, 153) .. string.char(226, 128, 156) .. string.char(226, 128, 157) .. "]+", "")
+    email = string.gsub(email, "['\"" .. string.char(226, 128, 152) .. string.char(226, 128, 153) .. string.char(226, 128, 156) .. string.char(226, 128, 157) .. "]+$", "")
+
+    if email ~= "" and string.match(email, "@") then
+      table.insert(recipients, email)
+    end
+  end
+
+  if #recipients == 0 then
+    quarto.log.warning("Could not parse recipients format: " .. recipient_str)
+  end
+
+  return recipients
+end
+
 local html_email_template_1 = [[
 <!DOCTYPE html>
 <html>
@@ -254,6 +289,7 @@ function process_div(div)
       image_tbl = {},
       email_images = {},
       suppress_scheduled_email = nil,  -- nil means not set
+      recipients = {},
       attachments = {}
     }
 
@@ -270,14 +306,50 @@ function process_div(div)
           local email_scheduled_str = str_trunc_trim(string.lower(pandoc.utils.stringify(child)), 10)
           local scheduled_email = str_truthy_falsy(email_scheduled_str)
           current_email.suppress_scheduled_email = not scheduled_email
+        elseif child.classes:includes("recipients") then
+          current_email.recipients = parse_recipients(pandoc.utils.stringify(child))
         else
           table.insert(remaining_content, child)
         end
       else
         table.insert(remaining_content, child)
       end
     end
-
+
+    -- Check for recipients attribute on the email div itself
+    -- This allows referencing metadata set via write_yaml_metadata_block()
+    if div.attributes.recipients then
+      local meta_key = div.attributes.recipients
+      local meta_value = quarto.metadata.get(meta_key)
+
+      if meta_value then
+        -- Convert metadata to recipients array
+        if quarto.utils.type(meta_value) == "List" then
+          local recipients_from_meta = {}
+          for _, item in ipairs(meta_value) do
+            local recipient_str = pandoc.utils.stringify(item)
+            if recipient_str ~= "" then
+              table.insert(recipients_from_meta, recipient_str)
+            end
+          end
+
+          -- If recipients were also found in child divs, merge them
+          if #current_email.recipients > 0 then
+            quarto.log.warning("Recipients found in both attribute and child div. Merging both lists.")
+            for _, recipient in ipairs(recipients_from_meta) do
+              table.insert(current_email.recipients, recipient)
+            end
+          else
+            current_email.recipients = recipients_from_meta
+          end
+        else
+          quarto.log.warning("Recipients metadata '" .. meta_key .. "' is not a list. Expected format: ['email1@example.com', 'email2@example.com']")
+        end
+      else
+        quarto.log.warning("Recipients attribute references metadata key '" .. meta_key .. "' which does not exist.")
+      end
+    end
+
     -- Create a modified div without metadata for processing
     local email_without_metadata = pandoc.Div(remaining_content, div.attr)
 
@@ -508,6 +580,11 @@ function process_document(doc)
       send_report_as_attachment = false
     }
 
+    -- Only add recipients if present
+    if not is_empty_table(email_obj.recipients) then
+      email_json_obj.recipients = email_obj.recipients
+    end
+
     -- Only add images if present
     if not is_empty_table(email_obj.email_images) then
       email_json_obj.images = email_obj.email_images

diff --git a/tests/docs/email/email-recipients-all-patterns-python.qmd b/tests/docs/email/email-recipients-all-patterns-python.qmd
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+---
+title: Email Recipients - All Patterns (Python)
+author: Jules Walzer-Goldfeld
+format:
+    email:
+        email-version: 2
+---
+
+```{python}
+#| echo: false
+import yaml
+from IPython.display import Markdown
+
+def write_yaml_metadata_block(**kwargs):
+    """Write YAML metadata block that will be parsed by Quarto."""
+    yaml_content = yaml.dump(
+        kwargs,
+        default_flow_style=False,
+        allow_unicode=True,
+        sort_keys=False
+    )
+    yaml_block = f"---\n{yaml_content}---\n"
+    return Markdown(yaml_block)
+```
+
+Test document demonstrating all recipient patterns with Python.
+
+```{python}
+# Email 1: Static inline recipients
+static_recipients = ["alice@example.com", "bob@example.com", "charlie@example.com"]
+```
+
+::: {.email}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 1: Static Inline Recipients
+:::
+
+::: {.recipients}
+`{python} static_recipients`
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+Text version of email with static inline recipients.
+:::
+
+First email with static inline recipients.
+
+:::
+
+```{python}
+# Email 2: Conditional inline recipients
+is_weekday = True  # Fixed value for deterministic testing
+
+if is_weekday:
+    conditional_recipients = ["weekday@example.com", "team@example.com"]
+else:
+    conditional_recipients = ["weekend@example.com"]
+```
+
+::: {.email}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 2: Conditional Inline Recipients
+:::
+
+::: {.recipients}
+`{python} conditional_recipients`
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+Text version of conditional recipients email.
+:::
+
+Second email with conditional inline recipients.
+
+:::
+
+```{python}
+#| output: asis
+# Email 3: Metadata attribute pattern
+metadata_recipients = ["metadata1@example.com", "metadata2@example.com"]
+write_yaml_metadata_block(metadata_recipients=metadata_recipients)
+```
+
+::: {.email recipients=metadata_recipients}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 3: Metadata Attribute Pattern
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+This email uses the metadata attribute pattern.
+:::
+
+Third email using metadata attribute pattern.
+
+:::
+
+```{python}
+#| output: asis
+# Email 4: Conditional metadata attribute pattern
+is_admin = True  # Fixed for testing
+
+if is_admin:
+    admin_recipients = ["admin@example.com", "superuser@example.com"]
+else:
+    admin_recipients = ["user@example.com"]
+
+write_yaml_metadata_block(admin_recipients=admin_recipients)
+```
+
+::: {.email recipients=admin_recipients}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 4: Conditional Metadata Attribute
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+This email uses conditional metadata attribute pattern.
+:::
+
+Fourth email using conditional metadata attribute pattern.
+
+:::
diff --git a/tests/docs/email/email-recipients-all-patterns-r.qmd b/tests/docs/email/email-recipients-all-patterns-r.qmd
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+---
+title: Email Recipients - All Patterns (R)
+author: Jules Walzer-Goldfeld
+format:
+    email:
+        email-version: 2
+---
+
+```{r}
+#| echo: false
+# Simple metadata block writer for testing
+# (Ideally we use the quarto R package: install.packages("quarto"))
+# We are awiting PR #
+write_yaml_metadata_block <- function(...) {
+  args <- list(...)
+  if (length(args) == 0) {
+    return()
+  }
+
+  yaml_content <- yaml::as.yaml(args)
+  yaml_block <- paste0("---\n", yaml_content, "---\n")
+  knitr::asis_output(yaml_block)
+}
+```
+
+Test document demonstrating all recipient patterns with R.
+
+```{r}
+# Email 1: Static inline recipients
+static_recipients <- c("alice@example.com", "bob@example.com", "charlie@example.com")
+```
+
+::: {.email}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 1: Static Inline Recipients
+:::
+
+::: {.recipients}
+`{r} static_recipients`
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+Text version of email with static inline recipients.
+:::
+
+First email with static inline recipients.
+
+:::
+
+```{r}
+# Email 2: Conditional inline recipients
+is_weekday <- TRUE # Fixed value for deterministic testing
+
+if (is_weekday) {
+  conditional_recipients <- c("weekday@example.com", "team@example.com")
+} else {
+  conditional_recipients <- c("weekend@example.com")
+}
+```
+
+::: {.email}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 2: Conditional Inline Recipients
+:::
+
+::: {.recipients}
+`{r} conditional_recipients`
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+Text version of conditional recipients email.
+:::
+
+Second email with conditional inline recipients.
+
+:::
+
+```{r}
+#| output: asis
+# Email 3: Metadata attribute pattern
+metadata_recipients <- c("metadata1@example.com", "metadata2@example.com")
+write_yaml_metadata_block(metadata_recipients = metadata_recipients)
+```
+
+::: {.email recipients=metadata_recipients}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 3: Metadata Attribute Pattern
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+This email uses the metadata attribute pattern.
+:::
+
+Third email using metadata attribute pattern.
+
+:::
+
+```{r}
+#| output: asis
+# Email 4: Conditional metadata attribute pattern
+is_admin <- TRUE # Fixed for testing
+
+if (is_admin) {
+  admin_recipients <- c("admin@example.com", "superuser@example.com")
+} else {
+  admin_recipients <- c("user@example.com")
+}
+
+write_yaml_metadata_block(admin_recipients = admin_recipients)
+```
+
+::: {.email recipients=admin_recipients}
+
+::: {.subject}
+Email 4: Conditional Metadata Attribute
+:::
+
+::: {.email-text}
+This email uses conditional metadata attribute pattern.
+:::
+
+Fourth email using conditional metadata attribute pattern.
+
+:::