Automation sends me a PM, even when I supply an email address

That’s an interesting use case. I think that script only sends PMs.

Sorry to disappoint, but I suspect this input is just a way to conveniently choose the user you are wanting to send to, not a way to choose to send yourself an email instead of a PM.

You could confirm this by trying a different email address that is not used for any account on your site. I suspect it will not work.