Gmail Rule-Based Triage and Reply Drafts
Sort Gmail with explicit rules, separate reply and task queues, and prepare unsent replies with a verified action log.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
Email triage is all about creating rules and automating what you can. You'd need to decide: Which emails can be auto-archived? Which senders are VIP? Should you auto-draft replies to common questions? The best approach depends on your email volume and the types of emails you get. Most people benefit from aggressive archiving of newsletters and notifications, keeping decision emails visible. You'd want to establish rules and then refine them over time. Do you want to auto-send replies or just draft them for approval? How much volume are we talking about here?
GMAIL TRIAGE RULES AUTO-ARCHIVE RULES (apply within 2 hours of arrival) • Marketing: All newsletters, promotions, unsubscribe lists • Notifications: GitHub, Slack digests, deployment alerts, monitoring • Receipts: Payments, invoices, order confirmations (archive + label) • Social: Twitter notifications, comment alerts, connection requests KEEP-UNREAD RULES (surface as actionable todos) • Direct emails from: (your VIP list) • Subject contains: Urgent, Decision needed, Approval required • Sender contains: @mycompany.com, @partner.com • Exclude auto-replies and bulk mail AUTO-DRAFT REPLIES (waiting for your approval) • Vacation inquiries → "Thanks for reaching out, I'll be back..." • Meeting reschedule requests → "New time works, adding to calendar" • Thank you emails → "Appreciate you!" • Follow-up to your emails → Suggested responses in sidebar TRIAGE QUEUES REVIEW TODAY (actionable by you) • Direct messages from leadership • Customer urgent requests • Contract/payment items • Personal emails REVIEW THIS WEEK (lower urgency) • Vendor outreach (sales pitches) • Event invitations • Feedback requests • Newsletter subscriptions you want to read AWAITING APPROVAL (drafts ready to send) • Templated responses (auto-draft subjects) • Suggested meeting times • Follow-up sequences RULE LEARNING LOOP • Weekly review: Check archive for misclassified emails • Monthly: Adjust VIP list based on actual priority • Quarterly: Evaluate newsletter subscriptions (unsubscribe 50% you don't read)
About this skill
Your inbox keeps filling up, and automatic cleanup can hide the one message you needed to answer. This skill turns your own inbox preferences into inspectable Gmail rules, separates replies from tasks and decisions, and prepares drafts for your approval.
What it does
- Converts preferences such as “archive newsletters, except client updates” into ordered rules with explicit exceptions.
- Reads the current conversation before deciding whether you owe a reply or are waiting on someone else.
- Applies authorized labels and archive actions while protecting urgent, ambiguous, and mixed-purpose threads.
- Prepares replies using supplied facts and approved writing patterns, without inventing availability or commitments.
- Checks for existing drafts and newer messages so repeated passes do not create duplicate work.
- Reports verified changes, unresolved decisions, and proposed rule improvements without pretending a schedule is active.
What you get
A concise triage summary, distinct reply and task queues, unsent reply drafts, and a record of which rules produced which changes. Recurring use includes proposed rule refinements based on your edits and corrections.
Best for
Gmail users with repeat senders, newsletters, client conversations, and predictable replies who want dependable recurring cleanup with control over what gets archived and sent.
SKILL.md preview
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name: gmail-rule-based-triage-and-reply-drafts
description: Triage Gmail using ordered personal rules, current thread context, duplicate-draft checks, and readback verification. Separate replies, tasks, decisions, and waiting items while preparing unsent drafts. Use when the user says "sort my Gmail", "archive newsletters but keep client updates", "draft replies every morning", "my inbox keeps filling back up", "stop making duplicate drafts", "keep unread email as my to-do list", or "run my inbox rules again".
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# Gmail Rule-Based Triage and Reply Drafts
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