How do I install the Check Unread Emails skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dalehurley/check-unread-emails in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Check Unread Emails safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with Check Unread Emails?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Check Unread Emails free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Check Unread Emails?

dalehurley (@dalehurley) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Check Unread Emails by dalehurley — Agent Skill

Name: Check Unread Emails
Author: dalehurley

Check Unread Emails

Check and summarize unread emails in your inbox, highlighting urgent messages, appointments, and items needing action. Use this skill when the user asks to check emails, review unread messages, see what emails need attention, or get an email summary. Automatically categorizes emails by priority, sender type, and action required.

dalehurley Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Skill: check-unread-emails

Overview

This skill retrieves and analyzes unread emails from your inbox, organizing them by urgency and category. It provides a prioritized summary of messages requiring immediate attention, appointments, financial updates, and promotional content that can be archived.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks to:

Check unread emails
Review new emails
See what emails need attention
Get an email summary
Check inbox for important messages
See recent emails from the last 7 days

Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description	Example
`days_back`	No	Number of days to look back for recent emails (default: 7)	7
`max_results`	No	Maximum number of emails to retrieve (default: 30)	30

Procedure

Execute the bundled script check_new_emails.py to retrieve the total unread email count from the system mail client
Execute the bundled script get_recent_emails.py to fetch detailed information about the 30 most recent unread emails from the last 7 days
Parse email metadata including subject, sender, date received, and preview content
Categorize emails by type: urgent/action-required, appointments, financial, work/development, promotional, and personal
Identify priority items based on keywords (security, urgent, action required, confirmation, etc.)
Format and present the summary to the user with emoji indicators for urgency levels
Offer to help with any of the top priority items

Output

A formatted summary report including: total unread count, emails organized by category (urgent, appointments, financial, work, promotional), sender information, dates, and recommended actions. Includes emoji indicators for priority levels and a top 3 priorities list.

Bundled Scripts

Script	Type	Description
`scripts/check_new_emails.py`	PY	Auto-captured from task execution
`scripts/get_recent_emails.py`	PY	Auto-captured from task execution

Credentials in scripts use environment variables. Set them via get_keys before running.

Reference Commands

Commands for executing this skill (adapt to actual inputs):

python3 /tmp/check_new_emails.py
python3 /tmp/get_recent_emails.py

Replace {{PLACEHOLDER}} values with actual credentials from the key store.

Example

Example requests that trigger this skill:

check my unread emails and let me know what needs my attention

Notes

Requires access to the system mail client (Mail.app on macOS)
Uses AppleScript to query the inbox, which may require accessibility permissions
Emails are categorized automatically based on sender domain and subject keywords
Promotional emails are flagged for archiving but not deleted
The skill respects email read/unread status and does not modify it

Keywords

inbox, unread, new messages, email summary, urgent emails, check mail, email review

---name: check-unread-emailsdescription: Check and summarize unread emails in your inbox, highlighting urgent messages, appointments, and items needing action. Use this skill when the user asks to check emails, review unread messages, see what emails need attention, or get an email summary. Automatically categorizes emails by priority, sender type, and action required.---# Skill: check-unread-emails## OverviewThis skill retrieves and analyzes unread emails from your inbox, organizing them by urgency and category. It provides a prioritized summary of messages requiring immediate attention, appointments, financial updates, and promotional content that can be archived.## When to UseUse this skill when the user asks to:- Check unread emails- Review new emails- See what emails need attention- Get an email summary- Check inbox for important messages- See recent emails from the last 7 days## Input Parameters| Parameter | Required | Description | Example ||-----------|----------|-------------|---------|| `days_back` | No | Number of days to look back for recent emails (default: 7) | 7 || `max_results` | No | Maximum number of emails to retrieve (default: 30) | 30 |## Procedure1. Execute the bundled script `check_new_emails.py` to retrieve the total unread email count from the system mail client2. Execute the bundled script `get_recent_emails.py` to fetch detailed information about the 30 most recent unread emails from the last 7 days3. Parse email metadata including subject, sender, date received, and preview content4. Categorize emails by type: urgent/action-required, appointments, financial, work/development, promotional, and personal5. Identify priority items based on keywords (security, urgent, action required, confirmation, etc.)6. Format and present the summary to the user with emoji indicators for urgency levels7. Offer to help with any of the top priority items## OutputA formatted summary report including: total unread count, emails organized by category (urgent, appointments, financial, work, promotional), sender information, dates, and recommended actions. Includes emoji indicators for priority levels and a top 3 priorities list.## Bundled Scripts| Script | Type | Description ||--------|------|-------------|| `scripts/check_new_emails.py` | PY | Auto-captured from task execution || `scripts/get_recent_emails.py` | PY | Auto-captured from task execution |Credentials in scripts use environment variables. Set them via `get_keys` before running.## Reference CommandsCommands for executing this skill (adapt to actual inputs):```bashpython3 /tmp/check_new_emails.pypython3 /tmp/get_recent_emails.py```Replace `{{PLACEHOLDER}}` values with actual credentials from the key store.## ExampleExample requests that trigger this skill:```check my unread emails and let me know what needs my attention```## Notes- Requires access to the system mail client (Mail.app on macOS)- Uses AppleScript to query the inbox, which may require accessibility permissions- Emails are categorized automatically based on sender domain and subject keywords- Promotional emails are flagged for archiving but not deleted- The skill respects email read/unread status and does not modify it## Keywordsinbox, unread, new messages, email summary, urgent emails, check mail, email review

Frequently asked questions