# Inbox Triage — sort your inbox into reply-now / later / ignore

> Sorts an email inbox into reply-now, reply-later, and ignore buckets, and drafts replies for urgent messages using an existing Gmail connector.

- Skill: `drnabeelkhan/inbox-triage-sort-your-inbox-into-reply-now-later-ignore` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add drnabeelkhan/inbox-triage-sort-your-inbox-into-reply-now-later-ignore`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/drnabeelkhan/inbox-triage-sort-your-inbox-into-reply-now-later-ignore/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity, Email & Calendar
- Tags: Drafts, Eisenhower Matrix, Email Triage, Gmail, Inbox Zero
- Author: DrNabeelKhan (https://skillmd.com/u/drnabeelkhan)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/drnabeelkhan/inbox-triage-sort-your-inbox-into-reply-now-later-ignore

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# Inbox Triage

> **Does:** sorts your inbox into **reply-now / reply-later / ignore**, and drafts the urgent replies for your approval.
> **Solves:** an inbox so full you don't know where to start.
> **Triggers on:** *"triage my inbox"* · *"what emails need a reply"*

## How Maxim does this (consume the connector — never rebuild it)

Maxim does **not** ship its own Gmail integration. It uses the **email connector you already have** — the Anthropic **Gmail / Google Workspace connector** (vetted, GA, all users) or any email MCP you've added — and adds the layer the raw connector lacks: a triage *framework*, a *privacy gate*, and *confidence*. (ADR-018 + ADR-012: Maxim is the governed brain; the connector is the hands.)

**Per-surface availability (verified 2026-06-26):**
- **Claude Desktop / web:** turn on the Google Workspace → Gmail connector (`+` → Manage connectors). Works immediately.
- **Claude Code:** the Anthropic Gmail connector authenticates at **claude.ai → Settings → Connectors**, then appears in Claude Code automatically; or `claude mcp add` a Gmail MCP (use **`--scope user`** so it's available everywhere, including scheduled runs).

## What it does, step by step

1. **Pull** recent unread via the connector (e.g. `is:unread newer_than:1d`). Read-only.
2. **Classify** each message — **reply-now / reply-later / ignore** — using the Eisenhower matrix (urgency × importance), with the *sender + ask + deadline* as signals.
3. **Draft** replies for the reply-now set. The connector is **draft-only and cannot send** — drafts wait in your Gmail for one-tap manual send. This is a *platform-enforced* safety, on top of Maxim's own.
4. **Return** a digest: counts per bucket + the drafts awaiting you + the 1–2 that actually matter today.

## Behavioral + governance overlay

- **Frameworks (cited per ADR-007):** **Eisenhower Matrix** (urgency × importance) · **Fogg Behavior Model** (surface the easiest high-value reply first to beat inbox paralysis).
- **CSO auto-loop (non-negotiable):** email is personal data. `security-analyst` gates the run — message bodies/addresses are **never** copied into logs or external output; the RunLog stores counts and message-ids, not content.
- **No auto-send, ever:** drafts only (the connector enforces it; Maxim's dry-run reinforces it).
- **No-fabrication:** it triages only what the connector returns; it never invents senders, deadlines, or "urgent" flags.
- **Confidence tag (ADR-010)** on the triage — 🟡 if the connector isn't connected (it'll tell you how to connect, not guess).

## The unattended "every morning" version

The same skill, wrapped by **`mxm-orchestrator`** (ADR-022) as a scheduled workflow: runs each morning via the `usage-aware-scheduler`, **dry-run by default**, bounded by a budget guard, idempotent (won't re-draft the same thread), and **draft-only** end to end. Definition: `orchestrator/workflows/inbox-triage.mjs`. Go-live requires a connected email tool + explicit operator approval (`/mxm-workflow go-live inbox-triage`). For headless/scheduled runs, use a **user-scoped** Gmail MCP (interactive Desktop connectors assume the app is open).

## Output

A triage digest — `reply-now` (with drafts ready) · `reply-later` · `ignore` — counts + the 1–2 that matter most. Nothing sent.