Check Inbox

Skill: Check Inbox

Command: /check-inbox Model: Haiku (coordinator) / any (note creation) Agent: main

Description

Check Outlook inbox for unread messages using Playwright. Extracts sender, subject, time, and flags from the DOM, then optionally updates the daily note with an inbox summary.

Prerequisites

• Playwright installed (@playwright/test in devDependencies)
• Microsoft Edge installed
• Authenticated session (run npm run inbox:check without --headless once to authenticate)

Usage

/check-inbox                    # Check unread messages (default)
/check-inbox flagged            # Check flagged messages
/check-inbox all                # Check all messages (no filter)
/check-inbox to-me              # Messages addressed directly to me
/check-inbox --no-daily         # Don't update daily note

Workflow

Step 1: Capture inbox data

Run the inbox check script:

node .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js --headless

For other filters:

node .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js --headless --filter flagged
node .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js --headless --filter all
node .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js --headless --filter to-me

This outputs:

• JSON message data at .claude/logs/inbox-messages-{filter}-{timestamp}.json
• Screenshot at .claude/logs/inbox-screenshot-{filter}-{timestamp}.png

If the script fails with "Session expired", re-run without --headless:

node .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js

Step 2: Read and present results

1. Find the most recent inbox JSON file:

   .claude/logs/inbox-messages-unread-*.json
   

2. Read the JSON and screenshot
3. Present to the user as a summary table:

Inbox — 3 unread messages (10:56 AM)

| Sender               | Subject                       | Time     | Flags   |
|----------------------|-------------------------------|----------|---------|
| Alex Johnson  | Accepted: What is AlertHub   | 10:05 AM | MEETING |
| Chris Taylor      | Re: Pen re-test               | 9:57 AM  |         |
| Udemy Business       | New courses are waiting...    | 10:30 AM |         |

Step 3: Match senders to vault

For each message, search for matching Person notes:

• Search People/*.md files for sender name matches
• If found, link to the Person note in the summary
• If not found, note the sender as unlinked

Step 4: Update daily note (unless --no-daily)

Add or update an ## Inbox section in today's daily note (Daily/YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD.md):

## Inbox

**3 unread** at 10:56 AM

- **Accepted: What is AlertHub** — [[Alex Johnson|Alex Johnson]] (10:05 AM) [MEETING]
- **Re: Pen re-test** — Chris Taylor (9:57 AM)
- **New courses are waiting for you!** — Udemy Business (10:30 AM)

Rules for the daily note update:

• If an ## Inbox section already exists, replace it with the latest data
• Place it after ## Meetings and before ## Notes
• Link senders to Person notes where they exist
• Include flags in brackets: [MEETING], [ATTACH], [FLAG]

Step 5: Suggest actions (optional)

If the user asks, suggest actions for each message:

• Meeting acceptances → link to the meeting note if it exists
• External emails (CAUTION banner) → flag for attention
• Flagged messages → create Task notes if needed

Available Filters

Scheduling

Inbox checks run automatically via launchd at 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00 on weekdays.

• Job: com.vault.inbox-check
• Script: .claude/scripts/outlook-inbox.js --headless
• Logs: .claude/logs/inbox-check.log

The JSON output accumulates in .claude/logs/ — the skill always reads the most recent file.

Authentication

Same persistent browser context as calendar sync (.claude/browser-data/, gitignored). If the session expires during a scheduled run, the next interactive /check-inbox will prompt for re-authentication.

Related Skills

• [[.claude/skills/sync-calendar/SKILL.md|/sync-calendar]] — Calendar sync (same Playwright approach)
• [[.claude/skills/daily/SKILL.md|/daily]] — Daily note creation
• [[.claude/skills/email/SKILL.md|/email]] — Process individual emails into vault notes