How do I install the Snail Mail skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/snail-mail 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 Snail Mail safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Snail Mail?

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 Snail Mail free to use?

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

Who published Snail Mail?

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

Snail Mail by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Snail Mail
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

Snail Mail

A slow-channel inbox for leaving your operator important messages. Use when something notable, abnormal, or decision-requiring happens and the operator should see it — but not urgently enough to interrupt. Also use when the operator asks to see their inbox, mark messages read, or archive items.

modbender Updated Sep 9, 2026 12 repo stars

File contents

Operator Inbox

A "slow channel" between you and your operator. Not every event deserves a ping. The inbox captures what matters and presents it beautifully when they're ready to look.

Setup

On first use, the inbox file is created automatically at {workspace}/inbox/messages.json.

When to Write to the Inbox

Write an inbox entry when something is notable enough that your operator would want to know, but not urgent enough to interrupt them.

Write when:

Needs decision — something only a human can resolve (payment, approval, policy)
Abnormal — errors, failures, unexpected patterns, security events
Interesting — notable engagement, media mentions, milestones, opportunities
FYI — context that might matter later but needs no action now

Do NOT write when:

Routine success ("cron ran fine", "heartbeat OK")
Something you already told them in chat
Trivial events with no lasting significance
Duplicate of something already in the inbox

Priority levels:

urgent — needs attention within hours (prefix title with [URGENT])
important — should see today (prefix title with [IMPORTANT])
normal — whenever they check (no prefix)

Writing good entries:

Title: Short, scannable. Include the WHO or WHAT. ("@bigaccount (500K) mentioned us", not "Social media event")
Message: 1-3 sentences. What happened, why it matters, what (if anything) needs doing. Include links/handles when relevant.

CLI Usage

# Add entry
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "Title" "Description of what happened"

# Add with priority
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "[URGENT] Server disk 95%" "Only 2GB remaining on /dev/sda1"

# List unread
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list

# List all (including read)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list all

# List archived
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list archived

# Mark one read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read <id>

# Mark all read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read-all

# Archive one
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive <id>

# Archive all read
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive-read

# Render for chat (auto-detects channel)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived]

# Render as HTML (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --html

# Render as markdown (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --md

# Render as plain text (force)
node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --text

Presenting the Inbox

When the operator asks to see their inbox (or says "inbox", "messages", "check inbox"), run:

node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived] [--html|--md|--text]

Choose format based on channel:

Telegram, webchat → --html
Discord, Slack → --md
SMS, plain → --text

Send the output as your reply. Do not add commentary unless they ask.

Heartbeat Integration

During heartbeats, check for unread urgent/important items:

node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list unread --json

If urgent items exist, surface them proactively. Otherwise stay quiet.

Storage

Messages stored in {workspace}/inbox/messages.json. Single-writer (the agent), so no locking needed. Writes use atomic rename (write .tmp → rename) to prevent corruption.

---name: snail-maildescription: A slow-channel inbox for leaving your operator important messages. Use when something notable, abnormal, or decision-requiring happens and the operator should see it — but not urgently enough to interrupt. Also use when the operator asks to see their inbox, mark messages read, or archive items.--- # Operator Inbox A "slow channel" between you and your operator. Not every event deserves a ping. The inbox captures what matters and presents it beautifully when they're ready to look. ## Setup On first use, the inbox file is created automatically at `{workspace}/inbox/messages.json`. ## When to Write to the Inbox Write an inbox entry when something is **notable enough that your operator would want to know, but not urgent enough to interrupt them.** ### Write when: - **Needs decision** — something only a human can resolve (payment, approval, policy) - **Abnormal** — errors, failures, unexpected patterns, security events - **Interesting** — notable engagement, media mentions, milestones, opportunities - **FYI** — context that might matter later but needs no action now ### Do NOT write when: - Routine success ("cron ran fine", "heartbeat OK") - Something you already told them in chat - Trivial events with no lasting significance - Duplicate of something already in the inbox ### Priority levels: - `urgent` — needs attention within hours (prefix title with `[URGENT]`) - `important` — should see today (prefix title with `[IMPORTANT]`) - `normal` — whenever they check (no prefix) ### Writing good entries: - **Title:** Short, scannable. Include the WHO or WHAT. ("@bigaccount (500K) mentioned us", not "Social media event") - **Message:** 1-3 sentences. What happened, why it matters, what (if anything) needs doing. Include links/handles when relevant. ## CLI Usage ```bash # Add entry node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "Title" "Description of what happened" # Add with priority node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js add "[URGENT] Server disk 95%" "Only 2GB remaining on /dev/sda1" # List unread node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list # List all (including read) node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list all # List archived node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list archived # Mark one read node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read <id> # Mark all read node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js read-all # Archive one node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive <id> # Archive all read node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js archive-read # Render for chat (auto-detects channel) node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived] # Render as HTML (force) node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --html # Render as markdown (force) node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --md # Render as plain text (force) node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render --text ``` ## Presenting the Inbox When the operator asks to see their inbox (or says "inbox", "messages", "check inbox"), run: ```bash node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js render [unread|all|archived] [--html|--md|--text] ``` Choose format based on channel: - **Telegram, webchat** → `--html` - **Discord, Slack** → `--md` - **SMS, plain** → `--text` Send the output as your reply. Do not add commentary unless they ask. ## Heartbeat Integration During heartbeats, check for unread urgent/important items: ```bash node {skill}/scripts/inbox.js list unread --json ``` If urgent items exist, surface them proactively. Otherwise stay quiet. ## Storage Messages stored in `{workspace}/inbox/messages.json`. Single-writer (the agent), so no locking needed. Writes use atomic rename (write .tmp → rename) to prevent corruption.

Frequently asked questions