Inbox Triage (Live)
The generic triage skill teaches a system; this one runs it on the real account. In Claude Cowork it reads the user's actual unread mail through the Gmail connector, decides each message, and takes the safe actions (label, archive, draft) itself — leaving only true judgement calls for the human.
What This Skill Produces
- The triage pass, executed — every unread message assigned one of four verbs and the safe actions applied in the account
- Reply-now drafts — short replies created as real Gmail drafts (never auto-sent) for the user to review and send
- A triage-report artifact — a table of what was archived/labelled/drafted, plus the short list of messages that need a human decision
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Scope — which mailbox/label and how far back (e.g. "all unread", "Primary from the last 7 days")
- Reply-now boundary — may the skill draft replies, or only classify? (default: draft, never send)
- Sender rules — VIPs that are never auto-archived; newsletters that always are
Framework: The Four Verbs
- Archive (default): no action needed → archive; search beats filing.
- Reply-now (two-minute rule): a real reply under two minutes → draft it now.
- Task: needs real work → capture as a task with the message linked; never left in the inbox as its own reminder.
- Park: genuinely waiting-on →
@waiting label + a weekly review.
Execution (Cowork)
Run against the real account; act, don't just advise:
- Read — via the Gmail connector, list unread in scope (
is:unread + the user's filter). Batch oldest-first; cap at a stated number per pass and report the remainder.
- Classify — apply the four verbs. Newsletters/receipts/notifications → archive. Direct asks from real people → reply-now or task.
- Act safely — through the connector: add labels (
@waiting, @task), archive the archive-bucket, and create Gmail drafts (not sends) for reply-now. Never delete, never send, never touch anything outside scope.
- Escalate — anything ambiguous, from a VIP, or legally/financially sensitive is left untouched and listed for the human.
- Emit the artifact — the triage report (below). Stop and confirm before a second pass.
Guardrails: draft-only by default; no bulk delete; respect the VIP/never-archive list; if the connector isn't authorised, say so and fall back to producing the rules + a manual pass, not silence.
Output Format
A Triage Report artifact:
Summary
N processed · A archived · R drafted · T tasks · P parked · H need you
Actions taken
| Message |
From |
Verb |
Action applied |
Needs your decision
- [subject] — from [sender] — why it was escalated, the suggested verb
Reply-now drafts created
- [subject] → draft ready in Gmail; one-line summary of the drafted reply
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Auto-sending replies. Draft only; the human sends.
- Bulk-deleting to hit zero. Archive, never delete.
- Silent failure when the connector is missing. Say it, and fall back to a guided manual pass.
- Re-triaging parked/handled mail on the next pass — respect existing
@waiting/@task labels.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Get my actual inbox to zero in Cowork."
- "Triage my unread Gmail and draft the quick replies."
- "Process my email backlog — archive the noise, flag what needs me."
- "Label and archive my newsletters, leave the real messages."
1---2name: inbox-triage-live3description: Triage the user's REAL inbox through the Gmail connector — not a framework they run by hand. Use when asked to clear my inbox, get me to inbox zero on the actual account, triage my unread, or process my email backlog in Cowork. Reads unread via the Gmail connector, sorts every message into archive / reply-now / task / park, applies labels and archives in place, drafts the reply-now messages as real Gmail drafts. Produces a triage-report artifact of what it did and what still needs the user.4---5
6# Inbox Triage (Live)
7
8The generic triage skill teaches a system; this one *runs it on the real account*. In Claude Cowork it reads the user's actual unread mail through the Gmail connector, decides each message, and takes the safe actions (label, archive, draft) itself — leaving only true judgement calls for the human.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **The triage pass, executed** — every unread message assigned one of four verbs and the safe actions applied in the account
13- **Reply-now drafts** — short replies created as real Gmail drafts (never auto-sent) for the user to review and send
14- **A triage-report artifact** — a table of what was archived/labelled/drafted, plus the short list of messages that need a human decision
15
16## Required Inputs
17
18Ask for these if not provided:
19- **Scope** — which mailbox/label and how far back (e.g. "all unread", "Primary from the last 7 days")
20- **Reply-now boundary** — may the skill draft replies, or only classify? (default: draft, never send)
21- **Sender rules** — VIPs that are never auto-archived; newsletters that always are
22
23## Framework: The Four Verbs
24
251. **Archive (default):** no action needed → archive; search beats filing.
262. **Reply-now (two-minute rule):** a real reply under two minutes → draft it now.
273. **Task:** needs real work → capture as a task with the message linked; never left in the inbox as its own reminder.
284. **Park:** genuinely waiting-on → `@waiting` label + a weekly review.
29
30## Execution (Cowork)
31
32Run against the real account; act, don't just advise:
33
341. **Read** — via the Gmail connector, list unread in scope (`is:unread` + the user's filter). Batch oldest-first; cap at a stated number per pass and report the remainder.
352. **Classify** — apply the four verbs. Newsletters/receipts/notifications → archive. Direct asks from real people → reply-now or task.
363. **Act safely** — through the connector: add labels (`@waiting`, `@task`), archive the archive-bucket, and create Gmail **drafts** (not sends) for reply-now. Never delete, never send, never touch anything outside scope.
374. **Escalate** — anything ambiguous, from a VIP, or legally/financially sensitive is left untouched and listed for the human.
385. **Emit the artifact** — the triage report (below). Stop and confirm before a second pass.
39
40Guardrails: draft-only by default; no bulk delete; respect the VIP/never-archive list; if the connector isn't authorised, say so and fall back to producing the rules + a manual pass, not silence.
41
42## Output Format
43
44A **Triage Report** artifact:
45
46### Summary
47`N processed · A archived · R drafted · T tasks · P parked · H need you`
48
49### Actions taken
50| Message | From | Verb | Action applied |
51|---|---|---|---|
52
53### Needs your decision
54- **[subject]** — from [sender] — why it was escalated, the suggested verb
55
56### Reply-now drafts created
57- **[subject]** → draft ready in Gmail; one-line summary of the drafted reply
58
59## Quality Checks
60- [ ] No message was sent or deleted — only labelled, archived, or drafted
61- [ ] Every escalated message states *why* it needs a human
62- [ ] VIP/never-archive rules were honoured
63- [ ] The report reconciles: processed = archived + drafted + tasks + parked + needs-you
64- [ ] The remaining backlog count is stated when a cap was hit
65
66## Anti-Patterns
67- **Auto-sending replies.** Draft only; the human sends.
68- **Bulk-deleting to hit zero.** Archive, never delete.
69- **Silent failure when the connector is missing.** Say it, and fall back to a guided manual pass.
70- **Re-triaging parked/handled mail** on the next pass — respect existing `@waiting`/`@task` labels.
71
72## Example Trigger Phrases
73- "Get my actual inbox to zero in Cowork."
74- "Triage my unread Gmail and draft the quick replies."
75- "Process my email backlog — archive the noise, flag what needs me."
76- "Label and archive my newsletters, leave the real messages."
Mohit Aggarwal