Gmail agent

Triage, summarize, and draft email replies with Claude

Email is the highest-ROI agent use case

The average knowledge worker spends 2+ hours per day on email. Most of that time is reading, triaging, and drafting replies that follow predictable patterns. An email agent that handles even 40% of that autonomously — with human review before sending — is transformative.

Triage workflow

"Check my email from the last 24 hours. Categorize each message as:
- ACTION REQUIRED: I need to do something
- WAITING: I sent something and am expecting a response
- FYI: informational, no action needed
- NEWSLETTER/MARKETING: promotional or newsletter content

For ACTION REQUIRED emails: summarize what's needed in one sentence. Show me the breakdown, sorted by category."

Reply drafting

"Read the email from [client name] about [topic]. Draft a reply that:
- Acknowledges their question/concern in one sentence
- Provides the requested information
- Closes with a clear next step

Use my email voice (warm, direct, first names, ends with just 'Ben'). Create it as a draft — do not send."

Batch reply generation

"Look at all my unread emails labeled 'client'. For each one that needs a reply:
1. Summarize what they're asking
2. Draft a reply based on the context
3. Save as a draft
4. Add it to a list of drafts for my review

Don't send anything. Report back: how many drafts created, any that you weren't sure how to handle."

Email search and synthesis

"Search my email for everything related to [client name] in the last 90 days. Give me:
- A timeline of what happened
- What commitments were made (by me or by them)
- Any unresolved items or open questions
- The current status of the relationship"

Setting appropriate permissions

At the start of any email agent session:
"You can read and search my email freely. You can create drafts. DO NOT send any email without explicit approval from me in this conversation for that specific email."