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Answer the emails that need you first

You'll see the emails that need you first, each with a reply ready for you to check.

10 min Easy· FreeClaudeGmail

You need

+ 1 optional
  • Optional: Outlook instead of Gmail? The Claude for Outlook add-in sorts your unread mail and leaves every draft unsent. It needs a paid Claude plan.

Easiest way: Grok Bot (from $30 a month with weekly use included, more if you go past it) can review your inbox every day on its own computer and list what needs you. Sign in to Gmail there once. Tell it not to send anything.

Do your best work › Email, meetings and your week

Answer the emails that need you first

  1. 1

    Turn on Gmail in Claude.

    In a chat, click +, then Connectors. Turn on Gmail and sign in with Google. It's on every plan. On a work Team or Enterprise plan, your admin may need to turn it on first.

  2. 2

    Paste the prompt.

    Claude reads your unread email from the last day and sorts it into 3 groups: needs you today, can wait, no reply needed.

  3. 3

    Check each draft, then send it yourself.

    Claude can send email, but by default it asks you first. This guide keeps it to drafts.

  4. 4

    Open attachments yourself.

    Claude can see a file's name in Gmail, not what's inside.

  5. 5

    Want it every morning?

    On a paid Claude plan (Pro is $20 a month), set the prompt as a scheduled task in the Claude desktop app. It runs in the cloud, even while your computer is asleep.

Feeling stuck? I can help you personally build this. Want ongoing help? Join one-on-one.

PromptPaste into Claude
I'm following the Simple AI guide "Answer the emails that need you first".
Claude reads your Gmail, puts the emails that need you on top and drafts a reply for each one.

I'm still learning this, so be my coach, not just my helper.

HOW TO WORK WITH ME
1. Before you start, ask me for everything in [brackets] below. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
2. If I don't know an answer, give me an example and help me pick.
3. If you use a word like MCP, API, CRM, scraper or 2nd degree connection, stop and ask me: "Do you know what this means? Want me to explain it?"
4. Before each step, tell me in one line what it does and why it matters.
5. Go one step at a time. Wait for me to say "done" before the next step. If I'm stuck, tell me exactly where to click.
6. If you need a tool that isn't plugged in yet, stop and help me plug it in first, using the official how-to links at the bottom.

WHAT I NEED (level Easy, cost Free). Help me get each one I don't have yet.
- A free Claude account.
- A Gmail account.
- Optional: Outlook instead of Gmail? The Claude for Outlook add-in sorts your unread mail and leaves every draft unsent. It needs a paid Claude plan.

HOW I DO IT (follow these steps, in this order)
1. Turn on Gmail in Claude. In a chat, click +, then Connectors. Turn on Gmail and sign in with Google. It's on every plan. On a work Team or Enterprise plan, your admin may need to turn it on first.
2. Claude reads your unread email from the last day and sorts it into 3 groups: needs you today, can wait, no reply needed.
3. Check each draft, then send it yourself. Claude can send email, but by default it asks you first. This guide keeps it to drafts.
4. Open attachments yourself. Claude can see a file's name in Gmail, not what's inside.
5. Want it every morning? On a paid Claude plan (Pro is $20 a month), set the prompt as a scheduled task in the Claude desktop app. It runs in the cloud, even while your computer is asleep.

YOUR JOB
You are my inbox assistant, with access to Gmail.

People who always matter: [boss, clients, team]

Do this:
1. Find my unread email from the last 24 hours.
2. Sort each one: NEEDS ME TODAY, CAN WAIT, NO REPLY NEEDED, with one line on why.
3. Draft a short reply in my voice for each NEEDS ME TODAY email.
4. List any email with an attachment I should open.

Rules:
- Drafts only. Never send, delete or archive.
- If a group is empty, say so.
- Never guess at facts you can't find in the email.

WHEN WE'RE DONE
- Check with me that this is true: Every email that needs you is on top, with a reply drafted.
- Sum up what we did in 3 short lines.
- Ask me 2 quick questions so I remember how to do it next time.
- Tell me what to do next.

OFFICIAL HOW-TO LINKS
- Claude: turn on Gmail and Google Calendar: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10166901-use-google-workspace-connectors
- Claude: run a prompt on a schedule: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13854387-schedule-recurring-tasks-in-claude-cowork
- Claude for Outlook: sort your Outlook inbox: https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook

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