teach AI your inbox rules

Lenny's AI Builders - LAB 0003

i don't need a perfect inbox. i want to see the stuff i need to deal with.

Email Triage Pro gives me a short list to review across my chosen inboxes. i can tell it what it got wrong, then check how it uses that feedback next time.

start with one inbox and a small batch. you can add more once you trust the results.

give it three rules

archive-safe means mail it can suggest putting away. approve the exact items first, or give it a clear rule it can reuse. a vague “looks fine” should not become a rule for all future mail.

needs review means leave it where you can see it. keep bills, security alerts, direct requests and anything unclear in this group.

never act or send means it must ask you first. reading an email does not give it permission to send a reply, pay a bill or change an account.

copy this prompt

Use Email Triage Pro on one Gmail account I choose. Review up to 20 recent inbox threads. Group them as archive-safe, needs review, or never act or send. Show why each item belongs there. Leave all mail unchanged and do not draft or send replies. Ask me which decisions to reuse next time. Flag any account or message you could not read.

FIELD NOTE 03 / START READ-ONLY

what this helps with

• less inbox hopping: see the important items from the accounts you chose in one report.
• fewer repeat decisions: teach it which mail you want to keep seeing.
• clear limits: check its choices before it changes your inbox.

try it

• give your agent the public skills repository and ask it to install Email Triage Pro. use an agent that supports skills and the Gmail access you need.
• choose your account. let it check read access before you count that account as covered.
• paste the prompt above. read both the important list and the archive suggestions.
• correct one choice. say whether that correction is just for this item or a rule for next time.
• run another small batch and check the rule. if you want it to archive anything, approve the items or a clear reusable rule separately.

the example in this episode

i show the triage thread i keep pinned. it checks my chosen email accounts and brings the items that need my eyes into one place.

10:17 in the episode. the report shows 150 threads checked, 20 archives and zero sent. these are the figures on screen from that run, not a result promised for your inbox.

my useful bit of feedback is which newsletters i want put away and which messages i want to keep seeing. the next run should reflect that choice. if it can't save the feedback in your setup, it should tell you.

check that it worked

you should get a short report that names the account it checked, what needs your eyes, and what it suggests archiving.

for this first run, your mail should be unchanged. check your inbox yourself. if you later approve an archive, ask the agent to check the saved result in Gmail and tell you how to undo it.

before you set a routine

the public skill starts with a read-only run. an 8 am routine is opt-in, in your time zone. scheduled runs surface mail and suggest reply text; they do not archive mail or create Gmail drafts while you're away.

email can contain instructions meant to trick an agent. treat the email as something to read, not as orders to follow. keep private names, subjects, message text and account details out of screenshots you share.

skill behavior checked on 20 September 2026. account support and plan limits can change. check the setup guide for the agent you use.

sources from the episode

these are the posts discussed in the 19 September 2026 episode. they describe announcements and reports at that time, not a promise that every feature is available on your account today.

• Jev free-access announcement from Vercel - Vercel gave 25 September as the end date; check its terms before use.
• ChatGPT browser extensions post.
• Claude Code AGENTS.md announcement.
• Muse connectors announcement.
• Grok Bot voice notes announcement.
• ChatGPT Pro 20x report - a third-party report about limited access, not a general reopening confirmed by OpenAI.
• Email Triage Pro and setup guides.

try one small batch. check what it kept visible before you teach it the next rule.