Email Check Sub-Skill
Purpose
This sub-skill handles intelligent inbox triage by connecting to Gmail or Outlook via MCP, analyzing unread emails, scoring them by importance, categorizing them, and generating reply suggestions for high-priority items.
Workflow
1. Detect Available Email Provider
Check which MCP tools are available:
- Gmail:
search_gmail_messages,get_gmail_messages_content_batch,get_gmail_thread_content,list_gmail_labels - Outlook:
list-mail-messages,list-mail-folder-messages,get-mail-message
Prefer Gmail if both are available (better batch operations).
2. Fetch Unread Emails
For Gmail:
search_gmail_messages(query="is:unread", max_results=50)For Outlook:
list-mail-messages (defaults to recent messages, filter for unread)3. Batch Fetch Email Content
For Gmail:
get_gmail_messages_content_batch(message_ids=[...]) # Up to 25 at a timeIf more than 25 unread, prioritize most recent first.
For Outlook:
get-mail-message for each message (sequential)Limit to 25 emails maximum to avoid overwhelming analysis.
4. Score Each Email (0-100)
Apply the following scoring algorithm:
Base Score: 50
Sender Recognition (+20 to -20)
- +20: VIP/known contact (domain matches user's company, appears in sent folder frequently)
- +10: Recognized sender (has prior thread history)
- 0: Unknown sender with legitimate domain
- -15: Newsletter/automated sender (bulk email headers, unsubscribe links)
- -20: Notification sender (no-reply@, noreply@, automated@)
Direct Address (+15 to -10)
- +15: Primary recipient (To: field)
- 0: CC'd (CC: field)
- -10: BCC'd or mass email (many recipients)
Thread Depth (+10)
- +10: Reply in active thread (Re: subject, multiple messages in thread)
- 0: New email (no thread history)
Urgency Keywords (+15)
Check subject and first 200 characters for:
- urgent, ASAP, deadline, action required, immediate, time-sensitive, expiring, expires, due
- +15 if any urgency keyword found
Calendar/Meeting (+20)
- +20: Calendar invite, meeting request, event notification
- Detect via attachments (ics file) or subject patterns (Invitation:, Meeting:)
Deadline Detection (+25)
Parse email body for dates/deadlines:
- +25: Deadline within 48 hours
- +10: Deadline within 7 days
- 0: No deadline or deadline > 7 days
Business Relevance (+15 to -10)
If email-profile.md exists in parent directory:
- +15: Mentions user's key topics, clients, projects
- +5: Industry-relevant keywords
- -10: Off-topic or personal (if business inbox)
Final Score Calculation
Sum all adjustments to base score of 50. Clamp to 0-100 range.
5. Categorize Emails
Based on final score:
| Score Range | Category | Action | |-------------|----------|--------| | 85-100 | Urgent | Immediate attention, generate reply suggestions | | 65-84 | Important | Review soon, may need action | | 40-64 | Routine | Normal priority, review when available | | 20-39 | Low Priority | Skim or defer | | 0-19 | Archive | Likely noise or automated |
6. Generate Reply Suggestions
For emails scored 85+ (Urgent category):
- Read full thread context using
get_gmail_thread_contentor equivalent - Check for email-profile.md in parent directory for user's:
- Brand voice (professional, casual, direct, warm)
- Common sign-off
- Industry/role context
- Draft two reply options:
- Brief: 1-2 sentences, direct answer
- Detailed: 1 paragraph with context
Do NOT draft replies if:
- Email requires research beyond available context
- Email needs user decision (approve/decline, choose option)
- Email is FYI/informational only
- Email is calendar invite (suggest accept/decline/tentative instead)
In these cases, output: "This email requires your personal attention: [reason]"
7. Output Format
## Inbox Summary
**X unread emails** | Y Urgent | Z Important | W Routine | V Low Priority
### Urgent (Action Required)
| # | From | Subject | Score | Suggested Action |
|---|------|---------|-------|------------------|
| 1 | sender@domain.com | Subject line | 95 | [Reply/Review/Respond] |
| 2 | ... | ... | 88 | ... |
---
### Important
| # | From | Subject | Score | Category |
|---|------|---------|-------|----------|
| 3 | ... | ... | 78 | Meeting follow-up |
| 4 | ... | ... | 70 | Client inquiry |
---
### Routine & Low Priority
- **Routine (40-64)**: X emails - [grouped summary by sender/topic]
- **Low Priority (20-39)**: Y emails - newsletters, notifications
- **Archive (<20)**: Z emails - automated/noise
---
### Suggested Replies
#### 1. Re: [Subject] (to: sender@domain.com)
**Context:** [Why this email scored high, key points]
**Brief Option:**
> [1-2 sentence reply]
>
> [Sign-off]
**Detailed Option:**
> [Paragraph with more context/explanation]
>
> [Sign-off]
#### 2. Re: [Next urgent email]
[Repeat format]
---
### Emails Requiring Personal Attention
- **#X - [Subject]**: Needs decision on [topic]
- **#Y - [Subject]**: Requires research before respondingScoring Signal Reference
| Signal | Score Impact | Detection | |--------|-------------|-----------| | Direct To: address | +15 | Check To: field | | VIP/known sender | +20 | Domain match, sent folder history | | Active thread | +10 | Thread ID, Re: in subject | | Urgency keywords | +15 | Subject/body scan | | Calendar invite | +20 | .ics attachment, invite headers | | Deadline <48h | +25 | Date parsing in body | | Deadline <7d | +10 | Date parsing in body | | Business relevance | +15 | Match email-profile.md topics | | CC'd (not primary) | -10 | CC: field | | Newsletter | -20 | Unsubscribe link, bulk headers | | Notification | -15 | no-reply@ sender | | Unknown sender | -10 | No thread history |
Reply Suggestion Guidelines
Tone Adaptation
If email-profile.md exists, adapt replies to match:
- Professional: Formal, structured, clear
- Casual: Friendly, conversational
- Direct: Brief, action-oriented
- Warm: Personable, relationship-focused
Default to professional-friendly if no profile exists.
Reply Structure
Brief Option:
- Answer the core question/request
- 1-2 sentences maximum
- Clear next step if needed
Detailed Option:
- Address all points raised
- Provide context or explanation
- 1 paragraph (3-5 sentences)
- Suggest next steps or timeline
When NOT to Draft
- Email asks for approval/decision → Suggest: "Review and approve/decline X"
- Email requires data you don't have → "This email requires your personal attention: needs [data/info]"
- Email is complex multi-part → "This email requires your personal attention: multiple decisions needed"
- Email is FYI only → Suggested Action: "Review (no response needed)"
Error Handling
No MCP Connection
If neither Gmail nor Outlook MCP is available:
Error: No email provider connected. Please ensure Gmail MCP or Outlook MCP is configured.Empty Inbox
## Inbox Summary
**0 unread emails** - Your inbox is clear!MCP Rate Limits
If batch fetch fails, fall back to individual message retrieval (slower but reliable).
Thread Context Unavailable
If get_gmail_thread_content fails, draft replies based on single message only (note: "Limited context - single message view").
Integration Points
email-profile.md (optional)
If exists in parent directory (../email-profile.md), use for:
- Brand voice detection
- Business relevance scoring
- Reply tone/style matching
- Common topics/clients list
Gmail-Specific Features
- Use labels to refine categorization (e.g., skip "Promotions" labeled emails)
- Check sent folder for sender recognition
Outlook-Specific Features
- Use folder structure for context (Inbox vs Focused)
- Leverage categories if available
Performance Optimization
- Batch fetch