KoltrixUsing Claude or ChatGPT with your inbox: a practical workflow
A daily routine for working email through Claude or ChatGPT once connected: summarize unread, find threads, apply labels, draft replies, then review and send.
On this page(12 sections)
Connecting an AI assistant to your email is the easy part. The harder part is figuring out what to actually do with it each day, so it saves time instead of becoming one more window to manage.
This runbook describes a daily workflow for using Claude, ChatGPT, or another MCP-capable assistant with your inbox. It assumes the assistant can read, organize and draft, and that sending stays with you in your email app.
Before you start
You'll need:
- An email service that supports AI assistant connections (typically via MCP, the Model Context Protocol).
- The assistant connected and authorized for the right account and workspace.
- A clear sense of what it can and can't do. For this workflow: read and search, apply labels and archive, create drafts. No sending.
In Koltrix, the MCP server works exactly this way: Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants can read, organize and draft, but never send. Setup steps for each assistant are in the docs at https://docs.koltrix.com.
The daily routine at a glance
| Step | Time | What you ask the assistant | What you do yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Overview | 3 min | Summarize unread mail | Skim the summary |
| 2. Prioritize | 2 min | List threads that need a reply | Pick the order |
| 3. Organize | 3 min | Label and archive the obvious | Spot-check |
| 4. Draft | 10 to 20 min | Draft replies to selected threads | Review, edit, send in your email app |
| 5. Lookups | As needed | Find threads and facts | Verify sources |
| 6. Wrap-up | 2 min | List what's still open | Decide what waits |
Step 1: Get an overview
Start the day with a summary instead of scrolling.
Summarize my unread email from the last 24 hours. Group by sender type: customers, teammates, vendors, newsletters. One line per thread. Flag anything that looks urgent.
Read the summary, but treat it as a map. Anything flagged urgent, open yourself.
Tip: if your inbox already sorts mail into categories, ask the assistant to focus on the important one: "Summarize unread mail in Primary only."
Step 2: Decide what needs a reply
From those threads, list the ones that are waiting on a reply from me. For each, give the sender, the question in one sentence, and a link.
Now you decide the order. The assistant can suggest priorities, but you know which customer is about to renew and which teammate is blocked.
Step 3: Organize the obvious
Use the assistant for bulk tidying that you'd otherwise do by hand:
Apply the label "receipts" to unread payment receipts from the last week and archive them.
Archive newsletters older than seven days that I haven't opened.
Label any thread mentioning the CSV export bug with "bug-export".
Organizing actions are reversible, which makes them a good fit for an assistant. Still, check the result once in your email app, especially the first few times you use a new instruction.
Step 4: Draft replies
This is where most of the time savings come from. Work through your reply list one thread at a time:
Draft a reply to the thread from Dana about the invoice date. Confirm we can move the billing date to the 15th starting next month. Keep it short and friendly. Save it as a draft.
Good drafting prompts include:
- Which thread. Name the sender or subject, or use the link from step 2.
- What the reply should say. The decision is yours; the assistant handles wording.
- Tone and length. "Short", "formal", "warm", "firm".
- What not to include. "Don't promise a date for the feature."
Then open your email app, review the draft, edit it, and send it yourself. Read it with fresh eyes, checking:
- Is it replying to the right thread and the right people?
- Are dates, amounts and names correct?
- Did it commit to anything you didn't ask for?
If a draft is badly off, delete it and either rewrite the prompt or write the reply yourself.
Step 5: Lookups during the day
Throughout the day, use the assistant as a search partner:
When did we last email anyone at fieldstone.example, and what was it about?
Find the thread where we agreed on the onboarding call date with Priya.
What price did we quote to the customer at brightline.example?
Ask for thread links so you can verify. For anything you're about to act on, such as quoting a price again, open the source message.
Step 6: Wrap up
At the end of the day:
List threads I opened today that still don't have a reply from me.
Decide what waits until tomorrow and what you'll handle now. This replaces the vague feeling that you forgot something with a short, concrete list.
Prompts to keep handy
Summarize unread mail in Primary from the last [N] hours, one line each,
grouped by customers / team / vendors. Flag anything urgent.
List threads waiting on my reply, with sender, the ask in one sentence,
and a link.
Draft a reply to [thread] that says [decision]. Tone: [tone].
Length: [short/medium]. Don't mention [topic]. Save as draft.
Find the thread with [person/domain] about [topic] since [date].
Give subject, latest date, and link.
Safety habits
A few habits keep this workflow safe:
- Never forward an email's instructions to the assistant without reading them. Incoming mail can contain hidden text aimed at AI.
- Be wary of drafts that do something unexpected, such as adding a link or a recipient you didn't mention. That may be prompt injection from an email the assistant read.
- Keep sensitive mail out. If a mailbox contains HR, legal or financial data you don't want processed, don't use the assistant there.
- Review connected apps occasionally and revoke ones you no longer use.
What not to expect
- The assistant won't always know which threads you've already replied to; this depends on the integration.
- It may read only the top search results, so very broad questions get partial answers.
- It doesn't replace reading the email for anything sensitive, contractual, or emotional.
Key takeaways
- Start with a summary and a list of threads that need replies, then decide the order yourself.
- Let the assistant handle reversible tidying: labels and archiving.
- Use it to draft, then review and send from your email app.
- Ask for thread links whenever you look something up, and verify before acting.
- Keep sending a human action, and watch for drafts that do things you didn't ask for.
Start with Koltrix
Your domain, one inbox, and an API that sends.
A team inbox where AI sorts and drafts (nothing is sent without your click), plus the transactional API and SMTP relay your product sends with. 7 days free, no card.
