use-cases/manage-your-inbox.md +146 −0 added
1# Manage your inbox | Codex use cases
2
3Codex use cases
4
5
6
7
8
9Codex use case
10
11# Manage your inbox
12
13Have Codex find the emails that matter and write the replies in your voice.
14
15Difficulty **Easy**
16
17Time horizon **5m**
18
19Use Codex with Gmail to find emails that need attention, draft responses in your voice, pull context from the tools where your work happens, and keep watching for new replies on a schedule.
20
21## Best for
22
23- People who want Codex to find emails that need attention instead of manually sorting them.
24- Recurring inbox checks where Codex can create reviewable drafts in the background.
25
26# Contents
27
28[← All use cases](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases)
29
30Copy page [Export as PDF](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/manage-your-inbox/?export=pdf)
31
32Use Codex with Gmail to find emails that need attention, draft responses in your voice, pull context from the tools where your work happens, and keep watching for new replies on a schedule.
33
34Easy
35
365m
37
38Related links
39
40[Codex plugins](https://developers.openai.com/codex/plugins) [Codex automations](https://developers.openai.com/codex/app/automations)
41
42## Best for
43
44- People who want Codex to find emails that need attention instead of manually sorting them.
45- Recurring inbox checks where Codex can create reviewable drafts in the background.
46
47## Skills & Plugins
48
49- [Gmail](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/gmail)
50
51 Search and triage Gmail threads, read the surrounding conversation, create reply drafts, and organize messages when you explicitly ask.
52- [Slack](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/slack)
53
54 Check team-message context when an email needs the latest decision, owner, asset, or blocker.
55- [Google Drive](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/google-drive)
56
57 Read source docs, FAQs, notes, or approved writing examples that should shape the draft.
58
59| Skill | Why use it |
60| --- | --- |
61| [Gmail](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/gmail) | Search and triage Gmail threads, read the surrounding conversation, create reply drafts, and organize messages when you explicitly ask. |
62| [Slack](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/slack) | Check team-message context when an email needs the latest decision, owner, asset, or blocker. |
63| [Google Drive](https://github.com/openai/plugins/tree/main/plugins/google-drive) | Read source docs, FAQs, notes, or approved writing examples that should shape the draft. |
64
65## Starter prompt
66
67Can you check my @gmail, figure out what I need to respond to, and write drafts in my voice.
68 Use my recent sent replies or @google-drive [writing examples] for tone.
69Use @slack, @google-drive, or other sources where my work happens when the email is missing the latest decision, owner, file, or blocker.
70
71[Open in the Codex app](codex://new?prompt=Can+you+check+my+%40gmail%2C+figure+out+what+I+need+to+respond+to%2C+and+write+drafts+in+my+voice.%0A%0AUse+my+recent+sent+replies+or+%40google-drive+%5Bwriting+examples%5D+for+tone.%0A%0AUse+%40slack%2C+%40google-drive%2C+or+other+sources+where+my+work+happens+when+the+email+is+missing+the+latest+decision%2C+owner%2C+file%2C+or+blocker. "Open in the Codex app")
72
73Can you check my @gmail, figure out what I need to respond to, and write drafts in my voice.
74 Use my recent sent replies or @google-drive [writing examples] for tone.
75Use @slack, @google-drive, or other sources where my work happens when the email is missing the latest decision, owner, file, or blocker.
76
77## Review your inbox
78
79Ask Codex to check Gmail, find the messages that deserve a reply, and write drafts in your voice. It can use recent sent mail or approved writing examples for style, then search Slack, docs, project notes, or other tools when the email lacks context on its own.
80
81Use Codex for the first pass over your inbox: find the emails that need your attention, draft the replies, and bring in the work context that explains the bigger picture.
82
831. Ask Codex to review Gmail for emails that need your attention.
842. Ask it to use Slack, docs, or project notes for context that explains the bigger picture.
853. Tell Codex which drafts were useful and which emails it should ignore next time.
864. Add an automation when the thread is useful, and pin it if you want fast access later.
87
88Use the Gmail plugin directly. You can give Codex a broad inbox request, a time window, or a label if you already know the scope. If tone matters, ask Codex to look at recent sent replies or a doc with examples before drafting.
89
90Use the starter prompt on this page for the first inbox pass. Codex should return a short queue: drafts for emails that need attention, messages that can wait, and the context it used when the answer depended on more than the email thread.
91
92## Let the thread learn your taste
93
94Treat the first pass like calibration. If Codex drafts too many replies, tell it which emails were noise. If it misses something important, tell it why that thread mattered. If the tone is off, correct the draft directly.
95
96Good start. For future passes:
97- draft replies for [the kinds of emails that matter]
98- ignore [newsletters, FYIs, calendar churn, or other noise]
99- sound more like [shorter, warmer, more direct, or less formal]
100- use @slack for context when a thread mentions [project, account, or team]
101
102Over time, the thread should get better at deciding what needs a draft and what can stay out of your way.
103
104## Automate email triage on a schedule
105
106You can create automations to run a scheduled check-in on the same thread. Codex wakes up, checks Gmail and the context sources you named, and posts only when there are emails that need your attention or drafts worth reviewing.
107
108Once the drafts look useful, ask Codex to keep an eye on Gmail. Email triage is a good job to automate: the drafts are reviewable, and you still decide what gets sent.
109
110Can you keep an eye on my @gmail and create drafts for emails that need my attention?
111Check [hourly, every weekday morning, or at 4 PM].
112Use @slack or @google-drive for context when needed. Skip obvious noise. Do not send anything.
113
114Use this with Codex [automations](https://developers.openai.com/codex/app/automations) after the thread has a good sense of your reply patterns. If Codex finds an email that needs a decision it cannot make, it should flag the question instead of guessing.
115
116## Organize your inbox
117
118The Gmail plugin can also help organize your inbox. Keep that as a separate command after you trust the triage.
119
120Archive or label the low-priority emails from this pass.
121Only touch the messages you listed as [can wait, newsletter, or already handled].
122Do not delete or send anything.
123
124For deletion, make the instruction explicit and narrow. Drafting replies is safe to automate for review; destructive cleanup should stay deliberate.
125
126## Related use cases
127
128[
129
130### Set up a teammate
131
132Connect the tools where work happens, teach one thread what matters, then add an automation...
133
134Automation Integrations](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/proactive-teammate)[
135
136### Complete tasks from messages
137
138Use Computer Use to read one Messages thread, complete the task, and draft a reply.
139
140Knowledge Work Integrations](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/complete-tasks-from-messages)[
141
142### Coordinate new-hire onboarding
143
144Use Codex to gather approved new-hire context, stage tracker updates, draft team-by-team...
145
146Integrations Data](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/new-hire-onboarding)