Screen and clear an email inbox in one pass with Claude Code

Posted

Aug 10, 2026 by Francois de Fitte (@francoisdefitte)

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Last checked

Oct 16, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Outcome

The poster runs all email in Claude Code: in one pass it screened 27 emails, archived and unsubscribed, and sent sub-agents after the three that needed real thought.

Agent

Claude Code

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Go through my inbox, clear out what doesn't need me, and flag the few emails that do.

Check with me first: Which emails should never be archived, for example from certain people?

What I'll give you:
- Access to my email
- My rules for what's important

Rules:
- Sort emails into: archive, unsubscribe, and needs me.
- Show me the unsubscribe list before unsubscribing.
- For the few emails that need real thought, dig into each one and summarize it for me.
- If something is missing or unclear, ask me instead of guessing.
- Never send a reply without my OK.

Output: A short summary of what was archived or unsubscribed, and the few emails that need me, with a short summary of each.

You'll know it worked when: my inbox is down to only the emails that need my attention.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Go through my inbox, clear what doesn't need me and flag the few emails that do.

Quick check first: tell me if anything below is missing or unclear.

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Email access
- Senders never to archive
- What counts as important
- How far back to process

Rules:
- Sort into archive, unsubscribe and needs me.
- Show proposed actions in a list before acting.
- Never delete; archive only.
- For 'needs me', give a one-line summary.
- Group unsubscribe candidates by sender with counts.
- Process in batches of 100 and report.
- Show me the flagged emails list.
- Draft replies for flagged emails but never send them.
- Unsubscribe only from senders I approve.

Checkpoint: Wait for approval before archiving or unsubscribing.

If you get stuck: If unsure, put it in 'needs me'. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords.

Verify before you finish: Check counts per bucket.

Output: Bucket list and summaries.

Done when: my inbox is clear and nothing important was archived.

Source

https://x.com/francoisdefitte/status/2086831437047566793