name: email-labeler
description: Use when triaging an inbox: fetching unprocessed emails, classifying each into a label taxonomy, and applying labels via the provider's API. Provider-agnostic skeleton; scripts/label.py must be wired to your email provider before first use.
Email Labeler
Inbox triage as a skill. The script handles fetching and labeling (deterministic); you handle classification (judgment). This is the Lab 3 artifact from Claude Code 101, stripped to a provider-agnostic skeleton.
Setup required: scripts/label.py has TODO markers for provider auth and API calls. Wire it to Gmail, Outlook, or Fastmail once; the skill works forever after. Ask Claude to do the wiring: "implement the TODOs in scripts/label.py for Gmail using the Gmail API".
Label taxonomy
Four labels. Edit to taste; the taxonomy is the part that's yours.
| Label | Meaning |
|---|
action-required | A human must do something: reply, decide, pay, sign |
waiting-on | You're blocked on someone else; their reply closes it |
reference | Keep: receipts, confirmations, documents worth finding later |
newsletter-ish | Bulk content. Read never or in batches |
Procedure
- Fetch the batch:
python scripts/label.py fetch --max 50. Returns JSON: id, sender, subject, snippet per email.
- Classify each email into exactly one label. Rules of thumb: a question aimed at the user =
action-required; an automated confirmation = reference; anything with an unsubscribe link = newsletter-ish unless it asks for action. When genuinely ambiguous, prefer action-required; a false alarm beats a missed deadline.
- Apply:
python scripts/label.py apply --input labels.json where labels.json maps email id to label.
- Report counts per label and list the
action-required subjects so the user sees what needs them.
Never delete or archive anything. Labeling only. Never label more than the fetched batch in one run.
Scheduling
Once trusted, run it on a schedule: a /loop in a session, or a scheduled task invoking this skill daily. Start supervised for the first few runs; spot-check 10 classifications before going hands-off.
