| name | email-encoding |
| description | Email subject line encoding rules for gmail_send. Use when sending emails, composing subjects, or any gmail_send call. |
Email Encoding Skill
Trigger Phrases
"send email", "gmail_send", "email subject", "compose email", "write email", "draft email"
The Rule (CRITICAL — from {{PARENT_1}}, 2026-05-09)
NEVER use emojis, arrows (→), or special Unicode characters in gmail_send subject lines.
The Gmail API's subject line encoding double-encodes UTF-8, producing garbled text (mojibake). Email body text is unaffected.
What Happens
| Location | Emojis/Unicode | Result |
|---|
| Subject line | 🔬 | Garbled: ðŸÂ"¬ |
| Subject line | → | Garbled: â†Â' |
| Email body | 🔬 → ✅ | Works fine |
Examples
❌ BAD — Will Garble
gmail_send(subject="🔬 Weekly Research Update", ...)
gmail_send(subject="Budget → Reviewed ✅", ...)
gmail_send(subject="📋 Family Tasks for May 9", ...)
✅ GOOD — Plain ASCII Subjects
gmail_send(subject="Weekly Research Update", ...)
gmail_send(subject="Budget Reviewed", ...)
gmail_send(subject="Family Tasks for May 9", ...)
gmail_send(subject="[Action Required] NICU Follow-Up Appointment", ...)
Scope
- ALL agents that call
gmail_send
- Applies to: email-triage, daily-briefing, heartbeat, any agent composing emails
- Body text is NOT affected — use emojis freely in the email body
Why
The gmail_send tool passes the subject through an encoding layer that double-encodes UTF-8 characters. Standard ASCII (letters, numbers, punctuation like []()-:!?) works perfectly. Anything outside ASCII (emojis, arrows, accented characters, Unicode symbols) gets corrupted in transit.
Quick Reference
- Subject: Plain ASCII only (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, basic punctuation)
- Body: Anything goes (emojis, Unicode, formatting all fine)
- Use brackets/dashes for emphasis instead of emojis:
[URGENT], [Action Required], ---
