| name | spark-recipe-inbox-by-category |
| description | Process inbox in priority order by Spark's smart categories: priority first, then people, invites, notifications, newsletters. |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","requires":{"skills":["use-spark"],"accessLevel":"read-only"}} |
Recipe: Inbox by Category
Process the inbox in priority order using Spark's smart categories. This ensures the most important messages get attention first.
Prerequisite: Read the use-spark base skill for command reference and filter syntax.
Access level required: read-only.
Steps
Step 1: Priority mail (highest priority)
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:priority is:unread"
Emails Spark auto-prioritized or that the user manually marked as priority. These are the most important items.
Step 2: People mail
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:personal is:unread"
Direct person-to-person emails. Real conversations that usually need a response.
Step 3: Pending invitations
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:invitation"
Calendar invitations waiting for a response. Time-sensitive by nature.
Step 4: Notifications
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:notification is:unread"
Service notifications, alerts, and receipts. Scan for anything actionable, then move on.
Step 5: Newsletters
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:newsletter newer_than:7d"
Subscriptions and digests from the past week. Skim for interest, skip the rest.
Step 6: Summarize
Report to the user:
- N unread people emails (with subjects/senders for the most recent)
- M unread priority emails
- K pending invitations
- Notification and newsletter counts (don't list unless asked)
Tips
- This is the recommended default when the user asks "what's new" or "catch me up."
- Skip steps 4 and 5 for a quick briefing - priority + people + invites covers the essentials.
- For each category, only dig into
spark thread <id> when the user asks about a specific email.
- Combine with
spark events --today for a full morning briefing.
