email-skill

name	email-skill
description	Draft professional email replies and create email approval requests. Use when an EMAIL_*.md file exists in Needs_Action/, when the user says "reply to this email", "draft an email", "respond to [person]", or when a task requires sending an email communication.
allowed-tools	Read, Write
version	1.0.0

Skill: Email Drafting and Sending

Purpose

Draft professional emails on behalf of the business owner and prepare them for sending via the Email MCP server after human approval. NEVER send an email without a corresponding approval file in vault/Approved/.

Step 1 — Read the Email Task

Read the EMAIL_*.md file from vault/Needs_Action/. Extract:

• Sender name and email address
• Subject line
• Email content/summary
• Any specific requests or questions asked
• Tone of the original email (formal/informal/urgent)
• The account: frontmatter field (e.g. default for the personal inbox, work for the job-related inbox) — this determines which address the reply must be sent from. A reply to a work-account email (recruiters, job applications, professional contacts) must go out from the work address, never the personal one, or it will look wrong to the recipient.

Step 2 — Read Communication Rules

Read vault/Company_Handbook.md and note:

• Required tone (professional, friendly, etc.)
• Any specific rules about this type of email
• Signature format to use
• Any topics that require escalation

Step 3 — Draft the Reply

Follow these writing rules:

• Match the formality level of the incoming email
• Be concise — get to the point within 2 sentences
• Always acknowledge their message first
• Address every question or request they made
• End with a clear next step or call to action
• Keep total length under 200 words unless content requires more
• Never make promises about money, deadlines, or deliverables without checking Business_Goals.md first

Reply Structure:

Subject: Re: [original subject]

Hi [First Name],

[Acknowledgment sentence — thank them or confirm you received their message]

[Main response — address their question/request directly]

[Any clarifications or caveats needed]

[Clear next step]

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Title if applicable]

Step 4 — Create Approval Request

Create file at vault/Pending_Approval/EMAIL_[sender_name]_[YYYYMMDD].md:

type: approval_request action: email_send to: [recipient email address] subject: Re: [original subject] task_source: [original EMAIL_.md filename] from_account: [the account: value from the source EMAIL_.md — 'default' or 'work'] created: [ISO timestamp] expires: [ISO timestamp + 24 hours] status: pending

---

Email to Send

To: [email address] Subject: Re: [subject]

---

[Full email body here exactly as it should be sent]

Original Message Summary

[2-3 sentence summary of what they sent]

Why This Response

[Brief explanation of why you drafted this specific reply]

To Approve

You'll get a Telegram notification with Approve/Reject/Request Changes buttons (via telegram_approval_watcher.py) once this file is written — tapping Approve moves it to vault/Approved/ automatically. You can also move it there manually in Obsidian if you prefer.

To Reject or Edit

Move this file to vault/Rejected/ folder OR edit the email body above and then move to vault/Approved/.

To Approve and Send via MCP

Once in vault/Approved/, the Email MCP server will send this automatically.

Step 5 — Update Task Status

Update the original EMAIL_*.md in Needs_Action/:

• Change status: pending → awaiting_approval
• Add note: "Draft created at [timestamp], approval requested"

Step 6 — Log the Action

Append to vault/Logs/[YYYY-MM-DD].md:

[timestamp] | email_draft | [original file] | approval_requested | to: [recipient]

Email Quality Checklist

Before creating the approval file, verify:

• Addressed every point in the original email
• No spelling errors
• Tone matches Company_Handbook.md rules
• No promises made about money or deadlines
• Clear next step included
• Correct recipient email address
• Subject line starts with "Re: "