email-review

name	email-review
description	Pre-send email quality review and scoring across 5 dimensions (subject line, copy quality, technical/HTML, deliverability, compliance). Analyzes subject lines, body copy, HTML structure, spam triggers, and CAN-SPAM compliance. Scores 0-100 with detailed recommendations for improvement. Use when user wants to review an email before sending, check email quality, or validate marketing email best practices. Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"agricidaniel"}

Email Review Sub-Skill

Purpose

Reviews email content before sending and provides a comprehensive quality score (0-100) across 5 weighted dimensions. Identifies critical issues, suggests improvements, and provides a rewritten version for low-scoring emails.

When to Activate

• User asks to "review this email"
• User provides email content (subject + body) for feedback
• User requests email quality check or score
• User wants to validate email before sending
• User provides Gmail draft ID for review
• User asks about email deliverability or spam risk

Input Formats

Accept email content in any of these formats:

1. Pasted text - Subject line + body in conversation
2. File path - Path to HTML email file
3. Gmail draft ID - Fetch via gmail_get_draft MCP tool
4. Raw HTML - HTML email source code

Scoring Framework

Overall Score Calculation

Total score = weighted sum of 5 categories:

Category	Weight	Focus
Subject Line	25%	Length, power words, spam triggers, personalization
Copy Quality	25%	Word count, CTA clarity, framework structure, readability
Technical/HTML	20%	Size, responsiveness, dark mode, alt text, preheader
Deliverability	15%	Spam signals, link count, sender reputation factors
Compliance	15%	CAN-SPAM, unsubscribe, physical address, RFC 8058

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1. Subject Line Scoring (25% weight)

Base Score: 0-100, then weighted at 25%

Length Check (0-25 points)

• Optimal: 6-10 words OR 30-50 characters = 25 points
• Acceptable: 5 or 11 words = 20 points
• Marginal: 4 or 12 words = 10 points
• Poor: <4 or >12 words = 0 points

Spam Trigger Detection (-5 points each)

Penalize for each occurrence:

• ALL CAPS words
• Multiple exclamation marks (!!!)
• Phrases: "FREE", "Act Now", "Limited Time", "Guaranteed", "Winner", "Click Here", "Buy Now", "Order Now"
• Excessive punctuation ($$$, ???)

Power Words (+5 points each, max +15)

Bonus for strategic use of:

• "New", "Exclusive", "Proven", "Secret", "Discover"
• "Ultimate", "Essential", "Complete", "Breakthrough"
• Industry-specific power words

Personalization (+10 points)

• Contains merge tags like {{first_name}} or {{company}}
• Behavioral personalization indicators

Emoji Usage (+5 or -5)

• 1 emoji = +5 points (increases open rates)
• 2+ emojis = -5 points (reduces professionalism)
• No emoji = 0 points (neutral)

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2. Copy Quality Scoring (25% weight)

Base Score: 0-100, then weighted at 25%

Word Count (0-20 points)

• 150-300 words = 20 points (optimal)
• 100-149 or 301-400 = 15 points
• 50-99 or 401-500 = 10 points
• <50 or >500 = 0 points

CTA Count (0-25 points)

• 1 primary CTA = 25 points (best conversion)
• 2 CTAs = 15 points (acceptable)
• 3+ CTAs = 5 points (diluted focus)
• 0 CTAs = 0 points (no action path)

CTA Clarity (0-15 points)

Score based on:

• 15 points: Action verb + benefit ("Get My Free Guide", "Start Your Trial")
• 10 points: Generic action ("Learn More", "Download")
• 5 points: Vague ("Submit", "Click Here")
• 0 points: No CTA or unclear

Framework Structure (0-15 points)

Check if email follows proven framework:

• PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution): 15 points
• AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action): 15 points
• BAB (Before-After-Bridge): 15 points
• FAB (Features-Advantages-Benefits): 15 points
• 4Ps (Picture-Promise-Proof-Push): 15 points
• No clear structure: 0 points

Readability (0-15 points)

• Short paragraphs (2-3 lines max): +5
• Bullet points or numbered lists: +5
• Scannable with subheadings: +5
• No walls of text: +5
• Deduct -5 for each readability issue

Personalization Beyond Name (0-10 points)

• Behavioral triggers (past purchase, browsing): +5
• Location/timezone awareness: +3
• Industry/role customization: +2

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3. Technical/HTML Scoring (20% weight)

Base Score: 100, deduct points for violations

Total Size (-20 if fail)

• Must be under 102 KB (Gmail clips emails over this)
• Check HTML + embedded images (if data URIs)

Text-to-Image Ratio (-15 if fail)

• Minimum 60% text / 40% images
• Image-heavy emails trigger spam filters

Responsive Design (-10 if fail)

Check for:

• Viewport meta tag: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">
• Media queries for mobile breakpoints
• Fluid tables or container widths

Dark Mode Support (-5 if fail)

Check for:

• <meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark">
• CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark)
• Dark mode color overrides

Alt Text on Images (-5 per missing)

• All <img> tags must have alt attribute
• Alt text should be descriptive, not just filename

Table-Based Layout (-5 if fail)

• Email should use <table> for layout (HTML email best practice)
• Deduct if using CSS Grid/Flexbox (poor email client support)

Font Safety (-5 if fail)

• Must use web-safe fonts with fallbacks
• Example: font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
• Avoid custom web fonts without fallbacks

CTA Button Size (-5 if fail)

• Minimum 44x44 pixels (mobile touch target)
• Check all <a> styled as buttons

Plain-Text Version (-10 if fail)

• Must have plain-text MIME part OR
• Text-only fallback within HTML

Preheader Text (-5 if missing)

• 30-80 character preview text
• Located immediately after <body> tag
• Often hidden with CSS for HTML view

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4. Deliverability Signals (15% weight)

Base Score: 100, deduct points for red flags

Spam Word Density (-5 per word)

Count occurrences of spam triggers in body:

• "Free", "Winner", "Guarantee", "Risk-free", "Act now"
• "Cash", "Bonus", "Extra income", "Work from home"
• "Unsecured credit", "Viagra", "Pharmacy"

Link Count (warn at 5+)

• 0-3 links = 0 penalty
• 4-5 links = -5 points (warning threshold)
• 6+ links = -15 points (spam signal)

Image-Only Email (-20 if fail)

• Emails with only images and no text are spam signals
• Must have substantive text content

Unsubscribe Link (-25 if missing)

• Required for marketing emails
• Must be clearly visible and functional
• Check for <a> with "unsubscribe" keyword

Sender Name (-10 if generic)

• Deduct for: "info@", "noreply@", "admin@", "support@"
• Personal or company name preferred

Link Shorteners (-10 if detected)

• Penalize use of: bit.ly, tinyurl, goo.gl, ow.ly
• Spam filters distrust shortened URLs

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5. Compliance Scoring (15% weight)

Base Score: 100, deduct points for violations

Physical Address (-20 if missing)

• CAN-SPAM requires postal address
• Check footer for street address or P.O. Box

Unsubscribe Mechanism (-25 if missing)

• Must have working unsubscribe link
• Should process within 10 business days (CAN-SPAM)

Honest Subject Line (-15 if misleading)

• Subject must accurately reflect email content
• No deceptive "Re:" or "Fwd:" if not a reply

RFC 8058 Headers (-10 if missing for bulk)

For bulk/marketing emails, check for:

List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[e-mail]>
List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click

Sender Identification (-10 if missing)

• Must clearly state who is sending the email
• Check for "From" name and footer company info

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Score Interpretation

Score	Rating	Status	Recommendation
90-100	Excellent	✅ Ready to send	Minor tweaks optional
75-89	Good	⚠️ Review suggested	Address medium-priority issues
60-74	Fair	⚠️ Fix before sending	Resolve high-priority issues
40-59	Poor	❌ Needs rework	Significant changes required
0-39	Critical	❌ DO NOT SEND	Major compliance/deliverability issues

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Output Format

Structure the review report as:

1. Header: ## Email Quality Review with overall score, rating, status
2. Score table: 5 categories with raw score, weight, and weighted score
3. Issues Found: Grouped by severity (Critical/High/Medium/Low) with specific fixes
4. Detailed Breakdown: Per-category analysis (subject length/triggers/power words, word count/CTA/framework, HTML size/responsive/dark mode, spam words/links, address/unsubscribe/RFC 8058)
5. Improved Version (if score < 75): Rewritten subject line, copy fix recommendations, HTML fixes

Use status badges: ✅ Ready to send (90+), ⚠️ Review suggested (75-89), ⚠️ Fix before sending (60-74), ❌ Needs rework (40-59), ❌ DO NOT SEND (0-39).

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Workflow

Step 1: Intake

Identify input format and extract:

• Subject line
• Body copy (text or HTML)
• HTML source (if applicable)

Step 2: Run Analysis Scripts (if available)

Check for and execute:

# Subject line scoring
python scripts/score_subject_line.py --subject "[subject]"

# HTML email analysis
python scripts/analyze_email_html.py --file [path]

Step 3: Manual Scoring

For each category:

1. Start with base score
2. Apply positive adjustments
3. Apply penalties
4. Calculate weighted score

Step 4: Reference Checks

Consult knowledge files for edge cases:

• references/technical-standards.md - HTML/CSS email rules
• references/compliance.md - CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL requirements
• references/deliverability-rules.md - Deliverability scoring and spam signal reference

Step 5: Generate Report

Format output per template above, ensuring:

• Clear categorization of issues by severity
• Actionable fix recommendations
• Improved version if score < 75

Step 6: User Confirmation

Ask user if they want to:

• Apply suggested improvements
• Re-review after manual edits
• Send as-is (if score >= 75)

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Quality Gates

Hard Rules (Automatic Failure)

These issues result in "DO NOT SEND" status regardless of total score:

1. Missing unsubscribe link (for marketing emails)
2. Missing physical address (CAN-SPAM violation)
3. Email size > 102 KB (Gmail will clip)
4. Image-only email (no text content)
5. Deceptive subject line (FTC violation)

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Edge Cases

Gmail Drafts

If user provides draft ID:

1. Use gmail_get_draft MCP tool to fetch
2. Extract subject from payload.headers
3. Extract HTML body from payload.parts (mimeType = text/html)
4. Proceed with normal review

Plain-Text Emails

If email has no HTML:

1. Skip technical/HTML scoring (default to 80/100)
2. Focus on copy quality, subject line, compliance
3. Adjust weighting: Subject 30%, Copy 35%, Deliverability 20%, Compliance 15%

Non-English Emails

1. Note language in report
2. Skip spam word detection (English-specific)
3. Focus on structural/technical issues
4. Provide caveats about readability scoring

Transactional Emails

If email is transactional (receipts, confirmations):

1. Relax compliance rules (unsubscribe not required)
2. Focus on technical delivery and clarity
3. Note in report: "Transactional email - relaxed marketing rules"

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Tools Integration

Available Scripts

Run these scripts from the scripts/ directory:

score_subject_line.py

• Input: python scripts/score_subject_line.py --subject "Subject line text" --json
• Output: JSON with length, spam triggers, power words, score
• Use: Auto-score subject line component

analyze_email_html.py

• Input: python scripts/analyze_email_html.py --file path/to/email.html --json
• Output: JSON with size, responsiveness, alt text, preheader, issues
• Use: Auto-score technical/HTML component

MCP Tools

gmail_get_draft

• Fetch draft email from Gmail by ID
• Extract subject and HTML body

gmail_send_message

• Send reviewed email (after user approval)

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Examples

High-scoring email (92/100): Subject "New guide: 5 proven SEO tactics for 2026" -- 8 words, power word, no spam triggers, 280 words, 1 CTA, responsive HTML, all compliance elements present. Status: Ready to send.

Low-scoring email (23/100): Subject "FREE MONEY!!! ACT NOW GUARANTEED WINNER!!!" -- all caps, 4 spam triggers, 50 words, 5 CTAs, missing unsubscribe and address. Status: DO NOT SEND (CAN-SPAM violations).

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Notes

• Always run available scripts before manual scoring
• Reference knowledge files for edge cases
• Provide specific, actionable recommendations
• Never approve emails with compliance violations
• Weight user industry context (B2B vs B2C vs transactional)
• Update scoring criteria based on evolving best practices

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