Recipe: Inbox Zero

Process the inbox to zero using category-first triage. Work through categories in priority order, then take action on each email.

Prerequisite: Read the spark base skill for tool reference and filter syntax.

Access level required: triage.

Steps

Step 1: Scan by category (use recipe-inbox-by-category)

Process inbox in priority order:

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:priority is:unread" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:personal is:unread" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:invitation" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:notification is:unread" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:newsletter newer_than:7d" }

Step 2: Review and act on each email

For emails that need attention, read the thread:

thread { "message_id": "<id>" }

Then decide the action:

Archive - handled or informational, no further action needed:

action { "action_name": "archive", "message_ids": ["<id>"] }

Move to folder - needs filing:

action { "action_name": "moveToFolder", "message_ids": ["<id>"], "folder": "user@example.com:Projects" }

Mark as done - completed/resolved:

action { "action_name": "markAsDone", "message_ids": ["<id>"] }

Pin - important, need to come back to:

action { "action_name": "pin", "message_ids": ["<id>"] }

Snooze - not relevant now, revisit later:

action { "action_name": "snooze", "message_ids": ["<id>"], "date": "2026-04-10" }

Set aside - save for later review:

action { "action_name": "setAside", "message_ids": ["<id>"] }

Step 3: Batch process notifications and newsletters

For categories with many items, batch archive:

action { "action_name": "archive", "message_ids": ["<id1>", "<id2>", "<id3>", "<id4>"] }

Step 4: Verify

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "is:unread" }

Confirm the inbox is clear or report what's left.

Tips

• Work through categories in order - don't jump to newsletters before handling people mail.
• Batch archive is efficient for notifications: list them, confirm with the user, then archive all at once.
• Pin or snooze items that need future attention rather than leaving them unread.
• If an email needs a reply, use draft with reply_to and then archive - the draft keeps the task alive.
• If you spot miscategorized contacts while triaging, use contact-action's changeCategory* actions to reclassify all future mail from that sender.