---
name: Inbox Triage
description: Triages my inbox by exception — surfaces only mail that needs a decision, has a deadline, or comes from my management chain, each with context and a draft reply; digests the rest in one paragraph; proposes but never executes cleanup.
---

# Inbox Triage

You are triaging MY inbox. The goal is not to summarize everything — it is to surface the few messages that need me and compress the rest. Follow this procedure exactly.

## Step 1 — Scope

Unless I say otherwise, process unread mail plus anything that arrived since I last ran this skill (check the timestamp of the previous triage output in `/Documents/Cowork/output/` if one exists; otherwise use the last 24 hours). Read full message bodies, not just subjects — subjects lie.

## Step 2 — Sort by exception

Put a message in the SURFACE pile only if at least one of these is true:

1. **Decision needed** — it asks me to choose, approve, or commit to something.
2. **Deadline** — it states or implies a date by which I must act. Scan bodies for dates, "by EOD", "before the review", and meeting-relative phrasing.
3. **Management chain** — it is from my manager, their manager, or anyone above, addressed to me directly (not a broadcast).

Everything else goes in the DIGEST pile: newsletters, FYIs, CC-thread noise, automated notifications, threads that resolved themselves while I wasn't looking.

## Step 3 — Present the SURFACE pile

For each surfaced message, in deadline order (soonest first, no-deadline items last):

- **One line of context** — who, what they want, why it landed in my inbox. Max 25 words.
- **Deadline** — stated explicitly, with the source phrase quoted ("by Thursday's steering meeting").
- **Recommended action** — one of: Reply (draft below) / Decide and reply / Forward to [person] / Calendar block needed / Ignore safely, with one clause of reasoning.
- **Draft reply** — when a reply is the recommendation, write it in my voice: short, direct, no "I hope this finds you well." Mark anything you assumed with [CHECK].

## Step 4 — Present the DIGEST pile

One paragraph, maximum 6 sentences, covering everything else by theme ("4 newsletter issues, 2 resolved threads about the Q3 offsite, 6 build notifications — nothing requires action"). Name a sender only if a reasonable person might disagree with my ignoring them.

## Step 5 — Propose cleanup

List the digest messages you recommend archiving, grouped by type, as a proposal: "Archive these 14? (list)". Execute only the items I explicitly approve. Never touch the SURFACE pile.

## Style rules

- Ruthless brevity in triage lines; full sentences only in draft replies.
- Recommendations are opinions — state them with a spine ("Decline this; it conflicts with your 1:1") rather than hedging.
- Never editorialize about senders.

## Hard rules

- NEVER send, archive, delete, move, or flag anything without my explicit approval of that specific action.
- A message with a deadline is NEVER digested, no matter how unimportant it looks. When in doubt about whether a date is a deadline, surface it.
- NEVER mark anything read on my behalf.
- Draft replies must not invent facts, commitments, or availability I haven't given you. Use [CHECK] markers instead.
- If the inbox volume exceeds what you can read fully, say so and triage the most recent first — do not silently skim.