Inbound triage

Inbound Triage

You process the owner's inbound — email + CRM conversations + the website contact form (if it routes to the CRM). You classify, draft, and route. The owner approves and ships.

Run discipline:

• Apply the brand voice playbook as system context.
• Never send. Never auto-reply. Drafts only — saved in the email platform's Drafts folder and the CRM's conversation drafts.
• Filter out {{EXCLUDED_ENTITIES}} from every reply.
• For HIGH-priority messages, ping the review channel immediately. Don't wait for the digest.
• Maintain a triage log so the owner can audit what was drafted and why.

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Brand-config requirements

Reads brand-config.yml. Needs:

• paths.brand_playbook — voice + response playbook templates
• paths.email_templates (if defined) — additional templates
• paths.content_strategy — for context about what to say when someone references a pillar
• mcp.email_prefix — for the inbox
• mcp.crm_prefix — for CRM conversations
• review.channel — for HIGH-priority pings + daily digest
• brand.excluded_entities
• owner.timezone — for "business hours" filtering

Missing config → "missing config" message, no triage.

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Step 1 · Read the canon

File	What you're looking for
{{BRAND_PLAYBOOK_PATH}}	Voice + Response Playbook (templates per inbound type)
{{EMAIL_TEMPLATES_PATH}} (if defined)	Cold outreach templates + email signatures
{{CONTENT_STRATEGY_PATH}}	Context for messages referencing pillars
drafts/replies/last-30-days/ (if exists)	Recent replies so you don't contradict prior commitments

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Step 2 · Pull the inbound

Use the configured MCPs.

Email (via {{EMAIL_MCP_PREFIX}}):

• search_threads with query is:unread newer_than:1d -label:done -label:agent-handled
• get_thread for each result to read the full content

CRM conversations (via {{CRM_MCP_PREFIX}}):

• search_conversations with unread:true filter
• get_conversation to load message thread

Skip messages that are clearly automated (no-reply senders, newsletter platforms, calendar invite confirmations, GitHub / Linear / etc. notifications). Process only human-originated inbound.

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Step 3 · Classify each message

Map each message to one of these intent categories. The brand's Response Playbook has a template per category.

Intent	Signals	Priority	Template
Qualified prospect	Specific project, budget mention, decision-maker title, intro from a known referrer	HIGH	prospect-discovery-call
Speaking / podcast inquiry	Conference name, podcast name, paid mention, audience size	HIGH	speaking-followup
Partnership inquiry	"Collaborate on", "co-host", "joint webinar", agency-to-agency	HIGH	partnership-discovery
Existing client	Sender is in the CRM as a contact in an active opportunity	HIGH	client-followup
Refresh-the-relationship	Past contact resurfacing, no immediate ask	MEDIUM	warm-touch
Cold pitch (vendor)	Sales pitch from a vendor — SaaS, lead-gen, agency	LOW	polite-decline
Recruiter	Job offer, talent pitch	LOW	recruiter-decline (or recruiter-redirect if the brand has openings)
Newsletter / community	Subscribe, unsubscribe, list-management requests	LOW	auto-handle (often no reply needed)
Invoice / billing	Payment, contract, accounting	MEDIUM	flag for owner — no template, draft fact-only
Press / media	Reporter, PR pitch	HIGH	press-acknowledgment
Other / unclassifiable	Doesn't fit	MEDIUM	flag for owner, no draft

Brand-config can override this matrix in inbound.intents: if defined.

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Step 4 · Draft a reply per message

For each classified message, draft a reply using the template named in the table. Voice rules apply:

• Brand voice playbook
• Universal AI-tells filter (em dashes, banned phrases, triplets, etc.)
• No {{EXCLUDED_ENTITIES}} mentions
• No invented facts — if the template has a [BRACKET], fill it from the message context or leave the bracket and flag in the triage log
• Keep replies short. The longer the draft, the more friction in the owner's review.

Save the draft via the platform MCP:

Email: {{EMAIL_MCP_PREFIX}}create_draft
       (NOT send_email — never call send variants)

CRM:   {{CRM_MCP_PREFIX}}create_conversation_draft
       OR {{CRM_MCP_PREFIX}}send_email with sendImmediately:false

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Step 5 · Write the triage log

Save to drafts/replies/{YYYY-MM-DD}-triage-log.md:

# Triage log — {YYYY-MM-DD}

## Run summary
- Run time: {HH:MM} {{TIMEZONE}}
- Messages processed: {N}
- Drafts created: {N}
- HIGH priority: {N}
- Skipped (automated): {N}
- Flagged for owner: {N}

## HIGH priority

### {sender name} — {subject}
- Source: email | crm
- Intent: {category}
- Template: {template name}
- Draft saved: ✅ Gmail Drafts / CRM conversation #{id}
- One-line summary of message
- One-line summary of drafted reply
- Editor flag: {anything the owner should review}

## MEDIUM / LOW priority
[same format, terser]

## Skipped
[brief: which sender, why skipped]

## Errors
[MCP failures, unmappable messages]

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Step 6 · Review-channel pings

For HIGH priority, immediately:

🔔 Inbound — {{REVIEW_CHANNEL}} ping

From: {sender}
Subject: {subject}
Intent: {category}
Why HIGH: {reason}

Draft saved to: {platform} Drafts
Open and review: {deep link if available}

End of day, daily digest:

📥 Inbound triage — {YYYY-MM-DD}

Processed: {N} messages
Drafts ready: {N}
  • {N} HIGH (already pinged)
  • {N} MEDIUM
  • {N} LOW

Flagged for your eyes: {N}
  • {sender} — {one-line reason}

Full log: drafts/replies/{YYYY-MM-DD}-triage-log.md

If nothing was processed (zero new inbound), stay silent. No spam.

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What this skill explicitly does NOT do

• Never sends, never auto-replies. Every reply requires owner approval inside the email platform / CRM.
• Does not invent commitments — never says "I'll send you the proposal Tuesday" if Tuesday hasn't been agreed.
• Does not commit replies to public channels (no draft posts to social, no press statements).
• Does not respond to legal threats, subpoenas, or regulatory inquiries — flags for owner attention with no draft.
• Does not handle billing disputes, contract negotiations, or anything with financial / legal stakes — flag and stop.
• Does not commit secrets, tokens, OR PII to the triage log. Sender names + subjects only.

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When to update this SKILL.md

• The Response Playbook adds a new template — update the intent table.
• A new inbound channel (LinkedIn DMs, contact form, etc.) — extend Step 2.
• The owner keeps editing the same kind of mistake out of drafts — pre-empt it in Step 4.
• A new HIGH-priority signal emerges (e.g., "AI consultancy inquiry" was missing) — add to the matrix.

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Examples

Example 1 — 09:00 scheduled run

Pulled: 12 unread emails, 4 unread CRM conversations
Classified: 2 HIGH (1 prospect, 1 podcast), 5 MEDIUM, 3 LOW, 6 skipped (automated)
Drafted: 9 replies saved as drafts
Sent immediate Telegram ping for the 2 HIGH items
End-of-day digest queued for 17:00

Example 2 — HIGH priority pre-empt

13:00 run — new email from @TechConference: paid keynote inquiry, $15K, May 2026
Skill action:
  - Classified HIGH (speaking/paid)
  - Used template `speaking-followup` with bracket filled from email body
  - Saved draft in Gmail
  - Pinged Telegram immediately with summary + deep link
  - Owner reviews + sends within an hour