How do I get to inbox zero with my AI?

How does an inbox zero pass work?

1. Ask your AI: "Let's do inbox zero" or "Help me clear my inbox."
2. It lists up to 10 messages, numbered. Each row has a suggestion, such as archive or leave, and a short reason.
3. Answer by number: "1 to 4 archive, 6 star, snooze 8 until Monday, leave the rest."
4. Your AI applies your answers and shows the next 10. It stops when nothing is left to decide.

You can answer with archive, trash, snooze, star, label (Gmail only), leave, handled, or reply.

• Leave keeps the message where it is.
• Handled keeps it in your inbox, marks it read, and keeps it out of what needs you until new mail arrives on that thread.
• Reply only starts a draft. Nothing is sent from an inbox zero pass.

What does it suggest?

• VIP mail: leave. It is always your call.
• Mail from a person: leave, so you read it first.
• Threads you already replied to: handled.
• Newsletters and automated notices: archive.
• Possible scams: leave, with the reason, so you can report it as spam if it is one.

It never suggests reply. Whether to answer is up to you.

Can I clear a lot at once?

Yes. Ask for a rule, such as "archive everything from @shop.example.com" or "archive anything older than 30 days in Work." A rule can match a sender, a whole domain, an inbox, an age in days, or a range of row numbers, and it covers all the mail left to decide, not only the 10 on screen.

• VIP mail is skipped by rules, except a handled or leave rule.
• A trash rule skips mail from people. Name those messages yourself if you want them trashed.
• If a rule would archive or trash more than 25 messages, you see a preview first, and nothing moves until you agree.

Every change gets an undo. See Archive, trash, spam, and undo.

What is the Decide page?

In some apps your AI gives you a link to a Decide these 10 page instead of asking in the chat. Each row has the suggested action already picked. Change any you want, then choose Apply. The chat carries on by itself.

The link works for 30 minutes and only for you, signed in. If it says "This link is no longer valid", ask your AI for a new one.

Why does it skip my older mail?

The daily pass covers mail that arrived after you connected the inbox. To work through the mail that was already there, say "catch up." A catch-up and a daily pass cannot run at the same time. Your brief shows both counts, for example "12 since you connected, 340 from before; say catch up to work the backlog."