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gmail-search-context

Apps & Automation
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Search Gmail intelligently — construct precise queries, resolve threads, handle attachments, synthesize findings

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  2. Copy the prompt below and paste it into your agent.
  3. Review the proposed files and risks before you approve installation.
Prompt to paste
I want to install this Agent Skill for this project in Codex.

Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/HEAD/apps/api/app/agents/skills/builtin/gmail-search-context/SKILL.md

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First, summarize what it does, its dependencies, license status if identifiable, and any risks. Show the exact files you propose to add under .agents/skills/gmail-search-context/. Do not write files or run scripts until I approve.

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Copying this prompt does not install or run the skill. Review third-party files before use. Codex skill guide

Gmail: Search & Gather Context

When to Activate

User wants to find specific emails, search for information in their inbox, or gather email context on a topic.

Step 1: Construct Smart Query

Gmail supports powerful search operators:

People:

  • from:user@example.com — emails from
  • to:user@example.com — emails to
  • cc:user@example.com — CC'd to

Status:

  • is:unread / is:read / is:starred / is:important / is:snoozed

Categories:

  • category:primary / category:social / category:promotions / category:updates
  • label:custom-label — user-created labels only

Time:

  • after:2025/01/01 / before:2025/02/01
  • newer_than:7d / older_than:30d
  • Fetch all emails for a specific day: use after:YYYY/MM/DD before:YYYY/MM/DD+1 (e.g., all emails on Jan 15: after:2025/01/15 before:2025/01/16)

Content:

  • subject:meeting — in subject line
  • "exact phrase" — exact match
  • has:attachment / filename:pdf / filename:xlsx
  • larger:5M / smaller:1M — by size

Logic: AND (default), OR, -exclude

Step 2: Execute Search

Always use spawn_subagent for any Gmail fetch — raw email responses are too large for the parent context regardless of result count. The subagent fetches, summarizes, and returns only a compact digest + next_page_token.

Find specific emails:

result = spawn_subagent(
  task="""
    Call GMAIL_FETCH_EMAILS(query="from:sarah@company.com subject:Q1 after:2025/01/01", max_results=30)
    Summarize all emails: sender, subject, date, key points, action items.
    digest: <summary>, next_page_token: <token or null>
  """
)

Find contacts (lightweight — safe to call directly):

GMAIL_SEARCH_PEOPLE(query="Sarah", pageSize=10)

Thread-based search:

result = spawn_subagent(
  task="""
    Call GMAIL_LIST_THREADS(query="project proposal from:alex", max_results=30, verbose=true)
    For each thread extract: participants, timeline, key decisions, action items.
    digest: <summary>, next_page_token: <token or null>
  """
)

Fetch ALL emails for a specific day:

Use after:YYYY/MM/DD before:YYYY/MM/DD+1. Parent orchestrates pagination — spawn a subagent per page, each returning a digest + token. Parent spawns the next only when a token is returned:

# Page 1
result_1 = spawn_subagent(
  task="""
    Call GMAIL_FETCH_EMAILS(query="after:2025/01/15 before:2025/01/16", max_results=30)
    Summarize all emails: sender, subject, date, key points, action items.
    digest: <summary>, next_page_token: <token or null>
  """
)

# Page 2 — only if token returned
if result_1.next_page_token:
  result_2 = spawn_subagent(
    task="""
      Call GMAIL_FETCH_EMAILS(query="after:2025/01/15 before:2025/01/16", max_results=30, page_token="<token>")
      Same summarization instructions.
      digest: <summary>, next_page_token: <token or null>
    """
  )

# Repeat until next_page_token is null. Parent synthesizes all digests.

Step 3: Progressive Search

  1. Start specific: "quarterly report from:finance@company.com after:2025/01/01 has:attachment"
  2. Broaden if empty: "quarterly report from:finance@company.com"
  3. Broaden more: "quarterly report has:attachment"
  4. Last resort: "quarterly report"

Persistence & Disambiguation (Critical)

  • Do not stop after a small sample (e.g., first 5-10 results). Broaden queries and increase max_results when needed.
  • If multiple strong candidates remain, present the best 2-3 with sender + date + subject, then ask ONE focused question to disambiguate.
  • If no results, list the queries you tried (briefly) and ask ONE clarifying question (sender? timeframe? attachment type?).

Step 4: Synthesize Findings

Parent collects all subagent digests and presents organized results:

Found 8 emails about "Q1 budget proposal":

Thread: "Q1 Budget Review" (5 messages)
   From: Sarah → Finance Team | Jan 15-22
   Summary: Initial proposal → revision → final approval
   Attachment: Q1_Budget_Final.xlsx (in latest message)
   Status: Approved (Sarah's last message: "Looks good, approved.")

Thread: "Budget Follow-up" (3 messages)  
   From: Alex → Sarah, You | Jan 25
   Summary: Questions about marketing allocation
   Status: Awaiting your response

Anti-Patterns

  • Calling GMAIL_FETCH_EMAILS or GMAIL_LIST_THREADS in the parent context — always use spawn_subagent
  • Using label:snoozed (wrong — use is:snoozed)
  • Searching with very long natural language (use operators)
  • Giving up after one search (use progressive strategy)
  • Raw message dumps without synthesis