# Inbox triage (free)

> If you can't justify Superhuman yet, Gmail's filters + canned responses + a Claude side window covers 80% of the value. Two filters do the splits Superhuman charges for.

Source: https://aistack.sh/stack/inbox-triage-free
Category: Productivity · Inbox
Level: Beginner
Last verified by a human: 2026-05-05

## The tools

### Gmail — Inbox + filters

- Pricing: Free · $7/user/mo Workspace Starter (annual)
- Site: https://mail.google.com
- Why this one: Filters labelled VIP / Newsletters / Action handle the triage Superhuman calls 'Splits'. Snooze is built in.
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/gmail

### Claude — Reply drafts

- Pricing: Free · $20/mo Pro · $100/mo Max 5x · $200/mo Max 20x · Sonnet API $2/$10 per M tokens (input/output)
- Site: https://claude.ai
- Why this one: Side window with your voice samples. Paste email in, paste draft out. The hotkey is Cmd+Tab.
- Swap in instead: ChatGPT
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/claude

## Monthly cost

### $0/mo — Personal Gmail (small)

- Gmail: Free
- Claude: Free tier

### $26/mo — 1 inbox + Pro Claude (medium)

- Gmail: $6 Workspace
- Claude: $20

### $78/mo — EA + 3 inboxes (heavy)

- Gmail: $36
- Claude: $20
- + misc: $22

## Workflow

### 1. Set up 3 filters (Gmail)

Gmail filters: VIP (named senders), Newsletters (list-unsubscribe header present), Action (you're in To, not CC). Triage in that order.

### 2. Drafts in side window (Claude)

Claude in a browser tab. Pinned. Paste email + 3 of your past replies for voice; paste draft back into Gmail.

**Prompt: Reply draft (same prompt as Superhuman version)**

```
Draft a reply to this email in my voice.

Email I received:
"""
{{paste email}}
"""

3 of my recent replies (for voice anchoring):
"""
{{paste 3 replies}}
"""

Intent: {{e.g. "decline politely", "say yes and propose Tue 2pm", "ask one clarifying question"}}.

Constraints:
- Length: same as my voice samples, no longer.
- No "Thanks for reaching out" or "I hope you're well".
- One specific reference to something they said.
- One clear next step.
- Sign off the way I sign off in the samples.

Output the reply only.
```

### 3. Schedule sends manually (Gmail)

Gmail's Schedule send (the small caret next to Send). Send between 7 to 9am local for higher reply rates.

## What it produced

**Indie consultant, 90 emails/day**

From 60 min/day on email to 35 min/day. Tested Superhuman at month 3, kept the pipeline; the only gap was raw keyboard speed.

## Pitfalls

- **Filter rot** — Gmail filters are write-once-forget. Re-audit every 2 months or you'll find the VIP filter quietly missed your top customer.
- **Tab-switching tax** — Without Superhuman's keyboard composition, every reply costs you the Cmd+Tab. If your inbox crosses 200 emails/day, that tax compounds. Upgrade then.

## Other ways to do this

- [Inbox triage](https://aistack.sh/stack/inbox-triage): Power-user setup with Superhuman — $51/mo

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Curated by rae-f on aistack.sh. Last updated 2026-05-05.