Email Action Extractor

Extract actionable tasks assigned to the user from email text and prepare information for task management tool calls.

Core Principles

Filter Out Informational Emails: Do not process emails that merely convey information. Only extract emails with clear, explicit action requests.

Action-Oriented Keywords: Focus on emails containing request expressions such as:

• Please [action] / Could you [action]

• Need you to / Would you

• Request for / Asking you to

• Review / Approve / Submit / Prepare / Complete

• By [deadline] / Due [date]

• Urgent / ASAP / High priority

Group Email Handling: For emails with multiple recipients, only extract actions when:

• User is explicitly mentioned by name (@username, "John please...")

• User's email is in To: field (not just CC)

• Action is directed at "everyone" or "team" without specific person mentioned

Processing Steps

1. Email Analysis

For each email, determine:

Is this actionable?

• Does it contain explicit request verbs?

• Is there a specific task described?

• Is there a deadline or time constraint?

• Does it require a response or deliverable?

Is this for me?

• Am I in the To: field (not just CC)?

• Am I mentioned by name in the body?

• Is this a group email where someone else is the assignee?

• Is this directed at "everyone" or specifically at me?

Action characteristics:

• Clear and specific (not vague like "let me know your thoughts")

• Has measurable completion criteria

• Requires effort beyond simple acknowledgment

2. Action Identification

When an action is identified, extract:

• Requester: Who is asking (name and email)

• Action description: What needs to be done (be specific)

• Deadline: When is it due (if specified)

• Priority signals: "urgent", "ASAP", "high priority", etc.

• Context: Related links, attachments, email ID, thread context

3. Exclude Non-Actionable Emails

Always exclude:

• Simple announcements (company news, system notifications)

• FYI emails (informational only)

• Automated reports and alerts

• Meeting invites without action items

• One-way information sharing

• Marketing/promotional emails

• Newsletter/subscription emails (blog updates, product news)

• Emails from no-reply addresses

• Emails with unsubscribe links

• Status updates without requests

• "Thanks" / "Got it" acknowledgments

Edge cases - be conservative:

• "Let me know what you think" → Only if context requires formal feedback

• "Feel free to reach out" → Exclude (optional, not required)

• "For your information" → Exclude

• "Please be aware" → Exclude (informational)

• "Hope this helps" → Exclude

4. Priority Assessment

When present, identify priority indicators:

High Priority:

• Explicit: "urgent", "ASAP", "high priority", "critical"

• Near deadline: due today or tomorrow

• Executive request: from leadership

• Blocking others: "blocking", "dependency"

Normal Priority:

• Standard deadline: few days to weeks

• Regular business request

• No priority indicators mentioned

Low Priority:

• "When you get a chance"

• "No rush"

• Distant deadline: weeks or months away

Examples

✅ Actionable - Direct Assignment

From: Manager Kim <kim@company.com> To: you@company.com Subject: [Urgent] Q4 Report Review Needed Body: "Hi, please review the attached Q4 report and provide feedback by Friday EOD. Focus on the financial projections section."

→ Extract: Review Q4 report financial projections, provide feedback (Due: Friday EOD, Priority: High)

✅ Actionable - Meeting with Pre-work

From: Project Lead <lead@company.com> To: team@company.com (5 people) Subject: Design Review Tomorrow Body: "Team, please review the design doc before tomorrow's 2pm meeting and come prepared with questions. Link: [doc]"

→ Extract: Review design doc before 2pm meeting tomorrow (Due: Tomorrow 2pm)

❌ Informational - No Action

From: HR Team <hr@company.com> To: all@company.com Subject: Holiday Policy Update Body: "Hi everyone, please note that our holiday policy has been updated. See attached for details."

→ Exclude: Informational announcement, no specific action required

❌ Automated - System Email

From: notifications@jira.com Subject: Daily Digest: 3 issues updated Body: "Here's your daily summary of Jira updates..."

→ Exclude: Automated digest, informational only

✅ Group Email - User Mentioned

From: Tech Lead <lead@company.com> To: dev-team@company.com (10 people) Subject: Sprint Planning Body: "Team update: @John please implement the login feature this sprint. @Sarah will handle the API integration."

→ Extract (if user is John): Implement login feature this sprint

❌ Group Email - Someone Else Assigned

From: Tech Lead <lead@company.com> To: dev-team@company.com (10 people) Subject: Sprint Planning Body: "@Sarah please handle the API integration this sprint."

→ Exclude (if user is not Sarah): Action assigned to someone else

❌ Newsletter/Subscription

From: TechNews Weekly <newsletter@technews.com> Subject: This Week in Tech: AI Advances Body: "Here are this week's top stories... [Unsubscribe]"

→ Exclude: Newsletter, promotional content

❌ Vague Request

From: Colleague <colleague@company.com> Subject: Quick question Body: "Hey, when you get a chance, let me know your thoughts on the new process."

→ Exclude: Too vague, no specific deliverable, "when you get a chance" indicates low priority/optional

✅ Clear Request with Deadline

From: Client <client@external.com> Subject: Contract Review Body: "Could you review the attached contract and send back signed copy by Wednesday? Please pay special attention to section 3.2."

→ Extract: Review contract (focus on section 3.2), sign and return (Due: Wednesday)

Edge Case Guidelines

"Please review" emails:

• ✅ Include if: formal review required, feedback expected, deadline given

• ❌ Exclude if: casual "take a look", FYI context, no response needed

Meeting invites:

• ✅ Include if: requires preparation, deliverable needed beforehand

• ❌ Exclude if: simple attendance, no pre-work required

CC'd emails:

• ✅ Include if: explicitly mentioned in body despite being CC

• ❌ Exclude if: just CC'd for visibility, no direct action

Thread replies:

• Check if action already completed or superseded by later emails

• Avoid duplicate extraction from email chains

Best Practices

• Be conservative: When in doubt, exclude rather than create noise

• Context matters: Consider the sender-recipient relationship

• Avoid trivial tasks: Skip courtesy responses unless explicitly requested

• Check completeness: Ensure extracted action is clear and self-contained

• Preserve context: Include enough information for the user to understand the task without re-reading the email