Recipes / Email
Inbox triage agent with Make AI Agents
A Make AI Agent watches Gmail, classifies each email (urgent, billing, customer question, newsletter, spam and more), applies labels, drafts replies for routine asks and escalates P0 items to Slack.
Tool names link to each official site (opens in a new tab). Links marked “aff” are affiliate links. Disclosure
App vs bot, side by side
| Old app / habit | Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Rule-based Gmail filters + manual sorting | Make 'Run an agent' with Gmail label/draft tools and Slack alerts |
| Monthly cost | Not reported | About $9/mo on Make Core for ~30 emails/day at 15-min polling (vendor estimate); LLM tokens extra if you bring your own key |
| Setup | None (already in use) | Not reported · Intermediate |
| Your time | Baseline | Not reported |
| Maintenance | Handled by vendor/you as before | Guide advises drafts first and auto-send only after 2 weeks of correct handling; tune filters to control credits. |
| Privacy | Data stays with the app vendor | Email goes to Make's AI provider or your own OpenAI/Anthropic key. |
Full comparison
| Replaces | Rule-based Gmail filters + manual sorting |
|---|---|
| Bot / agent stack | Make 'Run an agent' with Gmail label/draft tools and Slack alerts |
| Monthly cost before | Not reported |
| Monthly cost after | About $9/mo on Make Core for ~30 emails/day at 15-min polling (vendor estimate); LLM tokens extra if you bring your own key |
| Setup time | Not reported |
| Time saved | Not reported |
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Reliability | 3/5: vendor guide with clear guardrails (drafts before sending, never archive); no long-term data. Free plan only fits testing. |
| Maintenance | Guide advises drafts first and auto-send only after 2 weeks of correct handling; tune filters to control credits. |
| Privacy & data | Email goes to Make's AI provider or your own OpenAI/Anthropic key. |
| Best for | Founders and ops leads drowning in mixed email |
| Not for | High-volume support desks (use a helpdesk) |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Understands emails rules can't match
- Drafts instead of sending by default
- Concrete cost estimate
Cons
- Free plan: 2 active scenarios, 15-min minimum interval
- Credit costs grow with volume
How it works
- Gmail 'Watch emails' trigger with filter
- Run an agent with a triage system prompt
- Agent applies labels
- Agent drafts routine replies
- Agent posts P0 alerts to Slack
Source and evidence
Make's own how-to guide with a worked cost estimate. Vendor content, no independent usage data.
Read the original Make guide source ↗
Make (make.com) is a no-code tool for connecting apps into automated workflows, called scenarios, that you build on a visual canvas.
Make says (vendor claims, not tested by us):
- Visual drag-and-drop builder with routers and filters
- 3,500+ app integrations, plus AI agent and AI toolkit features
- Pay-per-action credits; most actions use 1 credit
Good for: multi-step automations you'd rather draw than code. Not ideal for: teams that want to self-host, or very high-volume flows where credits add up.
Free plan: 1,000 credits/month, limited active scenarios and a 15-minute minimum interval between runs. Paid plans start at Core ($9/mo billed annually, 10,000 credits). Our link has Make's referral promo switched on; Make shows the exact offer when you sign up. Facts as of Oct 2026, from Make's own website. More about Make →
Try Make ↗ Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. It doesn't affect ratings. Disclosure
“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source last checked 2026-10-16.
Our rating is an editorial opinion based on the public source above, not lab testing. Spot an error? Request a correction.
Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)
Inbox triage agent with Make AI Agents. Replaces Rule-based Gmail filters + manual sorting with Make 'Run an agent' with Gmail label/draft tools and Slack alerts. Cost before: Not reported. Cost after: About $9/mo on Make Core for ~30 emails/day at 15-min polling (vendor estimate); LLM tokens extra if you bring your own key. Setup: Not reported, Intermediate. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 3/5: 3/5: vendor guide with clear guardrails (drafts before sending, never archive); no long-term data. Free plan only fits testing. Best for: Founders and ops leads drowning in mixed email. Not for: High-volume support desks (use a helpdesk). Source: https://www.make.com/how-to-guides/how-to-use-an-ai-agent-to-sort-emails
Related recipes
- Inbox labeler with Sheets log & dry-run mode (4/5)
- Multi-agent inbox triage & auto-reply (3/5)
- Email summaries posted to Slack (Make) (3/5)
More: all Email recipes · Best AI agents to replace Zapier · n8n vs Make: AI agent recipes compared
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Starting your own newsletter? Try beehiiv ↗
Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. It doesn't affect ratings. Disclosure
What is beehiiv?
beehiiv is a newsletter platform: you write and send emails, host a newsletter website, and grow and monetize a list from one place. We've used it for our own newsletter.
beehiiv says (vendor claims, not tested by us):
- Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends
- Built-in website, recommendation network and analytics
- 0% cut of paid subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply)
Good for: starting or growing an email newsletter. Not ideal for: email automations or removing beehiiv branding on a $0 budget (those need Lite or Pro).
Free plan: $0, no card needed. Paid plans from $49/mo billed annually (Lite, up to 1,000 subscribers). People who sign up through our link get a 14-day trial plus 20% off their first 3 months, per beehiiv's partner page. Facts as of Oct 2026, from beehiiv's own website. More about beehiiv →