EmailCAN I VIBECODE
Inbox Zero?
BUILD FIRST
- One specific customer type and one primary use case
- A vertical slice that completes the main job without manual workarounds
- Visible limits, review steps, and a fallback when an external dependency fails
LEAVE FOR LATER
- Broad third-party integrations
- High-scale collaboration, syncing, and permissions
- Automation that can cause harm without human review
RESEARCH NOTES
What this tool actually does.
Inbox Zero (getinboxzero.com) is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) AI email assistant for Gmail and Outlook created by Elie Steinbock (GitHub: elie222/inbox-zero), positioned as a customizable open alternative to Fyxer. It organizes mail using plain-English AI rules that label, archive, auto-respond, or forward; pre-drafts replies in the user's tone; blocks cold emails; bulk-unsubscribes from newsletters; bulk-archives old mail; finds large emails; tracks threads waiting on you vs. waiting on others ("Reply Zero"); and shows daily/weekly/monthly analytics. Recent features add meeting briefs and auto-saving attachments to Google Drive/OneDrive. Users can also manage email by chatting via Slack or Telegram. A hosted version exists; self-hosting uses Docker and Node.js 24+ via a CLI wizard (npx @inbox-zero/cli), Postgres + Redis, a Next.js/Prisma web app, Google OAuth, Google Pub/Sub push webhook,
RESEARCHED BUILD PROMPT
Give this to your coding agent.
Build a self-hostable replacement for Inbox Zero: an AI email assistant that helps people reach inbox zero. Core workflow: a user connects a Gmail inbox via OAuth; the app receives new-mail push notifications and an LLM evaluates each message against user-defined plain-English rules (e.g., "archive newsletters from sender X", "auto-reply in my voice to booking confirmations", "label anything mentioning Q3 report"), then executes label, archive, mark-read, draft-reply, and cold-email-block actions. User-facing screens: triage dashboard with pending actions and per-rule activity log, a Reply Zero list (threads awaiting you vs. awaiting others), bulk unsubscribe and bulk archive flows, a large-email finder, and weekly email analytics; optional Slack/Telegram chat to run commands like "unsubscribe me from the last 5 newsletters". Technical requirements: Next.js app with Postgres + Redis, Prisma schema, Google OAuth, Gmail API with Google Pub/Sub push webhook endpoint, an OpenAI-compatible LLM (structured-output rule matching and reply drafting), a background job worker, Docker Compose stack, and a CLI setup wizard. Implementation approach: monorepo with a web app and worker, rules compiled to JSON filters plus LLM judgment with typed outputs, env-var-based config, and per-tenant OAuth token storage. Do not copy the "Inbox Zero" brand, logo, proprietary assets, or original UI — use a new name and a fresh, minimal design. Deliberately out of scope: Outlook integration, meeting briefs from calendar, attachment filing to Drive/OneDrive, and any hosted/SaaS billing. Deliver a README covering setup (Docker, Node 24, env vars, OAuth and webhook configuration), architecture notes, and important limitations (Gmail API quotas, OAuth app verification, webhook reachability, LLM cost and latency, and the privacy implications of sending email content to an LLM).