# Inbox triage: prospect emails waiting on you, matched to open deals with nudge drafts

Source: https://mcpforgtm.com/recipes/inbox-triage-nudges (StackMCP, independent directory of official MCP servers)

## Goal

AEs and SDRs who lose track of prospect emails they meant to answer. You get the threads that have waited more than 3 days, tied to the open deal, with a short reply drafted for each. HubSpot can be swapped for Salesforce, Attio or Pipedrive. On Outlook, Microsoft 365 (Work IQ) can read mail instead of Gmail, but it needs a Global Administrator and can send mail, so guard it closely.

## Connected tools

- Gmail: https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1 (setup: https://mcpforgtm.com/tools/gmail)
- HubSpot: https://mcp.hubspot.com (setup: https://mcpforgtm.com/tools/hubspot)

## Guardrails

- Read only until I approve. Never send email.
- Create a Gmail draft only after I approve its text.
- Don't change anything in HubSpot.
- Quote the prospect's last message for every thread, and skip any thread where they asked me to wait.
- Flag every date or commitment in a draft before I approve it.

## Steps

1. My email domain is {my_domain}. Search my Gmail for threads from the last {days} days where the latest message is from someone outside {my_domain}, it arrived more than 3 days ago, and I haven't replied. Skip newsletters, notifications and calendar invites. Quote the last line of each.
2. For each sender, find the contact and company in HubSpot and any open deals: deal name, stage, amount, close date and last activity. Drop senders with no open deal, and any thread with newer activity logged in HubSpot. Don't change anything.
3. Show me the remaining threads as a table, oldest first. Skip any where the prospect asked me to wait until a later date.
4. For the threads I pick, write a short reply to each: answer their ask if I can, or say when I will. Under 80 words, no pressure. Flag any date or promise in the text. Show me the text only.
5. After I approve each one, create it as a Gmail draft to the prospect. Don't send anything.

## Expected output

Waiting threads, matched to deals, with two drafts ready for approval. Example (all names fictional):

```
Prospect emails waiting on you for more than 3 days (Oct 16): 3 matched, 9 skipped (newsletters, internal, no HubSpot match)

| From | Company | Waiting | Their ask | Open deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priya Raman | Mossgate Labs (fictional) | 5 days | Can the pilot start Nov 2? | Mossgate pilot, Proposal, $18K, close Nov 20 |
| Sam Whitlock | Quarry Lane Analytics (fictional) | 4 days | Asked for the SOC 2 report | Quarry Lane renewal + upsell, Negotiation, $48K |
| Alex Rivera | Fernhill Software (fictional) | 8 days | "Let's pick this up after the board meeting" | Fernhill expansion, Proposal, $22K. Skipped: they asked to wait |

Draft 1 (not created yet)
To: priya@mossgate.example
Subject: Re: Pilot timing

Hi Priya,

Sorry for the slow reply. Yes, a Nov 2 start works on our side. I'll send the pilot checklist on Monday so your team can review it before kickoff.

Does 30 minutes on Oct 22 work to go through it?

Jordan

Draft 2 (not created yet)
To: sam@quarrylane.example
Subject: Re: Security docs

Hi Sam,

Apologies for the wait. I've asked our security team for the SOC 2 report and will send it as soon as I have it, by Wednesday at the latest.

Jordan

Check before approving: Draft 2 promises a date. Confirm it with your security team.
Reply 'approve 1', 'approve 2' or 'approve all' to create Gmail drafts. Nothing is sent.
```

## Watch for

- Threads you already answered elsewhere: A reply sent from a sequencing tool, a shared inbox or a call won't show in the Gmail thread. Before drafting, check the deal's last activity in HubSpot, and skip any thread with a newer call, meeting or email logged.
- Nudging someone who asked you to wait: "Circle back after Q4" isn't an unanswered question. Have it quote the prospect's last line for each thread, and skip any that set a later date.
- Promises you can't keep in the draft: The model may write "I'll send it today" or confirm a date you haven't agreed. Have it flag every date or commitment in each draft, and fix them before you approve.
- The wrong deal for the sender: A company can have more than one open deal, or the sender may be on an old closed deal. Show every open deal for the sender's company and pick one yourself when there's more than one.