Building Rules with AI
Not sure how to translate "archive every newsletter from TechCrunch" into conditions and actions? The AI Rule Drafter does it for you: you describe what you want in plain language, and it builds a complete rule — conditions, actions, and all — that you review before it's created.
Create Rule opens on the AI drafter. Describe what you want, review the draft, then create it — or switch to Rule builder to set conditions yourself. Free plans get 10 AI drafts a day.
Drafting works on every plan. The Free plan's daily count resets at midnight UTC; paid plans have no daily cap. The drafter uses AI, so it needs AI turned on in Settings → Privacy → AI Data Processing.
How it works
Go to Rules → Create Rule. The page opens with the drafter; the toggle at the top switches between Describe it (the drafter) and Rule builder.
The drafter is a short conversation. You type what you want; it replies with a rule draft you can read, refine, and turn into a rule.
- Describe your goal. Type something like "Forward receipts to my accountant" or "Auto-label invoices and skip the inbox."
- Read the draft. The AI returns a draft showing the conditions (the when) and actions (the what) it chose, plus a name and description.
- Refine if needed. If it's not quite right, just say so — "only from gmail.com addresses" or "label it Finance instead." The drafter keeps the conversation context and updates the draft.
- Create it. Click Create This Rule to save it as a normal rule that starts running on new email — or Edit Details to open the draft in the rule builder and check every field first. If a draft is missing conditions or actions, only Edit Details is available.
Refining a draft
The drafter remembers the conversation, so you can shape the rule in steps instead of getting it perfect on the first try.
| You say | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Also archive it" | Adds an archive action to the existing draft. |
| "Only during work hours" | Adds a business hours condition. |
| "Use the Finance label, not Receipts" | Changes the label in the action. |
| "Match any of these, not all" | Switches the condition logic to OR. |
What it can build
The drafter is built on the same building blocks as the manual builder, so anything you can express as conditions and actions is fair game:
- Filing — label and archive newsletters, receipts, or notifications.
- Routing — forward certain mail to a teammate or another verified address.
- Prioritizing — star or mark important email from specific people.
- Follow-ups — draft a polite nudge after a few quiet days.
For the full set of fields and actions it can draw on, see the Conditions reference and Actions reference.
Once a rule exists
However a rule is created — by the drafter or in the rule builder — it's a normal rule. You can:
- Test it against your recent email to confirm it matches what you expect.
- Scope it to specific accounts if you have more than one Gmail account connected.
- Edit, disable, or delete it any time from the Rules list.
An AI-drafted rule comes from your words — it doesn't read your mind. Check the conditions and actions (and run a quick test) before you rely on it, especially for rules that archive, forward, or delete mail.
→ Next: Testing rules