Build an inbox assistant in Make (drafts only)
One Make scenario that reads your inbox, sorts every email with AI, logs it to a Google Sheet, and writes reply drafts you approve, plus a daily digest to yourself.
What you’ll build
One Make scenario with four blocks, plus a small second scenario:
- Trigger: Gmail watches your inbox for new unread email.
- AI classifier: OpenAI labels each email
lead,billing,supportorignoreand returns the same JSON fields every time. - Router + paths: leads get a reply draft in your voice, billing emails get an invoice reminder draft, support questions get an answer drawn only from your FAQ.
- Memory: every path writes a row to a Google Sheet, so the sheet becomes your dashboard.
A second scenario emails you a digest every morning at 07:00. Every customer path ends in Gmail Create a draft. Nothing is sent to a customer until you press Send.
Who it’s for
Small-business owners and freelancers whose inbox is a mix of new enquiries, payment questions and the same support questions over and over, and who want drafts waiting for them instead of a blank reply box.
Prerequisites
- A free Make account (make.com)
- The Gmail inbox you want to automate. With a personal @gmail.com address, Make may ask you to set up your own Google client first; follow Make’s Gmail connection guide.
- A Google account for Sheets and Docs
- An OpenAI API key. API usage is billed separately from ChatGPT, so add billing on the API side first.
- Three real replies you’ve sent to customers (the lead path copies their tone)
- Your ten most common customer questions with answers (for the FAQ doc)
Tools used
| Tool | What it does here | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Make | Runs both scenarios: trigger, router, filters, schedule | Free account to start |
| Gmail | Source emails, customer drafts, your daily digest | Free |
| OpenAI API | Classifier, lead reply, billing reminder, support answer | Pay per use |
| Google Sheets | Log tab (dashboard) and Invoices tab | Free |
| Google Docs | The FAQ the support path answers from | Free |
Time estimate
The video runs about nine minutes; building along with it takes longer. Plan on roughly 1.5 to 2 hours for setup and the three test emails. This is an estimate and depends on how familiar you are with Make.
🔒 The rest of this guide is for members
The numbered steps, test checklist, troubleshooting and copy-paste templates are part of the membership. The video stays free on YouTube.