# Zapier recipe: AI email assistant that drafts but never sends

Status: UNTESTED template from Agent Setup Lab (agentsetuplab.com). Built from Zapier's public docs; menu names can change. Test on a spare inbox first.

Cost note: Zapier counts a task for each successful action step. This Zap uses 2–3 tasks per email. Zapier Free includes 100 tasks a month; Pro starts at $19.99/mo billed annually (check zapier.com/pricing). Free plans are limited to two-step Zaps, so the filter step below may need a paid plan.

## What you need
- A Gmail account (or Outlook — swap the app in steps 1 and 4)
- A Zapier account
- A one-page "reply guide": hours, prices, policies, your 10 most common answers

## Steps
1. **Trigger — Gmail: New Email Matching Search.** Search string: `in:inbox is:unread -category:promotions -category:social -from:noreply`
2. **Filter by Zapier** (optional, recommended). Continue only if *From Email* does not contain `no-reply` and *Subject* does not contain `unsubscribe`.
3. **Action — AI by Zapier (or ChatGPT): Generate text / Conversation.**
   - Instructions: paste the "Reply drafter" prompt from our Prompt Pack.
   - Input: map *From Name*, *Subject* and *Body Plain*.
   - Temperature: low (0.2–0.4).
4. **Action — Gmail: Create Draft Reply.**
   - Thread: map *Thread ID* from step 1.
   - Body: map the AI output from step 3.
   - Do NOT add any "Send Email" step. This is what keeps you in control.
5. **Optional — Gmail: Add Label to Email** → `AI draft ready`, so drafts are easy to find.
6. Turn the Zap on. Each morning, open the label, review each draft, edit, and press Send yourself.

## Safety checklist
- [ ] The Zap has no Send step anywhere.
- [ ] The reply guide contains no passwords, card numbers or patient/client health data.
- [ ] Tested with 10 sample emails before connecting the real inbox.
- [ ] Review the Zap History weekly for errors and task usage.