PlaybookIntermediate15 min read21 September 2026

Put Your Inbox on Your Payroll

Give the busywork to AI. Keep the customer conversations.

In short

Connect one Gmail or Outlook account to Inbox Zero, begin with reversible rules, set up reply tracking and draft-only replies, then connect Claude through MCP. Add attachment filing and meeting briefs after their permissions and tests pass. The code is open source; the hosted service, AI usage and self-hosting infrastructure can cost money. Claude's MCP connection cannot send mail, but Inbox Zero automation rules can, so review every rule before enabling it.

Start with the conversations, not the unread count

A clean inbox is useful only if the right conversations keep moving. The proposal awaiting an answer, the client question needing your decision and the attachment someone will ask for next week need different treatment.

This guide is for a business owner or operator who wants one connected mailbox working before expanding to the team. Use the hosted route if you do not manage servers. Use the self-hosted route if you can maintain OAuth credentials, containers, backups and a public HTTPS deployment.

Get the official Inbox Zero repository. Its Reply Zero feature tracks messages you need to answer and conversations awaiting a response.

JobWhat you configureYour checkpoint
Cold email filteringCold Email BlockerReview classifications before automatic archiving.
Replies in your voiceAssistant settings and draft rulesReview factual claims and send manually.
Follow-up trackingReply Zero and reminder settingsCheck who owes the next reply.
Attachment filingDrive connection, folder descriptions and filing previewConfirm the file and destination.
Meeting preparationCalendar connection and Meeting BriefsCheck the brief against the actual thread and event.
Claude controlRemote MCP connectorSelect the correct mailbox and approve rule changes.

Choose your setup route

RouteWhat you needCost and responsibility
HostedAn authorized Gmail or Outlook account and access to the features you want.Check the current plan and checkout price at getinboxzero.com. Do not assume every feature or trial is free.
Self-hostedDocker, Node.js 24+, provider OAuth credentials, AI configuration and an operator.No purchase needed to obtain the repository. Infrastructure, AI calls, storage and maintenance may cost money. Review repository license terms for your use.
Claude connectionA Claude account/client with custom remote connector access, plus mailbox authorization.Claude access and model usage are separate from Inbox Zero. Team or Enterprise connector installation may require an owner.

Before connecting: obtain permission to process the mailbox, especially a company or shared inbox. Email contents can reach Inbox Zero and the configured AI provider. Connecting Claude adds another authorized data recipient. Self-hosting does not make cloud model calls local. Do not paste passwords, OAuth secrets or API keys into chat.

Start with a low-risk account. Do not connect every employee's mailbox or enable company-wide rules on day one.

Route A: connect the hosted app

  1. Open Inbox Zero. Check the current plan, feature availability and billing before accepting a subscription.
  2. Sign in with Google or Microsoft and connect the intended mailbox. Read the requested permissions. The app's permissions include sending capabilities, even though the Claude MCP toolset does not send.
  3. Open Assistant and complete guided setup. Inspect all generated default rules. For this guide, keep only labeling and draft actions initially. Disable sending, forwarding, deletion and automatic archiving until you have tested the relevant rule.
  4. Open a rule, inspect its conditions and actions, then use its Test tab on a harmless example. Read History after a new test message arrives.
  5. Confirm the message is still visible in Gmail or Outlook, with the intended label or category. Your existing mailbox remains the source of truth.

Additional accounts are added through Settings → Email Accounts. Each has its own rules and settings. In Outlook, label actions become categories and folder actions use Outlook folders. Source: Getting started.

Route B: self-host the repository

Skip this section if you chose the hosted app. These commands use CLI version 2.30.0; the wizard downloads/configures the application and starts Docker services. Application images and OAuth requirements may evolve independently of the CLI.

Install prerequisites and launch the wizard

Install Node.js 24 or newer and Docker with Compose. Start Docker Desktop if applicable. Open Terminal on macOS/Linux or PowerShell on Windows. Check:

node --version
npm --version
docker --version
docker compose version

Use a new directory so configuration does not mix with an existing deployment. These commands work in a normal Terminal or PowerShell session:

mkdir inbox-zero-workspace
cd inbox-zero-workspace
npx --yes @inbox-zero/cli@2.30.0 setup
npx --yes @inbox-zero/cli@2.30.0 start

The first npx run downloads the named CLI package. The setup wizard asks for your mailbox provider, OAuth credentials, AI provider and deployment settings. Enter secrets only in the local setup flow or its protected configuration, not in Claude. Choose a supported AI provider you already have billing access to and configure a usage budget with that provider. A Claude chat subscription is not automatically an API key for this application.

Open http://localhost:3000 for a local setup, or the HTTPS domain you configured. Do not interpret a page loading as proof that incoming-email automation or Claude connectivity works.

Authorize Google or Microsoft

For Gmail: in Google Cloud Console, create or select a project, configure its consent screen, and create an OAuth client of type Web application. Use Internal only for the relevant Workspace organization; personal Gmail requires External. If External remains in testing, add your test email under Audience → Test users.

For a local trial, use http://localhost:3000 as the JavaScript origin and register these redirect URIs. For production, replace that origin everywhere with your canonical HTTPS domain:

http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/google
http://localhost:3000/api/google/linking/callback
http://localhost:3000/api/google/calendar/callback
http://localhost:3000/api/google/drive/callback

The last two are for calendar and Drive. Save the client ID and secret as GOOGLECLIENTID and GOOGLECLIENTSECRET through the wizard/configuration. Enable Gmail API; enable Calendar API and Drive API only when using those integrations. Declare the required profile, email, gmail.modify and gmail.settings.basic scopes from the official OAuth checklist, plus the documented calendar or Drive scopes for the features you enable. Prefer Drive's standard drive.file access unless existing-folder access actually requires broader permission.

If Google displays an unverified-app warning, proceed only when you created and verified the exact OAuth application yourself. Do not use that warning as a reason to bypass an organization's security policy. External testing mode is not a permanent production authorization strategy; check Google's current publishing and token-lifetime requirements.

For Outlook: in Microsoft Entra ID, open App registrations → New registration. Choose the account type appropriate to your organization or personal account, not a broader audience by default. Register these Web redirects, replacing the origin for production:

http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/microsoft
http://localhost:3000/api/outlook/linking/callback
http://localhost:3000/api/outlook/calendar/callback
http://localhost:3000/api/outlook/drive/callback

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Put Your Inbox on Your Payroll · Playbooks · Steve Tan