email-action-extractor

Email Action Extractor

Extract actionable tasks assigned to the user from email text and prepare information for task management tool calls.

Core Principles

Filter Out Informational Emails: Do not process emails that merely convey information. Only extract emails with clear, explicit action requests.

Action-Oriented Keywords: Focus on emails containing request expressions such as:

• Please [action] / Could you [action]
• Need you to / Would you
• Request for / Asking you to
• Review / Approve / Submit / Prepare / Complete
• By [deadline] / Due [date]
• Urgent / ASAP / High priority

Group Email Handling: For emails with multiple recipients, only extract actions when:

• User is explicitly mentioned by name (@username, "John please...")
• User's email is in To: field (not just CC)
• Action is directed at "everyone" or "team" without specific person mentioned

Processing Steps

1. Email Analysis

For each email, determine:

Is this actionable?

• Does it contain explicit request verbs?
• Is there a specific task described?
• Is there a deadline or time constraint?
• Does it require a response or deliverable?

Is this for me?

• Am I in the To: field (not just CC)?
• Am I mentioned by name in the body?
• Is this a group email where someone else is the assignee?
• Is this directed at "everyone" or specifically at me?

Action characteristics:

• Clear and specific (not vague like "let me know your thoughts")
• Has measurable completion criteria
• Requires effort beyond simple acknowledgment

2. Action Identification

When an action is identified, extract:

• Requester: Who is asking (name and email)
• Action description: What needs to be done (be specific)
• Deadline: When is it due (if specified)
• Priority signals: "urgent", "ASAP", "high priority", etc.
• Context: Related links, attachments, email ID, thread context

3. Exclude Non-Actionable Emails

Always exclude:

• Simple announcements (company news, system notifications)
• FYI emails (informational only)
• Automated reports and alerts
• Meeting invites without action items
• One-way information sharing
• Marketing/promotional emails
• Newsletter/subscription emails (blog updates, product news)
• Emails from no-reply addresses
• Emails with unsubscribe links
• Status updates without requests
• "Thanks" / "Got it" acknowledgments

Edge cases - be conservative:

• "Let me know what you think" → Only if context requires formal feedback
• "Feel free to reach out" → Exclude (optional, not required)
• "For your information" → Exclude
• "Please be aware" → Exclude (informational)
• "Hope this helps" → Exclude

4. Priority Assessment

When present, identify priority indicators:

High Priority:

• Explicit: "urgent", "ASAP", "high priority", "critical"
• Near deadline: due today or tomorrow
• Executive request: from leadership
• Blocking others: "blocking", "dependency"

Normal Priority:

• Standard deadline: few days to weeks
• Regular business request
• No priority indicators mentioned

Low Priority:

• "When you get a chance"
• "No rush"
• Distant deadline: weeks or months away

Examples

✅ Actionable - Direct Assignment

From: Manager Kim <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Urgent] Q4 Report Review Needed
Body: "Hi, please review the attached Q4 report and provide feedback by Friday EOD. 
Focus on the financial projections section."

→ Extract: Review Q4 report financial projections, provide feedback (Due: Friday EOD, Priority: High)

✅ Actionable - Meeting with Pre-work

From: Project Lead <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] (5 people)
Subject: Design Review Tomorrow
Body: "Team, please review the design doc before tomorrow's 2pm meeting and come prepared 
with questions. Link: [doc]"

→ Extract: Review design doc before 2pm meeting tomorrow (Due: Tomorrow 2pm)

❌ Informational - No Action

From: HR Team <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Holiday Policy Update
Body: "Hi everyone, please note that our holiday policy has been updated. 
See attached for details."

→ Exclude: Informational announcement, no specific action required

❌ Automated - System Email

From: [email protected]
Subject: Daily Digest: 3 issues updated
Body: "Here's your daily summary of Jira updates..."

→ Exclude: Automated digest, informational only

✅ Group Email - User Mentioned

From: Tech Lead <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] (10 people)
Subject: Sprint Planning
Body: "Team update: @John please implement the login feature this sprint. 
@Sarah will handle the API integration."

→ Extract (if user is John): Implement login feature this sprint

❌ Group Email - Someone Else Assigned

From: Tech Lead <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] (10 people)
Subject: Sprint Planning
Body: "@Sarah please handle the API integration this sprint."

→ Exclude (if user is not Sarah): Action assigned to someone else

❌ Newsletter/Subscription

From: TechNews Weekly <[email protected]>
Subject: This Week in Tech: AI Advances
Body: "Here are this week's top stories... [Unsubscribe]"

→ Exclude: Newsletter, promotional content

❌ Vague Request

From: Colleague <[email protected]>
Subject: Quick question
Body: "Hey, when you get a chance, let me know your thoughts on the new process."

→ Exclude: Too vague, no specific deliverable, "when you get a chance" indicates low priority/optional

✅ Clear Request with Deadline

From: Client <[email protected]>
Subject: Contract Review
Body: "Could you review the attached contract and send back signed copy by Wednesday?
Please pay special attention to section 3.2."

→ Extract: Review contract (focus on section 3.2), sign and return (Due: Wednesday)

Edge Case Guidelines

"Please review" emails:

• ✅ Include if: formal review required, feedback expected, deadline given
• ❌ Exclude if: casual "take a look", FYI context, no response needed

Meeting invites:

• ✅ Include if: requires preparation, deliverable needed beforehand
• ❌ Exclude if: simple attendance, no pre-work required

CC'd emails:

• ✅ Include if: explicitly mentioned in body despite being CC
• ❌ Exclude if: just CC'd for visibility, no direct action

Thread replies:

• Check if action already completed or superseded by later emails
• Avoid duplicate extraction from email chains

Best Practices

• Be conservative: When in doubt, exclude rather than create noise
• Context matters: Consider the sender-recipient relationship
• Avoid trivial tasks: Skip courtesy responses unless explicitly requested
• Check completeness: Ensure extracted action is clear and self-contained
• Preserve context: Include enough information for the user to understand the task without re-reading the email