How to Set Up an AI Assistant to Manage Your Gmail
The steps below are taken from each vendor’s help pages. We have not run them.
To have AI manage your Gmail, give an assistant inbox access, tell it what to do in plain English, and set it so nothing is sent without your OK. OpenAssistant does this by email, text or its dashboard, and can also act on what it finds. Gemini and Fyxer work inside Gmail itself.
“Manage my Gmail” usually means four jobs: sort what comes in, summarize long threads, draft replies, and clear out the junk. Three kinds of tools do some or all of that:
- OpenAssistant, an assistant you hand inbox work to by email, text or its dashboard, which can also act on what it finds.
- Gemini in Gmail, built into Gmail itself. Some features are free for personal accounts in the US.
- Fyxer, which labels your inbox and leaves draft replies waiting in Gmail.
Start with the safety step below whichever you choose.
First: decide what it may do without you
Before you connect anything, decide your rules:
- Sort and label: low risk. Fine to let it run.
- Archive or delete: medium. You want an undo.
- Draft replies: low risk if drafts wait for you.
- Send replies: high risk, especially if they go out in your name. Start with “never without my OK.”
All three tools below can be set up so nothing is sent without you. We’ll show where.
Option 1: OpenAssistant (an assistant that works your inbox)
OpenAssistant is a separate assistant with its own email address. You can use it two ways with Gmail: Cc it on specific threads (no inbox access needed), or connect your inbox so it can review, draft, organize and clean up more broadly. (OpenAssistant)
Step 1: Grant inbox access
During onboarding, the permissions step lists calendar (required), contacts, inbox and, for Google, Drive. Turn on inbox permission for inbox work. You can also add it later under Connections (app.openassistant.us/connections). (OpenAssistant) (OpenAssistant) If you skip it, the assistant only sees threads you include it on. (OpenAssistant)
Step 2: Lock down sending
In the Autonomy settings, set Email Sent Impersonating You (mail from your own account) to Manual, so every email in your name waits for your approval. Email Sent From Your Assistant is a separate category for mail from the assistant’s own address. (OpenAssistant) OpenAssistant’s changelog says it regrouped these settings, into messages the assistant sends as itself and messages it sends as you, so the labels in the app may differ from the help center. (OpenAssistant changelog)
Step 3: Turn on inbox triage, or ask for a one-off cleanup
- Every day: open the Recurring Tasks tab and toggle on the Inbox triage workflow. (OpenAssistant)
- Once: create a task with a specific instruction. OpenAssistant’s own example: “Review the unread customer emails from today. Group related messages, list urgent items first, and draft replies for my review.” (OpenAssistant)
OpenAssistant says connecting your inbox doesn’t mean it acts on everything it sees, so say exactly which mail and whether you want a summary, drafts, or action. (OpenAssistant) Its product page describes digests, labels by client or project, and archiving newsletters, set by plain-English instructions. (OpenAssistant)
Step 4: Check its work
Open a task to see the messages tied to it, or open the assistant’s Inbox at app.openassistant.us/messages to see every thread it can access. (OpenAssistant)
Option 2: Gemini in Gmail (built in)
Who can use it
Personal accounts need a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra plan for the full set; work and school accounts need an eligible Google Workspace plan. You must be 18 or older. Help me write and Suggested Replies are free for personal accounts in the US, and thread summaries are available to Gmail users globally. (Google) Feature availability varies by plan, language and country; Google keeps a table. (Google)
Step 1: Turn on the settings it needs
- In Gmail, open Settings, then See all settings, and stay on the General tab.
- Under Smart features, check Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet.
- Under Google Workspace smart features, click Manage Workspace smart feature settings, turn on Smart features in Google Workspace, and click Save. Turn on Smart features in other Google products too only if you’ll use AI Inbox, which needs it.
(Google)
These are off by default in the EEA, the UK, Japan and Switzerland. (Google)
Step 2: Summarize threads
Open a thread on the web and click Summarize this email at the top. If the thread mentions a task with a deadline, click Remind me to add it to Google Tasks. (Google)
Step 3: Draft replies with Help me write
- Click Compose, or reply to a message.
- Type what you want in the prompt bar at the bottom (click Help me write if you don’t see it), then click Create.
- Adjust with Formalize, Friendly or Shorten, or give a new instruction.
Help me write can draw on your other emails and Drive files; click Sources to see which. (Google)
Step 4: Clean up with Ask Gemini (paid Google AI or Workspace plan)
- Click Ask Gemini at the top right of Gmail.
- Ask it to archive, delete, label, mark read or star a set of emails, for example “Archive all newsletters from last month.”
- Click Submit, review the confirmation card or the matching emails, and confirm.
Nothing runs until you confirm, and you get 60 seconds to undo. It can only use labels that already exist, won’t process requests matching more than 10,000 threads, and deleted mail goes to Trash. (Google)
Optional: AI Inbox (beta)
For AI plan or Workspace users in the US, in English: Settings, See all settings, the Inbox tab, then check Show AI Inbox. It appears in the left panel with suggested to-dos and topics to catch up on. It only covers the Primary tab, and Google says first to-dos can take up to 7 days. (Google)
What Gemini doesn’t do: Google’s help pages do not describe automatic drafts for every incoming email, or Gemini sending replies on its own.
Option 3: Fyxer (labels plus waiting drafts)
Who can use it
Fyxer works with Gmail (personal and Workspace) and Microsoft 365 Outlook. It doesn’t support Apple Mail or other mail apps, including Superhuman, or on-premise and hybrid Exchange. (Fyxer FAQ) Fyxer’s pricing page lists a Free plan, Pro at $37 per person per month billed annually ($49 monthly, with a 14-day trial), and Team at $64 annually ($99 monthly). Automatic labeling and automatic drafts both start with Pro; the Free plan does neither. (Fyxer pricing)
Step 1: Connect Gmail and your calendar
- In the Fyxer dashboard, go to Settings, then Integrations.
- Under Email and Calendar, select Connect Gmail and approve Google’s access request.
- Check the account shows as connected.
- On the same page, select Connect next to calendar and approve.
(Fyxer)
Step 2: Choose how it sorts
In the dashboard, go to Settings, then Categories, and pick Standard, Focused, Show everything or Custom. For each category, choose whether mail stays in the inbox or is archived under its label. (Fyxer) At first it sorts your 300 most recent emails, then new mail. Category names are fixed. (Fyxer)
Step 3: Turn on drafts
- In Fyxer, go to Settings, Drafts, General, and make sure Enable draft replies is on.
- Under General, review the Writing style it generated from your sent mail.
- Go to Settings, Drafts, Signatures, select Edit on the Default signature box, paste your Gmail signature, and select Save signature.
(Fyxer)
- In Gmail, turn on conversation view, which Fyxer drafts need: gear icon, See all settings, General, Conversation view on, Save Changes. (Fyxer)
Drafts appear on emails labeled “To do” or “To respond” that need a reply. To get a draft for any other email, forward it to ai@fyxer.com with “draft” in the body. (Fyxer) Fyxer says it never sends email without your review. (Fyxer)
Which one to use
| OpenAssistant | Gemini in Gmail | Fyxer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | Email, text, WhatsApp, web dashboard | Inside Gmail | Inside Gmail, settings in Fyxer dashboard |
| Sorts incoming mail | By instruction, or the Inbox triage workflow | Not with AI; AI Inbox (US, paid beta) surfaces to-dos and topics | Yes, fixed labels (Pro and up) |
| Drafts waiting for you | On request or per recurring task | On request (Help me write) | Automatically for “To do” and “To respond” mail (Pro and up) |
| Bulk cleanup | Yes, by instruction | Yes, paid plans, after you confirm, 60-second undo | Archive by category |
| Can send for you | Yes, if you allow it, per action type | Not stated | No, never sends without review |
| Cost to start | Free Starter plan (1,000 credits at signup, plus 100 bonus a day up to 1,000 a month) | Some features free (US personal) | Free plan; labels and drafts from Pro |
(Sources linked above)
Start with OpenAssistant if inbox work leads to actions beyond Gmail, such as booking the meeting an email asks for, because the same assistant does both.
Where competitors do better: if you just want help inside Gmail today, Gemini is already there and partly free, and Fyxer is the most hands-off for waiting drafts.
Related reading
- Why we recommend OpenAssistant for Gmail, with 8 alternatives: nine products compared on five Gmail jobs.
- Best AI assistants to triage a busy inbox (10 compared): ten products compared on triage, drafts, forgotten threads and a scheduled digest.
- How to Use AI to Follow Up on Unanswered Emails: steps for OpenAssistant, Gmail Nudges, Superhuman and Fyxer.
- How to Have AI Write Your Daily Agenda Every Morning: steps for OpenAssistant, ChatGPT scheduled tasks and Gemini.
FAQ
Can AI manage my Gmail inbox?
Yes. OpenAssistant can review, draft, organize and clean up your inbox from your instructions, Fyxer labels mail and leaves drafts waiting, and Gemini in Gmail summarizes threads, drafts replies and cleans up on request.
Will an AI assistant send emails without asking me?
Only if you allow it. In OpenAssistant, set Email Sent Impersonating You to Manual so every email in your name waits for approval. Fyxer says it never sends email without your review. Gemini asks you to confirm cleanup actions and gives you 60 seconds to undo.
Does OpenAssistant need access to my whole inbox?
No. You can Cc it on specific threads with no inbox access, or grant inbox permission so it can work more broadly. Without inbox permission it only sees threads you include it on.
Is it free?
OpenAssistant has a free Starter plan with 1,000 credits at signup, plus 100 bonus credits a day once those are used up, up to 1,000 a month. Some Gemini features are free for personal accounts in the US, and Fyxer has a Free plan, with automatic labeling and drafts starting on Pro.
Can I see what the assistant did?
In OpenAssistant, open a task to see the messages tied to it, or open the assistant’s Inbox to see every thread it can access.
Try OpenAssistant
If you want inbox cleanup and the follow-up actions in one assistant, Try OpenAssistant. Start with sending locked to Manual, then loosen it as you gain trust. Plans and credits are on the pricing page.