An inbox mission runs as a closed loop on the Chief of Staff Squad. You draw the path in the mission goals: which mail, the four piles, and the voice for drafts. The Mission Commander works inside that path and assigns the sort to Digest. Steering is the approval step. Digest does not send a reply.
The squad you import
The template is the Chief of Staff Squad, on /squads. It ships with three agents:
- Aide, Chief of Staff, keeps decisions waiting on you and commitments you made, and coordinates the others.
- Digest, Inbox Triage, sorts mail into needs you today, can wait, delegate, and ignore, then drafts replies in your voice.
- Prep, Meeting Prep, writes briefs and turns notes into actions.
This mission is Digest's, with Aide keeping the decision list. Prep stays off unless a meeting brief is in the goals. The template has no required connection. Put the mail you want sorted into the mission folder. The squad page does not list a mailbox connector you must connect first.
You do this in the xSquads desktop app, on a folder of your own files. Mac now, with Windows coming soon. The product page is xSquads for Work.
How the mission runs
Step 1. Import the Chief of Staff Squad
Open the squad templates and import the Chief of Staff Squad onto the mission. Keep Digest and Aide. Remove Prep if this mission is only the inbox.
Step 2. Leave the connector list empty
This template has no required connection. Do not connect treg or Vapi. Export or copy the threads into the mission folder. Digest sorts what is in that folder.
Step 3. Create the mission and set the goals
Create the mission and write the goals in plain language. Those goals are the path: which threads, how to sort them, and what a draft reply is allowed to promise. Point the mission at the local folder with the mail and two or three replies that sound like you. The commander does not get to widen that path. A goal you can start from, as written on the squad page: triage my inbox into needs me today, can wait, delegate, ignore. Add a second goal if you want drafts: draft replies to this morning's emails in my voice.
Step 4. Let the Mission Commander assign the work
Save the mission. The Mission Commander creates tasks on the task board and assigns them only inside the goals you wrote. Digest takes the sort and the reply drafts. Aide takes the list of decisions waiting on you and the follow-ups pulled out of the mail. Prep should not get a meeting brief unless you added that goal.
Step 5. Add a task, steer, and approve before any reply is sent
Steering is the approval step. Add a task on the board, or correct the Mission Commander in the group chat, when a draft promises the wrong thing. A useful task to add yourself: move the billing thread from delegate to needs me today, and do not draft a refund. Digest never sends without approval. Start by approving every reply you actually want sent, and leave the rest unsent.
How much to review
Start by approving everything. Autonomy is a dial, not a switch you flip on a full inbox.
Always sign off the piles and the voice examples yourself. Raise the dial only when drafts stop promising things you did not say. Which decision to make stays with you. xSquads does not send the mail.
What the goals have to name
- The four piles, in the squad's words: needs you today, can wait, delegate, ignore.
- The voice examples for any draft.
- Promises that are forbidden. A refund, a date, or a legal answer is not for Digest to commit.
- Follow-ups and deadlines Digest should extract, for Aide's list.
- Sending stays with you. Replies are never sent without your approval.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who sorts the mail?
Digest, on the Chief of Staff Squad. The four piles are needs you today, can wait, delegate, and ignore.
Are replies sent automatically?
No. Digest drafts in your voice. You send, after Review. The squad page says nothing is sent without your approval.
What if a thread needs a decision?
It belongs in needs you today, and on Aide's list of decisions waiting on you. The agents do not make that decision.
Does this squad need a mailbox connector?
The Chief of Staff Squad page lists no required connection. Put the threads in the mission folder. treg and Vapi are not part of this template.
Can I correct a pile after the board is created?
Yes. Add a task, or tell the Mission Commander in the group chat. That is the steer. The reply still waits in Review.
Related Reading
- All squads and the Chief of Staff Squad.
- xSquads for Work and the waitlist.
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