Email Draft

Draft email replies or new emails matching the user's preferred tone and communication style.

Language

Detect the user's preferred language from Personal Preferences. By default, match the language of the original email being replied to. If composing a new email, use the user's preferred language.

If language is ambiguous:

AskUserQuestion: "What language should this email be in?"
Options: ["English", "עברית", "Русский", "Same as original"]

Prerequisites

This skill requires a connected email tool for sending. Drafts can be created without a connector (user copies/pastes).

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Email

If replying to a specific email (from triage or user request):

• Load the original email content (sender, subject, body, thread context)
• Identify key points that need addressing

If composing a new email:

AskUserQuestion: "What type of email are you writing?"
Options: ["Reply to an email", "New email", "Follow-up on a previous email", "Forward with notes"]

Then gather: recipient, subject, key points to cover.

Step 2: Determine Tone

Check Personal Preferences for communication style. If not set or if user wants something different:

AskUserQuestion: "What tone should this email have?"
Options: ["Formal", "Casual", "Follow-up (polite nudge)", "Friendly professional"]

Tone guidelines:

Tone	Characteristics
Formal	Full sentences, proper salutation/closing, no contractions, professional vocabulary
Casual	Conversational, first-name basis, contractions OK, brief and direct
Follow-up	Polite but assertive, references previous communication, clear ask
Friendly professional	Warm but competent, balanced formality, personable without being too casual

Email Type Templates

Use the right structure based on the email type:

Type	Key Elements
Cold outreach	Lead with value/relevance, not yourself. Why should they care? One clear CTA
Follow-up	Reference the previous interaction specifically. Add new value — never just "checking in"
Negotiation	State position clearly with "I'd like to propose" — not "I was wondering if maybe"
Update / status	Lead with the headline. Details below. End with next steps
Saying no	Be direct and kind. Give a brief reason. Offer an alternative if possible
Introduction	Who you are (1 sentence), why reaching out (1 sentence), what you're asking (1 sentence)
Thank you	Be specific about what you're thanking them for. Generic thanks = forgettable
Apology	Acknowledge what happened, take responsibility, state what you're doing about it. No excuses
Request	State the ask upfront. Explain why briefly. Make it easy to say yes

Step 3: Draft the Email

Generate the draft following these rules:

• Reply context: Reference specific points from the original email
• Length: Match the original email's length approximately. Short emails get short replies
• Structure: Greeting, body (addressing each point), clear next step or ask, sign-off
• Signature: Use the user's name from Personal Preferences. Do not invent a signature block unless one is stored in memory

Hebrew-specific:

• Use RTL-appropriate structure
• Formal Hebrew uses different register than casual — respect this distinction
• Common closings: ,בברכה ,בתודה ,שלך

Russian-specific:

• Formal Russian uses patronymic addressing when appropriate
• Common closings: С уважением, С наилучшими пожеланиями, Спасибо

Step 4: Present and Iterate

Show the draft with clear formatting:

**To:** [recipient]
**Subject:** [subject line]

---

[Draft body]

---

Then:

AskUserQuestion: "How does this draft look?"
Options: ["Send as-is", "Edit — I'll tell you what to change", "Change tone", "Shorter", "Longer", "More formal", "More casual", "Try a different angle", "Draft a follow-up version", "Discard"]

If "Edit": Ask what to change, revise, and present again If "Change tone": Show tone options again, redraft If "Shorter"/"Longer": Adjust length and present again If "Send as-is": Send via connected email tool (or confirm copy/paste if no connector)

Step 5: Post-Send

After sending or finalizing:

• Confirm the email was sent/drafted
• Log to ~/Tandem/email/MEMORY.md under Session Log

Quality Rules

Rule	Why
Subject line must be specific	"Q1 Budget Proposal — Review by Friday" not "Following up" or "Quick question"
First sentence must earn the second	If the opening is boring, they stop reading
Max 5 sentences per paragraph	Walls of text don't get read on any device
One clear call to action	Don't make them guess what you want next
Match their energy	If they wrote 3 sentences, don't write 3 paragraphs
Proofread as the recipient	Read it from their perspective — does it sound pushy? Passive? Unclear?

Filler Words to Cut

Always remove these padding phrases — they add words without adding meaning:

• "I just wanted to..." → Get to the point
• "I was wondering if..." → Ask directly
• "I hope this email finds you well" → Skip entirely or reference something specific
• "Per my last email..." → Reference the specific point instead
• "I wanted to reach out..." → Just reach out
• "Please don't hesitate to..." → "Let me know if..."
• "As per our conversation..." → "Following up on [specific topic]..."
• "I'm writing to inform you that..." → State the information directly

Proactivity — Next Steps

After completing a draft, suggest 1-2 of these:

• If replying to a time-sensitive thread: "Want me to set a follow-up reminder in case they don't reply within [2-3 days]?"
• If there are more urgent emails from triage: "There are [N] more urgent emails to reply to. Shall I draft the next one?"
• If this is a new contact: "Want me to remember [name]'s role and preferred communication style?"
• If the email discusses a meeting: "Want me to add this to your calendar or create meeting notes?"

Memory

Memory is user-triggered only. Offer to remember:

• Frequently emailed contacts and their preferred tone
• User's email signature block
• Common phrases or templates the user likes to reuse

Output Format

See examples/tone-samples.md for drafts in each tone style.

Error Handling

• No original email found: "I couldn't find that email. Can you paste the email you'd like to reply to, or tell me the sender and subject?"
• Ambiguous sender: Show matching contacts and ask user to select
• No email connector: "I've drafted the email below. You can copy and paste it into your email client."