Methodology
The product boundary, in plain English.
DeclutrMail is a Gmail companion built around explicit sender decisions. Gmail remains the reading and reply surface; DeclutrMail narrows the cleanup problem and shows its work before acting.
Full bodies fetched: 0
We never fetch or store message bodies. This list is generated from the Gmail fields DeclutrMail actually stores.
- Gmail message and thread IDs
- Sender name and email address
- Subject
- Gmail Preview (the short snippet shown in your inbox list)
- Received date
- Gmail labels
- Read or unread state
- Whether a message was sent by you
- Recipient email addresses from To and Cc on mail you sent
- Unsubscribe links and whether one-click unsubscribe is supported
- Gmail message size estimate
- Full message body
- HTML
- Attachments
- Inline images
- Raw MIME
- Headers other than From, Subject, To, Cc, and List-Unsubscribe fields
№ 01
Store enough to help. Stop before the body.
The privacy badge describes Gmail message data specifically. The service also stores the connected account’s identity, preferences, sender decisions, Activity records, and billing records needed to operate the account; it does not store full card numbers.
Gmail remains the system of record and the place where messages are read and replied to.
- Gmail message and thread IDs
- Sender name and email address
- Subject
- Gmail Preview (the short snippet shown in your inbox list)
- Received date
- Gmail labels
- Read or unread state
- Whether a message was sent by you
- Recipient email addresses from To and Cc on mail you sent
- Unsubscribe links and whether one-click unsubscribe is supported
- Gmail message size estimate
- Full message body
- HTML
- Attachments
- Inline images
- Raw MIME
- Headers other than From, Subject, To, Cc, and List-Unsubscribe fields
Full bodies fetched: 0. “Gmail Preview” means Gmail’s short preview text, not a full body.
For the curious: what “Gmail Preview” means
Gmail Preview is the short snippet Gmail itself computes for an inbox row. DeclutrMail receives that field through Gmail’s metadata response. It does not download or parse the full message body to create the preview.
№ 02
Recommendations are a visible cascade, not a predicted category.
The verdict comes from deterministic rules over metadata facts. Protect and strong engagement take precedence; insufficient evidence becomes Later; otherwise the engine compares Archive and Unsubscribe using inspectable signals. It does not use machine learning to predict email categories.
- 1User agency firstA Protected sender is excluded first. Reply, star, and strong engagement signals can also mark a sender Protected.
- 2Enough evidence?Very new or low-volume senders become Later instead of forcing a high-confidence choice.
- 3Compare safe optionsArchive and Unsubscribe are scored from metadata facts such as volume, read rate, prior archives, and a sender-declared unsubscribe channel.
- 4Show the reasoningThe verdict, confidence, and inspectable facts reach the UI. The user makes the decision.
DeclutrMail does not predict email categories. When a Gmail category is present, it is Gmail’s own label and only one transparent input to the cascade.
Where language generation fits
When configured, Anthropic may rewrite the recommendation explanation into one or two plain-English sentences. That explanation path receives bounded metadata facts such as sender identity, the deterministic verdict, confidence, rule label, volume, read rate, and Gmail’s own category label. It does not receive a message subject, Gmail Preview, or full body. A deterministic template is the fallback.
№ 03
The Pro Brief has a separate, narrower AI path.
When an AI-generated Brief narrative is available, DeclutrMail can send bounded sender identity, subject, and Gmail Preview text to Anthropic to draft it. Full message bodies, attachments, inline images, and raw MIME are not sent. A deterministic template is the fallback.
Included in the Brief prompt
Bounded sender identity, subject, Gmail Preview text, and the small set of Brief facts needed to draft the narrative.
Outside the boundary
Full bodies, HTML, attachments, inline images, raw MIME, and non-allowlisted headers.
This methodology makes no claim about Anthropic’s retention or training terms. Those are provider-policy questions, distinct from the payload boundary described here.
№ 04
Intent, preview, confirmation, evidence.
Mailbox changes follow a staged lifecycle. The preview is the commitment boundary: if it cannot load, the action cannot be confirmed. Activity records the confirmed Gmail mutation or the result returned by a sender’s unsubscribe endpoint, not an optimistic client guess.
- 1IntentYou choose a manual action or approve an Observe-mode suggestion.
- 2SheetThe optional preference sheet gathers scope and choices.
- 3PreviewA current count and available sample must load before confirmation.
- 4ExecuteThe server dispatches the Gmail mutation or unsubscribe request.
- 5ActivityThe UI records the result returned by the relevant external boundary.
- 6UndoA reversible Gmail mutation keeps its plan-defined undo path.
Gmail confirms label mutations. A sender’s list endpoint reports a one-click unsubscribe outcome. The delivered unsubscribe request cannot be undone; any paired Archive has its own reversible record. Active Pro Autopilot follows the separate rule path below and does not ask for per-message confirmation.
№ 05
A current action never smuggles in a future rule.
Manual cleanup and future automation are separate concepts. Pro Autopilot uses preset rules, starts them in Observe, and requires a deliberate switch to Active before future matches can be changed.
Manual cleanup
Archive, Later, and Delete act on the current messages named in the mandatory preview. They do not quietly turn into future-mail rules.
Autopilot preset rule
A preset starts in Observe, records what it would match, and acts on future matches only after you deliberately switch it to Active. It can be paused again.
№ 06
Access is broad enough to act, constrained in use.
Google’s gmail.modify scope permits the label changes DeclutrMail needs. The implementation constrains message fetching to metadata format and an allowlist. OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest and never sent to the browser.
Control stays available
Revoke Google access, disconnect an inbox from the account menu, export your data, or schedule deletion of the whole DeclutrMail account from Settings. Disconnecting preserves historical DeclutrMail records for reconnection.
Read the operational detail
The Security page explains OAuth and encryption. The Privacy Policy covers stored account data, subprocessors, access controls, and deletion.
№ 07
What this method does not promise.
Product trust includes visible limits. These are constraints to understand, not details hidden behind a demo.
Gmail, on the web
DeclutrMail is currently a web companion for Gmail. It is not a universal mailbox or a replacement Gmail reader.
Sync time varies
Mailbox size and Gmail rate limits affect the initial metadata scan. The product shows stage and progress instead of promising a fixed completion time.
Unsubscribe is a request
A sender can ignore or delay an unsubscribe request. Once a one-click request is delivered, DeclutrMail cannot recall it.
The recommendation is advisory
Confidence is evidence, not authority. You can choose a different action, and Protect remains an explicit user-controlled shield.
Next step
Use the method on a real sender queue.
Connect Gmail, inspect the metadata boundary, and confirm only the cleanup choices that make sense for your inbox.