Photo by author
# Introduction
Email overload is real. You open your inbox to find dozens of messages, and you’re immediately playing mental anguish. Who needs attention now? What can wait?
It’s exhausting, and it’s easy to miss something important when you’re inundated with notifications.
Here’s a better way: Create an automated Gmail agent N8N It scores each incoming email on a 0-100 scale and takes action based on priority. The system runs continuously and processes emails as they arrive.
Complete N8N workflow showing email scoring and priority-based routing Photo by author
# Why N8N for Email Automation?
The N8N makes such automation straightforward. If you are new to creating workflows with N8N, Get started with this basic guide The first visual workflow design lets you see your entire logic at a glance. Native Gmail integration handles seamless authentication with OAuth2. CodeNodes gives you full control over the scoring algorithm using JavaScript. Once it’s up and running, it processes emails 24/7 in the cloud.
# How the workflow works
The agent uses 13 nodes organized into a clear processing pipeline:
- gmail trigger Monitors your inbox for new emails
- Advanced email scoring Analyzes each message and calculates a priority score
- Route by priority Divides emails into four paths based on the score
- Priority Specific Actions Perform the appropriate tasks for each category
- Analytics Logging Tracks metrics so you can improve the system
Four priority levels handle different types of emails:
- Critical (75-100): stars, labeled, trigger Slack alerts
- High (50-74): Labeled, creates tasks in your project manager
- Medium (30-49): Labeled, queued for daily review
- Low (0-29): Labeled, marked as read
# what do you need
Before you begin:
- An N8N account (cloud or self-hosted)
- A Gmail account for automation
- Optional: Slack webhook URL for critical alerts
- Optional: Task Management API endpoint (Asan, Todoist, etc.)
Download the workflow JSON file (attached) and import it into your N8N instance. You will need to configure credentials for these nodes:
- Gmail Trigger and Gmail Action nodes: Connect your Gmail oauth2 credentials (Setup Guide)
- Slack Node: Add your webhook URL (or disable this node if not needed).
- HTTP Request Nodes (Task Manager): Add (or disable if needed) your task management API endpoints and authentication for high- and medium-priority tasks.
- HTTP Request (Analysis): Add or disable your analytics endpoint if not tracking externally.
Workflow will show credential warnings in N8N until configuration. Start with Gmail credentials to test the basic scoring logic, then add other integrations as needed.
# Setting up a Gmail trigger
The Gmail Trigger node polls your inbox for new emails every minute (you can adjust this interval in the node settings if needed). Configure it to only see your inbox folder so spam and trash won’t trigger the workflow.
When a new email arrives, Trigger captures everything you need: sender details, subject, body content (both plain text and HTML), attachments, and message ID for tracking. Send yourself a test email to verify the trigger works, then check the execution log in N8N to see the scoring.
# How Email Scoring Works
Code Node applies a multi-factor scoring algorithm that checks for three things:
Reputation of sender: The algorithm starts with a base score and adjusts based on the sender’s domain, email address patterns, and whether they’re on your VIP list. Emails from noreply@ The leaf is penalized. Messages from executives or key client domains earn bonus points.
Material properties: The algorithm scans for immediate keywords (such as “ASAP,” “immediately,” “immediately”), checks for questions that require answers, and awards points for attachments.
Category classification: The system categorizes emails into buckets such as client communications, finance, meetings and technical issues. Client and finance emails get priority promotion.
The final score combines these three factors, which are capped at 100. You can see the complete implementation in the attached JSON workflow (look for the “Advanced Email Scoring” node).
# Preferred Routing and Actions
Once the email is scored, Switch The node directs it to the appropriate path.
// Critical Priority (75-100)
Urgent client requests, executive communications, time sensitive issues. Workflow:
- Gmail labels it “Priority_Critical”.
- Message stars for quick access
- Sends Slack alerts with sender, subject, score, and timestamp
This three-layered approach means you’ll see critical emails regardless of where you’re working.
// High Priority (50-74)
Fulfilling requests from stakeholders, client queries, project updates. Workflow:
- Labels it “priority_high”
- Creates a task in your project manager with details and a link back to the email
These emails are automatically entered into your task workflow.
// Medium preference (30-49)
Team updates, informational messages, standard business communication. Workflow:
- Labels it “preferred_medium”.
- It queues for review at the time of e-mail dedication
You can batch process them later.
// Low priority (0-29)
Newsletters, automated notifications, marketing emails. Workflow:
- Labels it “preferred_low”
- Marks it as read
It is triangular and filed.
# Keeping track of what’s working
The analytics node runs parallel to everything and captures metrics from each email: timestamp, sender domain, priority score and level, category, and actions.
This data helps you validate the scoring algorithm. Which senders consistently generate high-priority emails? What categories are you getting? You can improve the system based on real data.
# Customize for your needs
Designed to modify workflows. Here’s what you’ll typically want to change:
VIP domains: Open and search for the “Advanced Email Scoring” node in the JSON vipDomains Array Add domains for your key customers, partners and company accounts.
Keyword categories: The algorithm uses lists of keywords to rank emails. If you’re in finance, include terms like “audit,” “compliance,” “regulation.” Data scientists can add “model,” “dataset,” “pipeline.” Customize them based on what matters to you at work.
Priority threshold: If you are getting too many critical warnings, increase the threshold from 75 to 80. If you are missing important emails, reduce it to 70. Monitor and adjust your patterns for the first week.
External services: Replace the placeholder URL with your original Slack webhook, task manager API, and analytics endpoints. If you don’t use certain services, disable those nodes or swap in alternatives.
# When things go wrong
- Emails are not dynamic: Check that the Gmail trigger is enabled and polls every minute. Check your Gmail credentials.
- Priority scores are closed: Review keyword lists and add domain-specific terms. Adjust point values ​​based on your email patterns.
- Slack notifications fail: Verify your webhook URL and permissions. Test it outside of N8N first.
- Gmail labels do not apply: Manually create labels in Gmail before running the workflow: Priority_Critical, Priority_High, Priority_Medium, Priority_Low. Or modify the workflow to use the labels you already have.
# Taking it further
Right now, it’s an automated workflow that follows predefined rules. Once it’s up and running, you can turn it into a true autonomous agent by adding these capabilities:
AI integration: add Open Eye or Claude To perform semantic analysis of email content. It goes beyond keywords that match real understanding. AI can extract action items, detect emotions, and even generate draft responses. This is where the workflow becomes an agent – ​​making intelligent decisions rather than following static rules.
Learning the messenger: Track which senders you respond to consistently. Workflow can learn your implicit preferences and adjust scores over time. This adaptive behavior is an important feature of agent-based systems.
Thread tracking: Track email conversations over time. Emails in active threads can receive automatic priority hits based on context and conversation history.
Smart auto response: Discover frequently asked questions and send templated responses instantly, with AI learning which responses work best.
Calendar integration: When emails mention meetings or deadlines, automatically create calendar events with intelligent scheduling suggestions.
# wrap up
This N8N workflow transforms email from an intrusive to a managed system. Every incoming message is analyzed and prioritized automatically.
Start with foundation, then add sophistication as you go. Customize scoring to match your communication patterns. Adjust the threshold based on your needs. Integrate with the tools you already use.
Download Workflow, integrate your Gmail, customize scoring logic, and take back control of your inbox.
# Recommended resources
Vinod Chogani was born in India and raised in Japan, and brings a global perspective to data science and machine learning education. He bridges the gap between emerging AI technologies and practical implementation for working professionals. Vinod focuses on creating accessible learning paths for complex topics such as agentic AI, performance optimization, and AI engineering. He focuses on implementing practical machine learning implementations and mentoring the next generation of data professionals through live sessions and personal mentoring.