email-drafter

Getting Started

1. Install the skill using the command above
2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
3. Reference the skill in your prompt
4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

• "Transform these meeting notes into action items with owners and deadlines"
• "Draft a follow-up email to the client summarizing our discussion"

Overview

Draft clear, professional emails for any business scenario. Handles client communication, internal updates, cold outreach, follow-ups, apologies, requests, and announcements. Adapts tone from formal to casual based on context, audience, and relationship.

Instructions

When a user asks you to draft an email, follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine the email type and tone

Step 2: Gather context

Before drafting, identify:

• Recipient: Who are they? What is the relationship?
• Purpose: What is the single main goal of this email?
• Context: Any previous conversations, meetings, or events to reference?
• Desired action: What should the recipient do after reading?
• Constraints: Urgency, sensitivity, formality level?

Step 3: Write using email structure

Subject: [Specific, actionable subject line - under 60 characters]

[Greeting appropriate to relationship],

[Opening: 1 sentence of context or connection]

[Body: 2-4 short paragraphs covering the main points]
- Use bullet points for lists or multiple items
- Bold key dates, numbers, or action items
- Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences max

[Clear call to action: What do you need from them?]

[Closing],
[Name]

Step 4: Apply tone rules

Formal: Full sentences, no contractions, titles (Mr./Ms./Dr.), "I would appreciate", "Please find attached"

Professional: Contractions OK, first names, "Thanks for", "Let me know if", "Happy to discuss"

Casual: Short sentences, friendly openers, "Hey", "Quick note", "Cheers"

Step 5: Review checklist

• Subject line is specific and under 60 characters
• Purpose is clear within the first 2 sentences
• Only one main ask or CTA per email
• No wall of text (break into short paragraphs)
• Proofread for tone consistency
• Removed unnecessary qualifiers ("just", "I think maybe")

Examples

Example 1: Client follow-up after a meeting

User request: "Write a follow-up email to a client after a product demo"

Output:

Subject: Next Steps from Today's Demo

Hi [Name],

Thanks for taking the time to see [Product] in action today. It was great
hearing about your team's workflow challenges, especially around [specific
pain point discussed].

Based on our conversation, here's what I'd suggest as next steps:

- **Trial setup:** I can have a sandbox environment ready for your team
  by [day]. No commitment needed.
- **Custom integration:** Our engineering team can scope the [System]
  integration you mentioned. I'll send a brief questionnaire.
- **Pricing:** I'll put together a proposal based on the 50-seat
  configuration we discussed.

Would Thursday or Friday work for a 15-minute call to walk through the
proposal? Happy to work around your schedule.

Best,
[Name]

Example 2: Cold outreach email

User request: "Write a cold email to a VP of Engineering about our dev tool"

Output:

Subject: Cut your team's PR review time by 40%

Hi [Name],

I noticed [Company] recently expanded your engineering team to 80+
developers. Scaling code review is usually one of the first bottlenecks.

We built [Tool] to automate the repetitive parts of PR review — style
checks, security patterns, and test coverage gaps. Teams like [Similar
Company] and [Similar Company] reduced their review cycle from 2 days
to under 4 hours.

Would you be open to a 15-minute call to see if this could help your
team? No pitch deck, just a quick look at how it works.

Best,
[Name]

Example 3: Internal team announcement

User request: "Draft an email announcing a new deployment process to the engineering team"

Output:

Subject: New Deployment Process Starting March 1

Hi team,

Starting March 1, we're moving to a new deployment process. Here's what
changes and what stays the same.

**What's changing:**
- Deployments now go through the CI/CD pipeline (no more manual deploys)
- All PRs require passing staging tests before merge
- Rollbacks are automated — triggered if error rate exceeds 1%

**What stays the same:**
- Deploy schedule (daily at 2pm ET)
- Hotfix process for critical issues
- Your current branch naming conventions

**What you need to do:**
1. Read the updated runbook: [link]
2. Test your service in the new staging environment by Feb 25
3. Reach out in #deploy-help with any questions

I'll hold a 30-minute walkthrough on Feb 20 at 3pm ET. Calendar invite
incoming.

Thanks,
[Name]

Guidelines

• One email, one purpose. If there are multiple unrelated asks, suggest splitting into separate emails.
• Front-load the important information. Busy people read the first 2 sentences and scan the rest.
• Subject lines should tell the recipient what the email is about and what they need to do.
• Avoid passive voice where possible. "I'll send the report by Friday" beats "The report will be sent by Friday."
• Keep emails under 200 words when possible. Every sentence should earn its place.
• For cold emails, keep under 125 words. Shorter emails get higher response rates.
• Never use "per my last email" or other passive-aggressive phrases.
• Match the formality of the relationship. When in doubt, start slightly more formal and adjust.
• Always include a specific, easy-to-answer call to action. "Thoughts?" is vague. "Does Thursday at 2pm work?" is actionable.
• If the user provides context about the recipient or situation, weave it into the email naturally.