Rule-Based Email Triage Workflow for Gmail & IMAP

Rule-Based Email Triage for Gmail & IMAP—No AI, Just Deterministic Routing

This n8n workflow automatically classifies inbound emails using local JavaScript rules (no AI) and routes them into high-priority, low-priority bulk, or general inbox paths—then prepares ready-to-execute Gmail/IMAP labeling, starring, and archiving actions.

What this workflow does

• Runs deterministically on demand to generate sample inbound emails for testing.
• Scores each email against a rule-based taxonomy using headers, sender patterns, subject/body regex, and attachment heuristics.
• Selects the best-matching category, assigns the corresponding label, and produces suggested actions (e.g., star, archive, mark-as-read) based on the match.
• Routes into classification branches: high-priority, low-priority bulk, or general inbox.
• Outputs action payloads:
  • High-priority: ready-to-execute payloads to star and apply the selected labels.
  • Bulk: ready-to-execute payloads to apply labels and archive / mark-as-read as configured.
  • Unclassified: leaves messages untouched.

Use cases

• SaaS operators want deterministic triage for support/alerts vs. newsletters.
• Automation engineers need a rule engine to reduce manual inbox sorting in Gmail and IMAP sources.
• Teams managing high email volume can bulk-label, archive, and mark as read for low-priority categories.

Technical details

• Built with n8n nodes including if, code, switch, sticky note, http request, and gmail trigger.
• Rule engine implemented in local JavaScript, configurable via category taxonomy (sender patterns, header checks, regex rules, attachment rules).
• Setup: replace the sample generator with a live Gmail Trigger or IMAP Email Trigger, then connect mailbox action nodes (e.g., Gmail: Add Labels, Star Message, Move to Archive, Mark as Read).