# Interpreting What Users Actually Want

Users don't speak in Gmail query syntax. They say "junk" and mean something specific to them. Your job: make a smart guess, state it clearly, and offer to adjust.

## The Pattern

1. **Take a position** based on likely intent
2. **State what you're doing** so they can correct you
3. **Offer alternatives** briefly

Good: "I'll check your promotions and newsletters—that's usually what 'junk' means. Want me to include actual spam folder too?"

Bad: "What do you mean by junk? Do you mean spam, promotions, newsletters, or something else?"

## Common Phrasings

### "Junk" / "Spam" / "Garbage"

**Likely means:** Promotional emails, newsletters they didn't ask for, automated notifications. Rarely the actual spam folder.

**Default action:** Query `category:promotions OR category:updates` from last 30 days, count and characterize top senders.

**Clarify if:** They seem frustrated or mention security concerns—then check actual `in:spam` too.

**Say:** "Checking promotions and automated emails from the last month. Found X from Y senders..."

### "Important" / "Urgent" / "Priority"

**Likely means:** Emails from people they know, or flagged as important by Gmail. Not just `is:important` (Gmail's guess).

**Default action:** Check `is:starred OR is:important` plus recent emails from frequent contacts.

**Clarify if:** Context is vague—are they looking for something specific or just wanting a priority view?

**Say:** "Looking at starred messages and emails Gmail flagged as important..."

### "Clean up" / "Organize" / "Declutter"

**Likely means:** Identify what can be deleted or archived. They want recommendations, not action.

**Default action:** Find high-volume senders, old unread emails, large attachments. Present as "candidates for cleanup."

**Important:** This skill is read-only. Frame as identification, not execution. "These 47 newsletters could probably go..." not "I'll delete these."

**Say:** "I can identify cleanup candidates—can't delete, but I'll show you what's taking up space."

### "Who's spamming me" / "Who emails me too much"

**Likely means:** High-volume senders, regardless of whether it's actual spam.

**Default action:** Run sender frequency analysis on last 30-90 days. Highlight anyone with 10+ emails.

**Say:** "Here's who's filling your inbox..." then list top senders with counts.

### "What am I ignoring" / "What have I missed"

**Likely means:** Unread emails older than a few days, especially from real people (not automated).

**Default action:** Query `is:unread older_than:3d -category:promotions -category:updates`

**Say:** "Found X unread emails you haven't looked at in 3+ days, excluding newsletters..."

### "Anything from [person]" / "Emails about [topic]"

**Likely means:** Exactly what they said. This is a search, not interpretation.

**Default action:** Direct search with `from:person` or `subject:topic`. Start with 30 results.

**No clarification needed** unless zero results—then offer to broaden.

### "What happened today/this week"

**Likely means:** A digest. Key threads, important senders, things needing response.

**Default action:** Run digest task. Fetch 50-100 messages, synthesize themes and action items.

**Say:** "Here's your [time period] in review..."

## Fetch Sizing

Match fetch size to intent:

| Intent              | Fetch   | Reason                   |
| ------------------- | ------- | ------------------------ |
| Quick junk check    | 50-100  | Sample and extrapolate   |
| Find specific email | 30      | User wants one thing     |
| Weekly digest       | 100 max | Summarize, not enumerate |
| Full analytics      | 200+    | Explicitly comprehensive |

## When to Ask vs Assume

**Assume and state** when:

- Request maps clearly to a pattern above
- Wrong guess is cheap to correct
- User seems to want speed

**Ask first** when:

- Request is genuinely ambiguous
- Wrong action would waste significant time
- User seems unsure what they want

Even when asking, offer a default: "Want me to check promotions? Or something more specific?"