How Sortie Works

What happens when an email needs my attention?

When Sortie's AI determines an email requires action, two things happen:

• ActionNeeded The email is labeled with "ActionNeeded" in Gmail, making it easy to filter and find.
• Optionally, you can choose to receive an instant Slack notification with the sender, subject, and AI-generated summary.

What happens to emails that don't need action?

Emails that don't require your immediate attention (newsletters, notifications, FYI messages) are handled automatically:

• Skipped The email is labeled with "Sortie/Skipped" so you can review these later if needed.
• The email is automatically marked as read to keep your inbox count low and reduce noise.

Nothing is ever deleted. You can always find skipped emails using Gmail search or the Sortie/Skipped label.

How does the AI decide what's important?

Sortie uses GPT-4o (or Google Gemini, your choice) to analyze each email. The AI considers multiple factors:

• Direct questions - Is someone asking you specifically for information?
• Action requests - Is someone waiting for you to do something?
• Urgency indicators - Are there deadlines or time-sensitive language?
• Sender relationship - Is this from a client, colleague, or automated system?

You can customize these rules using custom prompts in your dashboard settings.

Can I customize what counts as "important"?

Yes! Sortie allows you to create custom AI prompts that define your own rules. For example:

Manage your custom prompts →

How do I find my labeled emails in Gmail?

Sortie creates two labels in your Gmail that you can use to filter emails:

Tip: You can search Gmail with label:ActionNeeded to see all important emails, or label:Sortie/Skipped to review what was skipped.

Does Sortie delete any of my emails?

No, never. Sortie only adds labels to your emails and marks some as read. We never delete, archive (remove from inbox), or modify the content of any email. Your emails remain exactly where they are in Gmail.

If you ever disconnect Sortie, the labels remain and your emails are completely unchanged.

Do I have to use Slack?

No, Slack integration is optional but recommended. Without Slack, Sortie still labels your emails with ActionNeeded and Skipped tags. You can check the ActionNeeded label in Gmail to see what needs attention.

However, with Slack connected, you get instant notifications the moment an important email arrives - so you never have to check your inbox proactively.

How often does Sortie check my email?

Sortie syncs automatically every few minutes to check for new unread emails. You can also trigger a manual sync anytime by clicking "Sync Now" on your dashboard.

Only unread emails are processed - emails you've already read are skipped to avoid duplicate work.