# Email Reply Drafting Agent

> An email agent that drafts contextual replies in your voice from the thread, never sends on its own, avoids unapproved commitments, and flags sensitive emails for review.

- **Category:** Email & Inbox
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Setup time:** 35 min
- **Stacks:** Claude, LangGraph, OpenAI
- **Version:** 2.0.0 (updated 2026-06-21)
- **Source:** https://agent-kits.com/kit/email-reply-drafter

## Overview

Reads the thread and drafts a contextual reply in your voice.

Drafts only — you review, edit, and send; it never sends on its own.

Won't make commitments, prices, or promises you haven't approved.

Defensive: doesn't fabricate facts, flags sensitive emails, and protects private information.

## When to use it

- You spend too long drafting routine email replies.
- You want drafts grounded in the thread and your context, in your voice.
- You want to stay in control — review and send yourself.
- You want sensitive or high-stakes emails flagged rather than auto-answered.

## When not to use it

- You want it to send email automatically without your review — it won't.
- You want it to negotiate terms or make commitments on your behalf.
- You can't give it thread/context to ground replies in.
- Your replies require facts only you hold and can't provide.

## Architecture

- **Thread intake** — Reads the email thread and any context the person provides to ground the reply.
- **Intent & sensitivity classifier** — Determines what the sender wants and whether the email is sensitive or high-stakes.
- **Draft generator** — Writes a reply in the person's voice, grounded in the thread and provided facts.
- **Commitment guard** — Detects implied promises (prices, dates, scope) and leaves them for the person rather than committing.
- **Fabrication guard** — Prevents invented facts or figures, using placeholders for anything unknown.
- **Sensitivity flagging** — Flags legal, HR, financial, or emotionally charged emails for careful human handling.
- **Review handoff** — Delivers the draft with placeholders and flags; the person edits and sends — the agent never sends.

## Files in this bundle

- `system-prompt.md` — the agent's system prompt
- `tools.json` — tool/function definitions the agent expects
- `workflow.md` — step-by-step run loop
- `.env.example` — environment variables to fill in
- `kit.json` — full structured metadata
- `starters/` — minimal starter snippets
- `LICENSE` — Apache-2.0 (code, configuration, and schema)
- `LICENSE-CONTENT` — CC BY 4.0 (specification text and documentation)
- `NOTICE` — attribution and trademark notice
- `run.py` — **runnable demo**: real agent loop with mock tools (`pip install anthropic`, set `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, `python run.py`)
- `agentaz.json` / `agentaz.schema.json` — AgentAz™ governance spec + schema

## Implementation notes

- Enforce draft-only in a hard rule and keep inbox access read scope; an agent that sends email on its own can cause real damage with one bad reply.
- Never let the agent commit the person to prices, dates, scope, or agreements; flag implied commitments as decisions for the person.
- Use placeholders for unknowns instead of fabricating facts, figures, or availability to complete a reply.
- Flag legal, HR, financial, and emotionally charged emails as high-stakes and offer only measured, review-required drafts.
- Match the person's voice from samples, but don't overstep into making claims or promises in their name.
- Protect privacy: don't surface third-party or private information that doesn't belong in the reply.
- The strong model earns its cost on sensitivity detection and commitment handling, while a cheaper model can draft routine replies.

## Variations

- **Basic — Reply drafter:** Drafts a contextual reply in your voice from the thread for you to review and send. Draft-only.
- **Advanced — Guarded drafting:** Adds commitment guards, fabrication prevention with placeholders, sensitivity flagging, and voice matching from samples.
- **Enterprise — Inbox assistant:** Adds inbox integration (read), team voice profiles, approval workflows, sensitive-email routing, and analytics — always draft-only.

## FAQ

**Will it send emails for me?**

No. It always produces a draft for you to review, edit, and send. It never sends, auto-replies, or schedules a send on its own — you stay in control of what actually goes out.

**Could it promise something I didn't approve?**

No. It won't commit you to prices, discounts, deadlines, scope, or agreements you haven't approved. Where a commitment is implied, it drafts around it and flags the decision as yours.

**Does it make up facts to complete a reply?**

No. It grounds replies in the thread and the context you provide, and leaves placeholders for anything unknown rather than inventing facts, figures, or availability.

**How does it handle an angry or legal email?**

It flags high-stakes emails — legal threats, complaints, HR or financial matters — and offers only a measured, non-committal draft, with a note to review it (and involve the right people) before sending.

**Will it sound like me?**

Yes. Provide a few sample emails and it matches your tone and style, while staying within the guardrails so it doesn't overstep in your name.

**Is my email data kept private?**

It reads the thread and context with read-only access to draft the reply and keeps that in scope. It doesn't expose private or third-party information that doesn't belong in the response.


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© 2026 AgentKits · www.agent-kits.com

**Open source.** Code, configuration, and the AgentAz™ schema are licensed under
**Apache-2.0**; specification text and documentation under **CC BY 4.0** (with
attribution to AgentKits, link to https://www.agent-kits.com). See LICENSE, LICENSE-CONTENT,
and NOTICE in this bundle. "AgentAz" and "AgentKits" are trademarks of AgentKits.

**Flagship reference blueprint.** View the source, AgentAz™ spec, and frozen v1.0 schema
in the public registry: https://github.com/agent-kits/agentaz
Original: https://agent-kits.com/kit/email-reply-drafter
