Set up an inbox sorter agent, no code

What it is

Zapier Agents lets you build an agent: AI that completes a task with several steps for you, not just one answer. Here, the agent reads each new Gmail email, puts it in a group and lists the emails that need a reply. Zapier's help pages say agents can work on their own or when you chat with them.

Who it is for

This helps anyone whose inbox fills up during the day: managers, sales and support staff, assistants and founders. It is useful if you spend the first part of each morning deciding which emails matter. You do not need to write code.

What you need

• A Zapier account. You sign up at agents.zapier.com.
• A Gmail account you can connect to Zapier.
• On a Zapier Enterprise account, an admin or the account owner must first enable Agents for the whole account at agents.zapier.com.
• The help pages do not say which paid plan you need. They only say that agents use activities when they run, and that you can upgrade your Zapier Agents plan if you need more.

Zapier's help pages also note that Zapier is moving Agents to AI by Zapier. Menus may change over time.

Set it up

1. Go to agents.zapier.com and sign up or sign in.
2. In the left sidebar, click + New agent.
3. In the dialog box, choose to start with a custom agent.
4. In the text field, type your instructions. Zapier says to describe what should trigger the agent, what tasks it should do and which apps it should use. Use the example in the next section.
5. Click Create agent.
6. In the Connect your apps step, you will see the apps Zapier found in your instructions. For Gmail, click the Settings icon to create a new connection, or pick an existing connection from the dropdown menu.
7. Click Create. You land on the agent's Configure screen.
8. Check the trigger. Zapier says you can change it on this screen.
9. Look at the section Tools this agent can use. To add one, click + Add Tool, choose the app, then open the Find data tab. Zapier says this tab shows only actions that search for data. The Take action tab shows actions that change data, so leave it alone for this agent.
10. Test the agent on the Configure screen.
11. Click Publish to activate the agent.

A first thing to try

Paste this into the instructions field in step 4, and change the group names to fit your work:

When a new email arrives in Gmail, read it and put it in one of these groups: Customers, Team, Invoices and admin, Other.
Then make a list of the emails that need a reply. For each one, give the sender, the subject and one short line on why it needs a reply.
Only read email. Do not send, reply to, delete or move any email.

After you publish, send yourself a test email. Then open the All activity page, where Zapier says you can see past actions. The help pages do not say where the agent shows its list, so you can also open New chat for your agent and ask it.

Limits and privacy

• Every time an action runs, it uses one activity from your activity limit. Deleting an agent does not remove the activity it already used.
• Zapier Agents plans have a daily limit of 500 messages. This includes messages from automated actions. On a Custom plan, the limit depends on the activities in your plan.
• Very long instructions can hit token limits. Zapier says to shorten them. To share larger amounts of data, use a knowledge source.
• The agent can still use any action you have added, even if it does not appear in your instructions. Add only the tools you want it to have.
• Agents are personal and tied to your account. They cannot be embedded on a website or shared as a live, customer-facing experience. You can share a template so others can make their own copy.
• Deleting an agent also deletes its activity, and you cannot recover it.
• Zapier's help pages do not say how email content is stored or used. Check Zapier's privacy information and your company's rules before you connect a work inbox.

Start with a short list of groups, read what the agent produces for a few days, then adjust the instructions.

Where these steps come from

Steps from Zapier's documentation, checked 13 Nov 2026.

• Build an agent in Zapier Agents
• Use actions on Zapier Agents
• Add your own data to an agent

This guide was written by AI from the pages above. Menus and plans change, so open them if a step looks different.