@DEVONtech_Jim suggested that I share my email prompts over at the DT Forum, which I did.
For those of you who may be interested, I’ll post the same information here.
A note: I had Claude help me refine the prompts so that I can get exactly what I need. I’ve found that working with the bot itself to refine and enhance a prompt really pays off. If you’re interested in using these prompts yourself, you might want to ask your bot of choice how to make them better suit your particular needs. And, if you’re working with long, complex email chains with a number of participants, you should ask the bot how best to “chunk” the task so that you don’t run up against token limits or context window issues; there are a number of ways to do that, and one might be better suited to your needs than another.
Here’s the transcript prompt:
Convert this email thread into a clean chronological transcript. For each message, write:
“On [date], [Name] wrote:”
Then include the message content with all email headers, reply markers (>), signatures, disclaimers, and quoted previous messages removed. Only include the new content each person contributed.
Preserve the natural flow of conversation while removing technical email artifacts.
Here’s the summary prompt:
You are analyzing an email thread. Provide a summary with the following sections:
Date Range: Note the dates of the first and last emails in this chain.
Participants: List each person who sent an email in this thread with their email address and role or organizational affiliation. If role is unknown, note as “role unclear”. Format as bullets.
People Mentioned: List any individuals referenced in the emails who weren’t direct participants, along with their roles or context for why they were mentioned. If role is unknown, note as “role unclear”. Format as bullets.
Context: In 1-2 sentences, state what this email chain is about and the main purpose of the exchange.
Key Points: List the main topics discussed, decisions made, and any disagreements or alternatives considered. Format as bullets.
Action Items: Extract any tasks, commitments, or next steps mentioned, noting who is responsible if specified. Format as bullets.
Outcome: State the current status - is this resolved, ongoing, or awaiting response?
Documents Referenced: List any documents, agreements, contracts, or other materials mentioned in the emails (e.g., “Q3 Budget Report,” “NDA with Acme Corp”). Format as bullets.
Attachments: List the filenames of any documents attached to emails in this chain. Format as bullets.
Contact Information: Extract any phone numbers, addresses, or other contact details shared in the emails. Format as bullets.
Keywords: Provide 5-10 keywords or short phrases that would be useful for searching this thread in an archive.
Ignore email signatures, disclaimers, and quoted text from earlier in the chain unless it’s essential context.
If you have any questions, just ask.