# 5 Steps to an AI Email Responder That Only Writes Drafts > A visual guide: an n8n agent reads each new Gmail message and saves a reply as a draft in the same thread. You read it and click Send. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/5-steps-ai-email-responder-drafts · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual#format-steps-carousel) · 7 slides · [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 1, 2026 · From the free lesson [AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n) A visual guide: an n8n agent reads each new Gmail message and saves a reply as a draft in the same thread. You read it and click Send. Swipe or scroll sideways for all 7 slides. The whole guide is written out below. ## The guide in text Greenline Pest Control (made up) gets the same questions every day. 5 steps to a reply waiting under each one. ## Step by step 1. ### Watch the inbox with a Gmail Trigger Pick the business inbox, then Fetch Test Event to see Dana's email as data: From, Subject, snippet and threadId. 2. ### Feed each email to an AI Agent Set Source for Prompt to Define below and pull in From, Subject and the message with expressions. 3. ### Give it a drafts-only tool A Gmail Tool with the resource set to **Draft**, and Thread ID set so the draft lands in the same conversation. 4. ### Write the rules Who it is, what it knows, the rules (drafts only, never make up prices, dates or services) and how to write. 5. ### Read the draft, then publish Dana's draft says yes to Maple Grove, $149 for the first visit, and asks for her address. You send it. Businesses and people in the examples are made up (Greenline Pest Control is a made-up business). The steps, screens and wording come from the free lesson and the Stepthrough glossary and prompt library. ## Do it yourself, free **AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically with n8n**. Build an n8n agent that watches your Gmail, reads each new customer email, and writes a reply as a draft in the same thread, ready for you to check and send. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of n8n, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/email-responder) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Gmail Trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gmail-trigger) · [Gmail draft](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gmail-draft) · [Human in the loop](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/human-in-the-loop) · [System prompt (system message)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/system-prompt) · [Action](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/action) · [Agent memory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agent-memory) · [AI Agent node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent-node) · [Artificial intelligence (AI)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/artificial-intelligence) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [AI agent system message prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/agent-system-message-draft-prompt): Draft the system message for an n8n AI Agent: who it is, what it knows, its rules and how it writes, including a rule never to… - [Daily priorities plan prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/daily-priorities-plan-prompt): Paste your to-do list and fixed times and get a realistic plan for today: top three, time blocks, a buffer, and what to move to… - ["Do you service my area?" reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/service-area-question-reply-prompt): Answer "do you cover my town?" from your real service area list: a clear yes with how to book, a kind no, or a request for the… - [FAQ from customer emails prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/faq-from-customer-emails-prompt): Turn a batch of customer emails into an FAQ: the questions people really ask, in their words, answered only from your facts… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## From the blog - [n8n Triggers Explained: Which One Starts Your Workflow?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/n8n-triggers-explained): n8n triggers explained: schedule, Gmail, chat, webhook and form triggers, how to test each one, and how the trigger changes your AI Agent's prompt. - [How to Stop ChatGPT from Making Things Up: 5 Guardrails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/stop-chatgpt-making-things-up): Stop ChatGPT from making things up with five guardrails: a facts list, a Not stated rule, never-invent rules, a closed category list and a final check. - [How to Start Using AI in a Small Business: 5 Projects](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/start-using-ai-small-business): How to start using AI in a small business: five first projects, from better prompts to an inbox agent, with what each saves and what it costs. ## More visual guides - [Myth: Telling an AI Agent Not to Send Email Is Enough](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/myth-tell-the-agent-not-to-send): Myth vs fact: a "drafts only" rule in the system prompt helps, but choosing the Draft resource in the Gmail tool is what makes sending impossible. - [What Is Human in the Loop? A Visual Guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/term-human-in-the-loop-explained): A visual guide to human in the loop: the AI drafts and a person approves before anything takes effect, shown in a real n8n email lesson. - [5 Steps to an AI Agent That Categorizes Business Expenses](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/5-steps-ai-expense-categorizer): A visual guide: an n8n agent sorts expenses into a fixed list of categories, flags unclear ones as Needs Review and saves them to Google Sheets. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)