Email capture

Every MLW account has a private email address that turns inbound emails into Inbox tasks. Forward a flight confirmation, BCC the address on a thread you want to follow up on, or share it with a service that can email — anything sent to the address lands in your Inbox.

Find your address

Settings → Profile → Email capture address. The address looks like u_<token>@inbox.mindlikewater.app. Copy it with the copy button next to the field.

The address is private — anyone who has it can file to your Inbox. Don't post it publicly. If it ever leaks (or you want a fresh start), click Regenerate address in the same panel; the old address stops working immediately.

Capture modes

Pick how forwarded emails turn into items in your Inbox under Settings → Profile → Email capture mode. Three options:

• Body in task notes (default) — Subject becomes the task title; the email body lands in the task's notes field as plain text. Best for action emails where the body is short context you'll need when you do the task.
• Just the subject — Subject becomes the task title; the body is discarded. Best when you forward emails purely as reminders to act ("flight tomorrow at 6 AM" — you don't need the receipt body in your task).
• Task plus linked note — Subject becomes the task title; the body goes into a separate note that's linked back to the task. Pick this when emails carry formatted content (headers, lists, links) you want to keep intact — the linked note renders rich formatting; the task notes field doesn't.

Switching the setting only affects new captures. Already-captured tasks stay how they were.

AI suggestions on captured emails

If you're on Pro with AI Triage enabled, email captures get the same treatment as typed and voice captures: shortly after the task lands in your Inbox, Claude proposes an area, project, tags, or a due date for it. Open the task and the suggestions appear as dashed Suggested chips — tap to accept, × to dismiss. Nothing is applied without your say-so.

Because email subjects are often vague on their own, the suggestion call also sees the sender and a short excerpt of the email body (the first ~1,200 characters) for context. The model is prompted to be extra skeptical of email content — newsletters and receipts are full of dates that aren't your deadlines.

If AI Triage is off (or you're on the Free plan), captures work exactly as before — no AI call is made.

Subject prefix override

Start the subject line with n: or note: and the email becomes a standalone note instead of a task — regardless of which mode you chose above. Useful for capturing articles, threads, or research that don't have an action attached.

Examples:

• Subject Renewal contract from Acme legal → task (shape depends on your mode)
• Subject n: Slow Productivity book recommendation → standalone note
• Subject note: thread on Q3 OKRs → standalone note

What gets captured

• Subject → task title (or note title if n: prefix)
• From → shown in the body header as From: Name <email>
• Received timestamp → shown in the body header as Received: Apr 29, 2026 8:14 AM
• Plain-text body → preserved (HTML is cleaned to plain text first)
• Quoted reply chains → kept intact. Trimming them sounds nice, but the same On <date>, X wrote: boundary appears in forwarded emails — where the content below it is exactly what you wanted captured. Edit the notes field if you want to clean up.
• Attachments → filenames and types listed in the header, marked "not stored"; the files themselves aren't kept (roadmap)

Use cases

• Flight confirmations — forward to your address, file under a Travel project later
• "Follow up later" threads — BCC your capture address when you reply, so the thread shows up in Inbox even if you forget about it
• Receipts you need to action — "submit Q3 expenses" can be the subject; the receipt PDF link in the body
• Article saves — n: This article on Slow Productivity from your reading app's "share to email"
• Other apps that can email — anything with a mailto integration.

Privacy + security

• The email address is generated from a per-user random token, not from your account email. That means people who know your real email can't guess your capture address.
• We accept mail at the address but don't read or store it beyond the task/note we create. The original email is dropped after extraction.
• If you have AI Triage enabled, the subject, sender, and a short body excerpt are additionally sent to Anthropic's Claude to generate suggestions — same privacy terms as every other AI Triage call (no retention, no training). With AI Triage off, nothing leaves MLW.
• Rate limit: 50 captures per hour, per account. Past that, further emails in the same hour are rejected rather than queued — they do not arrive late. This mostly matters if you point an automated sender at your address.
• The Regenerate address button is your kill switch. If a vendor leaks the address, regenerate immediately — the old one stops working without leaving stale data behind.

Keyboard shortcuts

There aren't any — email capture is push, not pull. The captured task lands in your Inbox like any other inbox item; from there, the standard i (jump to Inbox) and clarify flow apply.

What MLW doesn't do (yet)

• No attachment storage — filenames and types are listed in the captured item, but the files themselves aren't stored. Roadmap.
• No reply-to-inbox — you can't reply to a captured task email and have the reply append. We'd rather you act on the task in MLW.
• No automatic project assignment — captured items always land in Inbox for triage. With AI Triage on, MLW may suggest a project (or area, tags, due date), but a suggestion only applies when you tap it.

Common questions

How do I find my MLW email capture address?

Open Settings → Profile → Email capture address. The address looks like u_<token>@inbox.mindlikewater.app. Copy it with the copy button next to the field.

How do I turn an email into a note instead of a task?

Start the subject line with n: or note: and the email becomes a Note instead of a task. Works regardless of your email capture mode setting. Useful for capturing articles, threads, or research without an action attached.

Can I keep formatted email bodies (links, lists, headers)?

Yes — switch your Email capture mode to "Task plus linked note" in Settings → Profile. The body lands in a separate linked note where the rich editor preserves formatting. The default ("Body in task notes") strips formatting because the task notes field is a plain textarea.

Can other people email my capture address?

Yes — anyone with the address can file to your Inbox. Don't post it publicly. If it ever leaks, click Regenerate address in Settings → Profile to get a fresh one; the old address stops working immediately.

Do email attachments come through?

Partly. Attachment filenames and types are listed in the captured task or note, so you know what was on the original. The files themselves aren't stored — go back to the original email to get them. Byte storage is on the roadmap.

Does MLW keep the original email after creating the task?

No. The original email is dropped after extraction. Only the resulting task or note (with subject as title and body as notes) persists.

Related

• Inbox — where captured emails land for triage
• Capture — the GTD-flow page that ties all capture paths together
• People & delegation — a captured email's From address can prompt a Waiting follow-up