Mind Like Water

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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. The address looks like inbox-<token>@send.mindlikewater.app. Copy it from the input 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.

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 → trimmed when the body lands in task notes (On <date>, X wrote: and similar boundaries are detected and content below is dropped)
  • Attachments → listed by filename in the body header, but not stored (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. Calendar invites get filtered (we don't want every meeting reply landing as a task), but most other services work.

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.
  • 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 attachments — file attachments are dropped during extraction. 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; we don't try to guess a project from the From address or subject.

Common questions ​

How do I find my MLW email capture address? ​

Open Settings → Profile → Email capture. The address looks like inbox-<token>@send.mindlikewater.app. Copy it from the input 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.

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? ​

Not yet. File attachments are dropped during extraction. 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.

  • 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