Email Thread Summarizer
Collapse a long email thread into where it stands, what was decided, and what is still open, with each point attributed to who said it.
Overview
Email Thread Summarizer collapses a long email chain into what matters: where the thread stands, what was decided, and what is still open. It finds the thread through browse_engagements, then reads the actual body with conversation intelligence so the summary reflects the real exchange rather than subject lines. One thread at a time, distilled for a fast catch-up before you reply.
The skill helps sellers, account managers, and anyone staring at a twenty-message chain before a decision. Name the account, contact, or subject if you know it, or let the skill list recent threads and pick from a short numbered shortlist before it spends any credits. Add an emphasis, like what the client needs from you or just the decisions, and the output bends toward it.
The summary reads in order of importance, not the order messages arrived. Each point is attributed to who said it, and the open items call out specifically what is being asked of whom. A suggested reply focus points at the one or two things your response should cover. When the thread's content cannot be read, the skill tells you and asks you to name it or paste the chain, rather than summarizing from assumption.
What It Does
- Thread location: Finds the right email chain by account, contact, or subject, and offers a numbered shortlist when the target is ambiguous.
- Body reading: Retrieves the actual thread content so the summary rests on what was written, not metadata.
- Importance ordering: Distills the chain by what matters most, lifting the decisive points above the chronological noise.
- Attribution: Ties each decision and point to the participant who stated it.
- Open-item surfacing: Calls out what is unresolved and exactly what is being asked of whom.
- Reply focus: Names the one or two things your response should address when you are drafting one.
Use Cases
Catch Up Before Replying
A thread has grown to two dozen messages while you were heads-down, and a reply is overdue. Point the skill at the subject or account, and it returns where the thread stands, the decisions reached, and the open questions, each attributed to its author. You can answer in minutes instead of scrolling to the top.
Pull Decisions From a Stakeholder Chain
A cross-functional chain has buried three real decisions under scheduling and side chatter. Ask for just the decisions, and the skill lifts them out with attribution, showing who committed to what so you can act on the agreements without rereading every message.
Find What a Client Still Needs
Before you respond to a client, you want to be sure nothing they asked for falls through. Emphasize what they need from you, and the summary surfaces the open requests and the specific asks directed at you, plus a suggested focus for the reply so your response closes the loop.
Skill Definition
The raw markdown Claude uses when this skill is invoked.
--- name: email-thread-summarizer description: Summarize a long email thread into its current state, the decisions and key points, and the open questions. Finds the thread with browse_engagements (emails), then uses conversation_intelligence with includeContent to read the actual thread body. Name the account, contact, or subject if you know it, or let the skill list recent threads to pick from. Use when someone says "summarize this email thread", "what's the state of the Acme thread", "catch me up on this email chain", or faces a long back-and-forth before replying. Summarizes one thread at a time. --- # Email Thread Summarizer Collapse a long email chain into what matters: where it stands, what was decided, and what is still open. ## Prerequisites `browse_engagements` (to find the thread) requires a connected email integration; `conversation_intelligence` (to read the body) requires at least one connected email source and consumes AI credits. If the thread's content is not available to read, say so rather than guessing at its contents. ## Input Provided via `$ARGUMENTS`: - **Which thread** (optional) — an account, contact, or subject. If omitted, the skill lists recent email threads to pick from. - **Emphasis** (optional) — e.g. "what do they need from me", "just the decisions". Shapes the output. ## Workflow 1. **Find the thread.** Call `browse_engagements` with `engagementType: EMAILS` (scoped to the account/contact if known, `sort: -chronological`). If the target is ambiguous, present a short numbered shortlist (subject, participants, date) and let the user pick before spending credits. Keep the chosen engagement ID. 2. **Read the body.** Run `conversation_intelligence` scoped to that engagement ID with `includeContent: true` so it returns the actual email body/thread alongside its answer. Ask for the thread's current state, the decisions and commitments, and the open questions. Keep it to the one thread; CI cannot search across threads by topic. 3. **Summarize.** Distill the chain in reading order of importance, not message order. Attribute key points to who said them. Surface what needs a reply or a decision. Do not invent positions no one stated. ## Output Format ### Thread summary — [Subject] *Participants: [names]. Spans [first date] to [last date], [N] messages.* **Where it stands** — 2-3 sentences on the current state and what the thread is waiting on. **Decisions & key points** — bullets, each attributed to who said it. **Open questions / needs a reply** — what is unresolved, and specifically what is being asked of whom. **Suggested reply focus** *(if the user is drafting a response)* — the one or two things their reply should address. ### When there is no data If no matching thread is found, or its content cannot be read, tell the user and ask them to name the thread or paste the chain, rather than summarizing from assumption.
Created by
Rowan Bailey
Senior Director, Product
Provided by
ZoomInfo ↗Capabilities
- Finds the thread by account, contact, or subject via browse_engagements
- Reads the actual thread body with conversation_intelligence includeContent
- Orders the summary by importance, not message order
- Attributes each decision and point to who said it
- Surfaces open questions and what a reply needs to address