# Email rules

Write a rule in a sentence and alfred_ applies it to every email that comes in: put a client first, archive a digest, forward invoices, or text you when a message arrives.

Source: https://get-alfred.ai/docs/email/rules  
Updated: 2026-10-24

An email rule is a standing instruction. Say it in a sentence and alfred_ applies it to every email that arrives from then on.

## Making a rule

Ask alfred_ anywhere, or go to **Settings → Rules**:

- "Text me when an email from Dana Lee arrives"
- "Anything from @acmelaw.com is a client, put it first"
- "Archive the weekly report from <reports@vendor.com>"
- "Move receipts to the Receipts folder"
- "Forward invoices from Northside to <billing@mycompany.com>"

## What a rule can do

| Action | What it does |
| - | - |
| Text you | Sends you a text when a matching email arrives, with who it's from and what they need |
| Protect | Keeps a sender in your inbox and first on Home, even if it looks like a newsletter |
| Label | Tags matching mail so it's easy to find |
| Move | Files matching mail into a folder |
| Archive | Takes matching mail out of the inbox. Nothing is deleted |
| Forward | Sends a copy of matching mail to an address you choose |
| Draft tone, or no draft | Changes how alfred_ drafts replies to a sender, or stops drafts for them |

A rule matches on who sent it, the domain, what the email is about, attachments, and whether you're on To or CC. Rules can't reply to anyone.

## When a rule is saved

- A rule that only **texts you or labels** mail is saved right away, and alfred_ tells you what it saved.
- A rule that **archives, moves or forwards** is shown to you first, and saved when you say yes.

After that, rules run on each matching email without asking again. That's the point of a rule: you set it once.

## Managing rules

**Settings → Rules** lists every rule you have, and the senders you've pinned or muted. Change or turn off a rule there, or ask alfred_ ("stop texting me about Dana's emails").

## Rules and quiet hours

Rules that text you respect [quiet hours](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/preferences#quiet-hours). Alerts that come in during quiet hours wait and arrive together when quiet hours end.

## Team rules

On a team, an admin can share rules with the whole team. A shared rule is off for each person until they turn it on. See [Team library](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/teams/team-library).

## Rules or routines?

A rule acts on each email as it arrives. A [routine](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines) does a bigger job, like a report or a round-up, on a schedule or when a matching email lands.

## Related

- [What needs you](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/email#how-alfred_-decides-what-needs-you)
- [Routines](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/routines)
- [Get a text when an important client emails](https://get-alfred.ai/docs/prompt-book/email/client-alerts)