Rules let you tell Cora exactly how to handle specific emails—no AI guessing required. When an email matches a rule, it's processed instantly according to your instructions.
How rules work
Rules are processed before AI classification:
Cora checks if the email matches any of your rules
If a rule matches, classification is instant
If no rules match, AI analyzes the email
First match wins—once a rule matches, processing stops.
Types of rules
Sender rules
Match specific email addresses or domains:
from:[email protected]— specific addressfrom:*@newsletter.com— entire domainfrom:*smith*— name patterns
Subject rules
Match text in email subjects:
subject:"Monthly Report"— exact matchsubject:invoice— partial matchsubject:*urgent*— pattern matching
Content rules
Match text in the email body:
body:"action required"body:meeting AND body:tomorrow
Label rules
Match existing Gmail labels:
label:importantlabel:CATEGORY_SOCIAL
Creating rules with the Assistant
Simple sender rules:
"Always put emails from [email protected] in Important Context" "Never brief emails from @marketing-platform.com" "Keep all emails from my boss in the inbox"
Complex pattern rules:
"Put all emails with 'Invoice' in the subject in Payments category" "Mark emails from airlines about flights as Timely" "Categorize emails from *@client.com as Client Work"
Managing your rules
View rules:
"Show me all my classification rules" "What rules do I have for the Newsletter category?" "List rules for sender @company.com"
Modify rules:
"Delete the rule for [email protected]" "Change the rule for @oldcompany.com to @newcompany.com" "Remove all rules for the Promotions category"
Best practices
Start specific, broaden if needed: Create rules for exact addresses first, then expand to domains if that works
Use sender rules for consistent sources: Great for newsletters, clients, or teammates
Use subject rules for transactional emails: Invoices, receipts, confirmations
Use content rules sparingly: They're slower to process
Test with recent emails: Make sure the rule catches what you expect
Example: Complete client workflow
Create custom category: "Active Clients" (Inbox action)
Add sender rule: "All from *@client-abc.com → Active Clients"
Add subject rule: "Subject contains 'ABC Project' → Active Clients"
Result: All client emails automatically stay in your inbox.
Teaching Cora via email
You can also create rules by forwarding emails to [email protected] with instructions:
Forward an email and add: "Always put emails from this sender in Important Context" "Create a rule for all emails from this company"
This is perfect for training Cora without leaving your inbox.