When a message arrives, Max reads it and applies one or more of your labels in the provider. In Gmail those are labels. In Outlook they are categories, and, when you ask for it, folders.

Standard labels ship with Max. They are the numbered set you see in the mailbox.

1:to respond is a message that needs a reply from you. A question on an open Deal. A Lead asking for a time. This label is the one that generates a draft by default.

2:watching is a thread where you are CC’d and someone else is expected to answer.

3:scheduling needed is an explicit ask to book, move, or cancel time. It often sits next to to respond.

4:awaiting reply is mail you sent, where you are waiting. Follow-ups look here.

5:actioned is a thread that is done.

6:FYI, 7:meeting update, 8:comment, 9:notification are awareness. Forwards, calendar mail, Doc comments, tool alerts.

10:marketing is cold or promotional mail. By default Max moves it out of the inbox and leaves it out of CRM ingest.

11:action required is work you do outside email. Sign a DocuSign. Approve something in another tool.

You can deactivate a standard label. You cannot delete it.

Custom labels are yours. A name, a short description of when to use it, a color. Examples: “Harrington,” “closed-won paperwork,” “invoice request.” Max uses that description the same way he uses the standard guidelines.

Categorization instructions sit on the mailbox. Extra rules for this inbox. “Vendor newsletters are FYI.” “Anything from the family office counsel is to respond.” Keep them about what the mail is, not how to write back.

You also set how tight to respond and marketing are. Tighter to respond means fewer drafts. Tighter marketing means fewer promotions leave the inbox.

Each label, standard or custom, has two switches that change the mailbox.

Move to folder takes the message out of the inbox when that label is applied.

In Gmail, Max applies the label and removes Inbox. The thread is still searchable under that label. Marketing does this by default.

In Outlook, Max applies the category and, when this is on, moves the message into a folder with the same name. He creates that folder if it is missing. Outlook can only live in one folder, so this is a real move, not only a tag.

Use move to folder when you want that class of mail out of the way. Marketing. A custom “receipts” label. Leave it off for to respond and watching so those stay in the inbox.

Generate draft tells Max to write a reply when that label is applied, if drafting is on for the mailbox. To respond has this on. You can turn it on for a custom label, for example “invoice request,” so those threads get a draft too. You can turn it off on to respond if you only want labels.

Ingest is whether that mail feeds People, Companies, and memory. Marketing is off. To respond and FYI are on.

When a labeled thread is set to generate a draft, Max writes in Gmail or Outlook. He reads the thread, the Person, the Company, the Deal, and any email playbook that matches.

You do not set a writing style. Max learns the tone of that recipient from how you already write to them, and from the thread in front of him. A Harrington reply sounds like your last Harrington replies. A new Lead sounds like how you open new Leads. Leave style out of the instructions.

Drafting instructions are what to do, for this mailbox. “On open Deals, mention stage and last interaction.” “If they ask for time, include my scheduling link.” “Invoice asks: pull last month from Stripe and put the link in the draft.” That is the job. Tone stays with the recipient.

Email playbooks are the reusable version of that job. Description is when to use it. Instructions are how. Assign them, and scope them to this mailbox or to all of them.

A playbook for invoice asks: match the sender to a Company, fetch last month’s Stripe invoice, put the link in the draft.

A playbook for a sequence reply that wants a meeting: open the Person and the Deal, write a short yes, include the calendar link.

The mailbox instructions apply to every draft in that inbox. The playbook applies when the description matches. Both can run on the same thread. You still approve the send.

A custom signature, if you set one, is appended. Scheduling links from Max settings are available when the playbook or the instructions call for a time.

Follow-ups need labeling. Max looks at mail you sent that is still awaiting reply. After the number of days you set, 1 to 30, he writes a follow-up draft on that thread. A daily pass. You send it.

Follow-up instructions are when and how to nudge. “If I asked for a signed mandate, remind them once and offer a call.” “If I sent a quote, ask whether they had questions.” Same rule as drafting: this is the job, not the voice. Tone still comes from that recipient.

Follow-up drafts also see your drafting instructions and the email playbooks on that mailbox. The Stripe invoice playbook can run again if the wait was about an invoice. The meeting playbook can run if you were waiting on a time.

If you already replied on the thread, Max clears the stale draft. Awaiting reply is for threads that are still open.

Drafting off: Max stops writing new drafts. Drafts already in Gmail or Outlook stay. You send or delete them there.

Follow-ups off: the daily pass stops. Existing follow-up drafts stay in the mailbox.

Labeling off: Max stops applying labels. Drafts and follow-ups need labeling, so turn those off first, or keep labeling on.

Turning labeling off does not remove labels, categories, or folders from Gmail or Outlook. The numbered labels, your custom labels, and any folders Max created stay in the provider. Frontline leaves them there on purpose, so disabling the agent does not delete how your inbox is organized. If you want them gone, delete those labels or folders yourself in Gmail or Outlook.

Same idea when you remove a custom label in Frontline. It leaves the Frontline list. The label or category in the provider stays until you delete it there.

Turn labeling back on and Max syncs the active set to the provider again, then starts classifying new mail.

Set this per mailbox. Work can label, draft, and follow up. Personal can label only, with marketing moved to a folder. Read a draft before you send. The agent is the first pass. You are still the sender.