Inspiration
Managing emails manually is repetitive and time-consuming. I wanted to build an intelligent system that automates inbox workflows using agent-based AI, reducing human effort while ensuring secure access to sensitive data.
What it does
The system automatically fetches, parses, and processes emails, and can generate or send responses based on structured inputs. It uses scheduled workflows to continuously monitor activity and supports dynamic inputs like email, subject, and message for automation tasks.
How we built it
I built the system using a modular, agent-driven architecture that separates orchestration, processing, and external integrations. A FastAPI backend serves as the core processing layer, exposing REST endpoints like /sendQuotes and /getQuotes to handle both sending structured inputs (email, subject, message) and retrieving existing messages. Gmail APIs are integrated to fetch, parse, and manage emails, while Auth0 Token Vault securely handles OAuth tokens, eliminating the need to store sensitive credentials locally. This ensures secure, scalable access to user data with strong validation using Pydantic.
For automation, we used OpenClaw to orchestrate workflows through agents configured with HTTP/exec capabilities. Cron jobs trigger these agents at regular intervals, enabling continuous monitoring, reading, and processing of emails without manual intervention. The agent communicates with the FastAPI backend via HTTP requests to localhost:8000. This decoupled architecture makes the system reliable, easy to debug, and highly extensible, supporting features like automated replies, email reading (readQuotes), and future AI-driven enhancements.
Challenges we ran into
I faced issues with agent tool configuration, especially enabling exec/HTTP capabilities within cron-triggered sessions. Debugging localhost access and OpenClaw gateway pairing was tricky. Managing secure authentication with OAuth and integrating Auth0 Token Vault without exposing tokens also required careful setup
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I successfully built a fully automated, secure email workflow system with real-time processing. The integration of agent-based orchestration with a scalable backend and secure token management demonstrates a strong understanding of modern AI-driven architectures.
What we learned
I have gained hands-on experience with agentic systems, API design, and secure authentication workflows. And also learned how to debug distributed systems involving cron jobs, local services, and external APIs, and how to design modular, scalable architectures.
What's next for AI-Powered Email Automation Agent with OpenClaw & Gmail
I have plan to enhance the system with advanced AI capabilities like context-aware email replies, classification, and prioritization. And also aim to add multi-user support, deploy the backend to the cloud, and integrate additional communication platforms like Slack or SMS for broader automation.
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