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I built Emailbottle – AI email assistant, no inbox access

I built Emailbottle – AI email assistant, no inbox access

by devshaded·Apr 16, 2026·3 points·0 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemSlick

AI email help without OAuth permissions—just forward messages to a private address.

Strengths
  • •Zero OAuth permissions required; the service only sees emails you explicitly forward.
  • •Works across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail without plugins or client-side installs.
  • •Handles threads, attachments, and returns .ics calendar files directly via email.
Weaknesses
  • •Manual forwarding adds friction compared to integrated inbox apps like Superhuman.
  • •$30/month pricing is steep for a forwarding wrapper compared to built-in AI.
Category
AI/ML
Target Audience

Privacy-conscious professionals, enterprise users

Similar To

Superhuman · Shortwave · Gmail AI

Post Description

Hey HN, I built Emailbottle because I wanted AI help with my email without giving an app full access to my inbox. You get a personal email address (like [email protected]). Forward an email to it with an instruction like “summarize this” or “pull out the action items,” and it replies. You can also ask it to create calendar events (it sends back .ics files), set reminders (it emails you at the scheduled time), or draft replies.

Since it’s just email, it works with Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, or whatever you use. No plugins, no extensions, no OAuth permissions. And because you forward individual emails rather than connecting your inbox, Emailbottle only ever sees what you explicitly send it. It also supports conversation threads. You can reply to Emailbottle’s response to ask follow-up questions or refine what it gave you, and it remembers the context.

Would love any feedback on the product or the approach.

(Disclaimer: This is a relaunch with improvements based on earlier feedback.)

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