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Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Getting Started · Estimated time: ~5 to 20 minutes (depending on the path you choose)
You come back from a week of leave. Your inbox has 340 unread emails. There are 12 from your manager, a few newsletters you meant to cancel, three meeting invites buried somewhere in the middle, and a thread with “URGENT” in the subject that turned out to be a lunch order. You could spend an hour scrolling, skimming, and sorting — or you could ask AI to summarise it all in 30 seconds. That’s what we’re building. A workflow that reads your Gmail and gives you a clear, useful summary — instantly.
Tutorial led by Chan Meng — Senior AI/ML Engineer, open-source contributor, and former ByteDance developer. Chan has built 30+ live applications and specialises in AI-powered solutions. She is also a panel speaker at this event and the developer behind this website.

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What you will build

Connect

Link an AI tool to your Gmail account so it can read your emails

Fetch

Pull emails — all unread, from a specific sender, or matching a search

Summarise

AI reads the emails and gives you a clear, actionable summary

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Two paths to choose from

This tutorial offers two ways to achieve the same result. Pick the one that suits your situation.

Path A: Gemini App

~5 minutes · QuickestOpen Gemini in your browser, turn on the Gmail extension, and start asking for summaries. No installation needed.

Path B: Gemini CLI + Voice

~20 minutes · RecommendedInstall Gemini CLI, add the Google Workspace extension, and speak your prompts with Wispr Flow. A more powerful, voice-first experience you can use every day.
Which path should I choose? If you just want results as fast as possible, choose Path A. If you want a more powerful experience — speaking naturally to your inbox from the terminal — choose Path B. Both paths produce the same result: a useful summary of your Gmail messages.
Voice or typing — both work. Path B is designed as voice-first using Wispr Flow, but every prompt works exactly the same if you type or paste it instead. Wispr Flow is optional — it just makes the experience hands-free.

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How it works

Path A: Gemini App (web) Path B: Gemini CLI + Voice Both paths connect an AI assistant to your Gmail account. The AI reads your emails, analyses the content, and produces a structured summary — all in seconds. Path B adds voice input so you can speak your requests naturally instead of typing.

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What you will learn

  • Connect an AI tool to a real service (Gmail) to access live data
  • Write clear prompts that produce useful, structured email summaries
  • Filter and search emails using natural language (by sender, date, topic)
  • Customise summary formats for different needs (quick catch-up, executive briefing, action items)
  • Ask follow-up questions about emails you haven’t read
  • Use voice input with Wispr Flow for a hands-free workflow (Path B)
  • Work with AI as a daily productivity tool for inbox management
No coding required. The AI handles everything — your job is to describe what kind of summary you want. If you can explain what you need to a colleague, you can do this.

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Tools

Gemini App

Google’s free AI assistant in your browser. Connect it to Gmail and chat with your inbox. Used in Path A.

Gemini CLI

Google’s free AI assistant that runs in your terminal. Supports extensions for Google Workspace. Used in Path B.

Wispr Flow

Optional voice input tool — speak instead of type. Works in any application, including your terminal. Used in Path B.

Node.js

Required to install Gemini CLI. Only needed for Path B.

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Cost

ToolCost
Gemini AppFree
Gemini CLIFree (1,000 requests/day)
Wispr FlowFree trial (invite link for a free month of Pro)
Node.jsFree
GmailFree
Total$0

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Prerequisites

A laptop with internet

Windows or macOS. No special hardware needed.

5 to 20 minutes

Depends on the path you choose. Take your time — there’s no rush.

A Gmail account

Any personal or work Gmail account. You will give the AI read-only access to your emails.
Ready to get started? Head to Set up your tools to get everything connected.