Gmail Draft Creation Instructions¶

Purpose¶

These instructions guide AI agents to convert a generated newsletter HTML file into a Gmail draft email using the MCP Gmail server.

Prerequisites¶

Newsletter HTML file has been generated using template_instructions.md
MCP Gmail server is configured and accessible
User has Gmail authentication set up

Step-by-Step Process¶

Locate and read the generated newsletter HTML file (typically named like issue-XXX-newsletter.html)
Confirm the HTML contains complete newsletter content with proper formatting
Verify all links are clean URLs without file extensions

From the HTML file, extract: - Issue number: Look for "Issue #X" in the meta-info section - Issue date: Extract from meta-info section (format: "Month DD, YYYY") - Newsletter name: Extract from the <h1> tag in header (e.g., "AI Pulse") - Featured article title: Extract from the hero article title for subject line

Step 3: Craft Professional Subject Line¶

Create subject line using this format:

[Newsletter Name] Issue #X - [Featured Article Hook]

Examples: - AI Pulse Issue #1 - Passive Investing's $13T Cognitive Labor Blind Spot - AI Pulse Issue #2 - Enterprise RAG Architecture Reality Check

Guidelines: - Keep under 60 characters when possible - Focus on the business impact or key insight - Use numbers/dollar amounts when relevant for executive attention - Avoid technical jargon - use plain business language

Step 4: Convert to Inline CSS¶

CRITICAL: Email clients strip <style> tags. Convert all CSS to inline styles for proper rendering.

Automated Process: 1. Parse the <style> section to extract all CSS rules 2. Match CSS selectors to HTML elements 3. Apply corresponding styles as style="..." attributes on each element 4. Remove <style> and </style> tags entirely 5. Preserve <link> tags for web fonts (Gmail supports these)

AI Implementation Approach: - Systematically process each CSS class and ID selector - Apply styles to matching HTML elements throughout the document - Handle complex selectors (e.g., .hero-article .article-title a) - Preserve cascade order when multiple rules apply to same element

Key styles to inline: - Background colors: #202124, #282a2e, gradients - Text colors: #ffffff, #d0d0d0, #9aa0a6, #2AA1FF - Typography: font sizes, weights, line heights - Layout: padding, margins, flexbox properties - Borders and shadows: border: 1px solid #3b3b3b, box shadows

Example conversion:

<!-- FROM (doesn't work in Gmail): -->
<div class="email-container">

<!-- TO (works in Gmail): -->
<div style="max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; background-color: #282a2e; box-shadow: 0 8px 32px rgba(0,0,0,0.4); border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden;">

Step 5: Prepare Recipients List¶

Default recipients for internal executive newsletters: - Use user-specified recipient list - For testing: Use user's own email address - For distribution: Typically executive team or specified distribution list

Step 6: Create Gmail Draft Using MCP Server¶

Use the MCP Gmail server draft_email function with these parameters:

mcp__gongrzhe-server-gmail-autoauth-mcp__draft_email
Parameters:
- to: [recipient list array]
- subject: [crafted subject line from Step 3]  
- body: [complete HTML content from Step 1]
- mimeType: "text/html"

Important Notes: - Use mimeType: "text/html" for proper HTML rendering - Include the complete HTML from <html> to </html> - Do not modify the HTML content - use it exactly as generated - The Gmail MCP server will handle HTML email formatting automatically

Step 7: Confirm Draft Creation¶

Verify the draft was created successfully
Note the draft ID or confirmation message
Inform user that the draft is ready for review in Gmail

Step 8: Provide Next Steps to User¶

Inform the user: - Draft email has been created in Gmail - Subject line used - Number of recipients - Recommend reviewing the draft in Gmail before sending - Suggest any timing considerations for executive distribution

Example Implementation¶

# After reading issue-001-newsletter.html:
Subject: "AI Pulse Issue #1 - Passive Investing's $13T Cognitive Labor Blind Spot"
Recipients: [user-specified list]
Content: [Full HTML from newsletter file]
MimeType: text/html

# MCP Gmail Draft Call:
mcp__gongrzhe-server-gmail-autoauth-mcp__draft_email({
  "to": ["executive-team@company.com"],
  "subject": "AI Pulse Issue #1 - Passive Investing's $13T Cognitive Labor Blind Spot", 
  "body": "[complete HTML content]",
  "mimeType": "text/html"
})

Error Handling¶

If HTML file is missing: Request user to generate newsletter first
If MCP server fails: Provide error details and suggest retry
If subject line exceeds limits: Automatically truncate while preserving key information
If recipients not specified: Ask user for recipient list

Quality Checklist¶

HTML content converted to inline CSS (no <style> tags)
All background colors and gradients properly inlined
Text colors and typography styles applied inline
Subject line is professional and under 60 characters
Recipients list is appropriate for content sensitivity
MimeType is set to "text/html" for proper rendering
All links in HTML are clean URLs (no .md extensions)
Draft creation confirmed successful

Notes¶

These instructions work with any newsletter HTML generated using the template system
Subject line format can be customized per organization needs
Recipients can be configured for different distribution lists
Always create draft first - never send directly without user review