Recipe: Shared Inbox Triage

Process open items in shared inboxes. Review each item, assign to the right person, respond where possible, and mark resolved items as done.

Prerequisite: Read the use-spark base skill for command reference and filter syntax.

Access level required: triage.

Steps

Step 1: List open items

spark emails shared@company.com:Inbox --filter "is:shared_inbox_open"

Replace shared@company.com:Inbox with the actual shared inbox identifier from spark folders.

Step 2: Check unassigned items (highest priority)

spark emails shared@company.com:Inbox --filter "is:shared_inbox_open assigned_to:unassigned"

These need someone to own them.

Step 3: Review each item

spark thread <id>

Read the full conversation to understand the request.

Step 4: Take action

Assign to the right person:

spark action assign <id> --assignee specialist@co.com --comment "Billing question, your area"

Respond directly if you can:

spark draft --reply-to <id> --body "..."

Comment for internal coordination:

spark comment <id> --body "I've contacted the vendor about this, waiting for their response"

Mark as done if resolved:

spark action markAsDone <id>

Step 5: Review completed items

spark emails shared@company.com:Inbox --filter "is:shared_inbox_done"

Periodically check that completed items are truly resolved.

Tips

• Start with unassigned items - they're the most urgent because nobody is handling them.
• Use spark team to see team members and their current assignment load before assigning.
• Always add a --comment when assigning to explain why that person should handle it.
• Process the queue in a batch: list all, review, assign, then move on - don't switch between inbox and individual items.
• Mark items as done immediately after resolution to keep the queue accurate.
• Use spark folders to find the exact shared inbox identifier (e.g., shared@company.com:Inbox).