Skills email-drafter
git clone https://github.com/TerminalSkills/skills
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/TerminalSkills/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/email-drafter" ~/.claude/skills/terminalskills-skills-email-drafter && rm -rf "$T"
skills/email-drafter/SKILL.mdEmail Drafter
Overview
Draft clear, professional emails for any business scenario. Handles client communication, internal updates, cold outreach, follow-ups, apologies, requests, and announcements. Adapts tone from formal to casual based on context, audience, and relationship.
Instructions
When a user asks you to draft an email, follow these steps:
Step 1: Determine the email type and tone
| Type | Tone | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Client communication | Professional, warm | Clear expectations, polite, solution-oriented |
| Cold outreach | Concise, compelling | Short, value-focused, clear CTA |
| Internal update | Direct, informative | Scannable, action items highlighted |
| Follow-up | Polite, persistent | Reference previous context, add value |
| Apology/issue | Empathetic, accountable | Acknowledge problem, provide solution, timeline |
| Request | Respectful, specific | Clear ask, context for why, easy to say yes |
| Introduction | Friendly, professional | Brief background, purpose of connection |
| Announcement | Enthusiastic, clear | Key info upfront, details below |
Step 2: Gather context
Before drafting, identify:
- Recipient: Who are they? What is the relationship?
- Purpose: What is the single main goal of this email?
- Context: Any previous conversations, meetings, or events to reference?
- Desired action: What should the recipient do after reading?
- Constraints: Urgency, sensitivity, formality level?
Step 3: Write using email structure
Subject: [Specific, actionable subject line - under 60 characters] [Greeting appropriate to relationship], [Opening: 1 sentence of context or connection] [Body: 2-4 short paragraphs covering the main points] - Use bullet points for lists or multiple items - Bold key dates, numbers, or action items - Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences max [Clear call to action: What do you need from them?] [Closing], [Name]
Step 4: Apply tone rules
Formal: Full sentences, no contractions, titles (Mr./Ms./Dr.), "I would appreciate", "Please find attached"
Professional: Contractions OK, first names, "Thanks for", "Let me know if", "Happy to discuss"
Casual: Short sentences, friendly openers, "Hey", "Quick note", "Cheers"
Step 5: Review checklist
- Subject line is specific and under 60 characters
- Purpose is clear within the first 2 sentences
- Only one main ask or CTA per email
- No wall of text (break into short paragraphs)
- Proofread for tone consistency
- Removed unnecessary qualifiers ("just", "I think maybe")
Examples
Example 1: Client follow-up after a meeting
User request: "Write a follow-up email to a client after a product demo"
Output:
Subject: Next Steps from Today's Demo Hi [Name], Thanks for taking the time to see [Product] in action today. It was great hearing about your team's workflow challenges, especially around [specific pain point discussed]. Based on our conversation, here's what I'd suggest as next steps: - **Trial setup:** I can have a sandbox environment ready for your team by [day]. No commitment needed. - **Custom integration:** Our engineering team can scope the [System] integration you mentioned. I'll send a brief questionnaire. - **Pricing:** I'll put together a proposal based on the 50-seat configuration we discussed. Would Thursday or Friday work for a 15-minute call to walk through the proposal? Happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Name]
Example 2: Cold outreach email
User request: "Write a cold email to a VP of Engineering about our dev tool"
Output:
Subject: Cut your team's PR review time by 40% Hi [Name], I noticed [Company] recently expanded your engineering team to 80+ developers. Scaling code review is usually one of the first bottlenecks. We built [Tool] to automate the repetitive parts of PR review — style checks, security patterns, and test coverage gaps. Teams like [Similar Company] and [Similar Company] reduced their review cycle from 2 days to under 4 hours. Would you be open to a 15-minute call to see if this could help your team? No pitch deck, just a quick look at how it works. Best, [Name]
Example 3: Internal team announcement
User request: "Draft an email announcing a new deployment process to the engineering team"
Output:
Subject: New Deployment Process Starting March 1 Hi team, Starting March 1, we're moving to a new deployment process. Here's what changes and what stays the same. **What's changing:** - Deployments now go through the CI/CD pipeline (no more manual deploys) - All PRs require passing staging tests before merge - Rollbacks are automated — triggered if error rate exceeds 1% **What stays the same:** - Deploy schedule (daily at 2pm ET) - Hotfix process for critical issues - Your current branch naming conventions **What you need to do:** 1. Read the updated runbook: [link] 2. Test your service in the new staging environment by Feb 25 3. Reach out in #deploy-help with any questions I'll hold a 30-minute walkthrough on Feb 20 at 3pm ET. Calendar invite incoming. Thanks, [Name]
Guidelines
- One email, one purpose. If there are multiple unrelated asks, suggest splitting into separate emails.
- Front-load the important information. Busy people read the first 2 sentences and scan the rest.
- Subject lines should tell the recipient what the email is about and what they need to do.
- Avoid passive voice where possible. "I'll send the report by Friday" beats "The report will be sent by Friday."
- Keep emails under 200 words when possible. Every sentence should earn its place.
- For cold emails, keep under 125 words. Shorter emails get higher response rates.
- Never use "per my last email" or other passive-aggressive phrases.
- Match the formality of the relationship. When in doubt, start slightly more formal and adjust.
- Always include a specific, easy-to-answer call to action. "Thoughts?" is vague. "Does Thursday at 2pm work?" is actionable.
- If the user provides context about the recipient or situation, weave it into the email naturally.