Your morning briefing with Claude

Connect Apple Mail to Claude and build a routine that hands you a recap of your calendar and your important emails, every morning at 8.

automation·6 blocks

01 · WHAT YOU GET

Every morning at 8, Claude puts together your briefing for the day: your meetings and the emails that matter, sorted and summed up in a few lines. No more ten tabs just to work out where you stand. What you need: • a Mac with the Mail app set up; • Claude Desktop with Cowork mode (scheduled tasks enabled); • uv, a small free tool. The install command is in the repository README (link just below). Everything runs locally: no password, no API key, Claude talks straight to your Mail app. And the server can only read and organize your mail, never send any.

02 · GET THE APPLE MAIL MCP

github.com/CarolaneLFBV/apple-mcp

https://github.com/CarolaneLFBV/apple-mcp

Open↗

03 · CONNECT IT TO CLAUDE DESKTOP

Open the Claude Desktop configuration file: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Paste the block below inside "mcpServers", then quit and fully relaunch Claude Desktop (⌘Q). On first launch, macOS will ask whether Claude may control the Mail app: click "Allow". That click is macOS asking for your safety, and you can revisit it in System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Automation.

04 · THE CONFIGURATION BLOCK

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mail": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/CarolaneLFBV/apple-mcp#subdirectory=apple-mail",
        "apple-mail-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

json

05 · BUILD YOUR MORNING ROUTINE

In Claude Desktop (Cowork), create a scheduled task: • trigger: every day at 8am; • action: paste the script below. Good news: the prompt works out on its own which connectors are there (mail, calendar) and only uses what is actually wired up. You don't need Calendly or a connected calendar for it to work.

06 · THE SCRIPT BEHIND YOUR ROUTINE

Produce a concise "Morning Briefing" for me, covering today. FIRST — TAKE STOCK Before anything, note which connectors are actually available to you in this session (email, calendar, etc.). Only use sources you genuinely have access to; never fabricate data from a connector that isn't connected. 1. TODAY'S CALENDAR - List today's meetings/events in chronological order, with times and titles. - Use whichever calendar connector is available — detect it, don't assume one: • If a Calendly MCP is present (tools like users-get_current_user / list_events), call users-get_current_user first, then list today's events in the host's timezone. • If a fuller personal calendar connector is available (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, etc.), prefer the one that reflects your whole calendar. - Flag any event that needs prep (external attendees, an intro/sales call, an interview, etc.). - If no calendar source is connected, say so in one line — don't invent events. 2. UNREAD / IMPORTANT EMAIL - Use the Apple Mail tools (mcp__apple-mail__*): call list_unread, then read summaries as needed. If no mail connector is available, say so in one line. - Surface only what matters: things awaiting a reply, time-sensitive items, and anything from a real person (deprioritize newsletters, promotions and automated notifications). - For each highlighted email give: sender, subject, and a one-line gist of what it needs. OUTPUT FORMAT - Start with a one-line header showing today's date. - Two short sections: "📅 Today" and "📥 Inbox". - Keep it tight and skimmable — short lines, no long paragraphs. If a section is empty, write "Nothing needs your attention" for that section. - Be concise and direct; this is a quick morning scan, not a report.