# What prompts can I use to search all my Gmail inboxes at once?

> 18 copy-and-paste prompts for searching several Gmail inboxes with an AI assistant: freelancer clients, founders, invoices, travel, job search and family.

Updated: 2026-10-03 · Canonical: https://staging.nickbox.io/en/resources/prompts-to-search-all-your-inboxes

Name the inbox with the nickname you gave it, say what to find, and add a time range. For example: "Search `billing` for unpaid invoices since August." These 18 prompts are grouped by situation and work with any MCP client connected to a read-only server like Nickbox.

## How do I phrase a prompt for one inbox, several inboxes or all of them?

Use the nickname for one or several inboxes, and "all my accounts" for every connected inbox. The assistant picks `search_emails` for a named inbox and `search_all_accounts` for everything. Start any session with a check:

1. "Which accounts do you see?" (calls `list_accounts` and returns your nicknames).
2. Use those exact nicknames from then on.

Add a date range, a sender or a keyword to every prompt. "Contract" alone returns too much. "Contract from Dana, since July" does not. The assistant can only read; if you want a reply, ask it to write the text in chat and send it yourself.

## Which prompts work for a freelancer with client inboxes?

Freelancers often keep personal mail plus one inbox per client, and fear mixing context. These prompts keep each client apart. Replace `acme` and `northwind` with your nicknames.

1. "Search `acme` for anything from the last two weeks that asks me a question I have not answered."
2. "Find the latest scope or deadline change in `northwind` and summarize it in three lines."
3. "In `acme` and `northwind` separately, list open invoices or payment reminders, grouped by client."
4. "Search all my accounts for the signed contract with Dana and tell me which inbox it is in."

## Which prompts work for a founder with personal, company and billing inboxes?

Founders usually need a cross-inbox view: what is waiting, what is overdue, what slipped. Use `search_all_accounts` for the first prompt and named inboxes for the rest.

5. "Search all my accounts for messages from investors in the last 30 days and list them by inbox."
6. "In `work`, find threads where I was the last to write and no one replied for 5 days."
7. "Check `billing` for failed payment notices from any service this month."
8. "Compare what `work` and `personal` say about the Lisbon trip: dates, hotel, who is coming."

## Which prompts help me find invoices and receipts?

Receipts are scattered across inboxes. Ask for the vendor, a range and a total, then ask for the source message so you can verify.

9. "Search all my accounts for receipts from [vendor] in 2026 and list date, amount and inbox."
10. "Find every invoice in `billing` over US$500 since January."
11. "Which subscription renewals arrive in `personal` and `work`? List the service and the charge date."

## Which prompts help with travel?

Trips generate confirmations in whichever inbox you used at the time. Ask by trip, not by inbox.

12. "Search all my accounts for flight and hotel confirmations for November and give me one itinerary by day."
13. "Find the booking reference for the Madrid hotel and tell me which inbox it came from."

## Which prompts help in a job search?

Applications often land in a dedicated inbox. Use one to track status.

14. "In `jobs`, list every company I applied to and the latest message from each."
15. "Find recruiter messages from the last month that I did not answer."

## Which prompts help with family and household mail?

Family accounts hold school, health and utilities mail. Keep to what you own and are allowed to read.

16. "In `family`, find the school notices about the next two weeks and list dates."
17. "Search `personal` and `family` for utility bills and show the last three amounts per provider."
18. "Find the warranty or purchase email for the washing machine and tell me the date."

## How do I get better results?

Specific prompts work best. Ask the assistant to name the inbox and the message date for every result so you can check it. If a search returns too much, add a sender or range. If it returns nothing, widen the range before assuming the mail is missing.

Remember the limits. Nickbox reads, so it will not send, draft or delete, and the assistant sees what the tools return in the conversation. See [security](/en/security) for what is stored. To set up your client, use the guides for [Claude](/en/docs/claude), [ChatGPT](/en/docs/chatgpt), [Gemini](/en/docs/gemini), [Cursor](/en/docs/cursor), [VS Code](/en/docs/vscode) or [Claude Code](/en/docs/claude-code). Plans are on the [pricing page](/en/pricing).

## FAQ

**How do I tell the assistant which inbox to search?**

Use the nickname you set, such as work or billing, in the prompt. Say 'all my accounts' to search every connected inbox.

**Can the assistant reply to the emails it finds?**

No. Nickbox is read-only, so the assistant can search and read mail but cannot send, draft or delete. It can write a reply in the chat for you to copy.

**Why does the assistant sometimes search the wrong inbox?**

Usually the nickname was ambiguous or missing. Start with 'Which accounts do you see?' and use the exact nicknames from the answer.

**Do these prompts work in every assistant?**

They work in any client connected to the MCP server, such as Claude, ChatGPT in developer mode, Cursor, VS Code or Gemini CLI. Results depend on the assistant and your mail.

## Sources

- [Best AI email assistant for freelancers in 2026 (Replyless)](https://replyless.beehiiv.com/p/best-ai-email-assistant-for-freelancers-in-2026)
- [Connect multiple Gmail accounts to Claude (Drag)](https://www.dragapp.com/blog/connect-multiple-gmail-accounts-to-claude/)