Email triage · Workflow template

VIP sender → instant SMS to your phone

When an email from your top 20 contacts lands in Gmail or Outlook, Carly texts you a one-line summary so you never miss it.

Gmail

Outlook

Build this in Carly Or copy the prompt ↓

The workflow at a glance

Trigger

New email

Filter

Sender ∈ VIP list

LLM

One-line gist

Action

Text you

SMS

How this workflow works, step by step

1 Trigger New email

The workflow starts when Gmail or Outlook signals "new email". Carly is listening continuously, so the run begins within seconds of the event.
2 Filter Sender ∈ VIP list

Carly drops anything that doesn't match: sender ∈ vip list. The flow only continues for relevant items.
3 LLM One-line gist

An LLM step does the thinking: one-line gist. Carly picks the right model for the job and you can swap models per step if you need to.
4 Action Text you

Carly texts you the result over SMS. You can reply back and the conversation continues.

When to use this template

You want this work to happen consistently without anyone remembering to do it.
You're already using Gmail and Outlook, and the manual version of this is eating real minutes a week.
You want a visible canvas you can audit and edit — not a black-box agent doing things you can't see.

When not to use it

This task only happens once or twice a month — the setup cost won't pay back.
The decision in the middle of the flow needs human judgment every single time, not just on edge cases.
Your stack doesn't include any of the apps above and you don't want to wire a generic HTTP step.

Build it in 10 minutes — copy this prompt

Paste this in an email to and Carly will build the workflow for you.

Hey Carly — please build me this workflow.

Name: VIP sender → instant SMS to your phone

What it should do:
When an email from your top 20 contacts lands in Gmail or Outlook, Carly texts you a one-line summary so you never miss it.

Steps:
1. Trigger: New email
2. Filter: Sender ∈ VIP list
3. LLM: One-line gist
4. Action: Text you (SMS)

Tools to wire up: Gmail, Outlook

Set it live once you've got it working. Thanks!

Or open the dashboard →

Apps you'll connect

Carly authenticates these for you over OAuth when she sets up the workflow.

Gmail

Outlook

Questions teams ask before building this

How long does this workflow take to set up?

Most teams have "VIP sender → instant SMS to your phone" running in under 10 minutes. Copy the prompt on this page into an email to carly@usecarly.com and Carly wires the workflow together for you, including authenticating Gmail.

Can I edit this template after Carly builds it?

Yes. Every workflow lives on the Carly canvas where you can rename steps, change conditions, swap LLM models, add filters, and re-route branches. Templates are starting points, not locked recipes.

What if I use a different tool than the ones in this template?

Carly connects to 200+ tools, plus a generic HTTP node for any API that doesn't have a native integration. Tell Carly your stack when you send the prompt and she'll pick the right connectors.

Does this run automatically once it's built?

Yes. The trigger at the start of the workflow fires automatically — on a schedule, on an inbound email, on a webhook, on a calendar event, whatever this template specifies. Carly handles the listening; you only step in when a step is gated on you.