Getting Started with Pilotflow by Zippy
Welcome to Pilotflow by Zippy — your Gmail autopilot. This guide walks you from first login to a fully automated inbox in under 10 minutes.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- A Google / Gmail account (personal or Google Workspace)
- An invitation to use Pilotflow by Zippy during the beta period — you should have received a link from the person who set up your access
- A modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)
Step 1: Open the App
Click the link you received in your invitation, or go to the app directly:
Step 2: Authorize the App
The first time you open Pilotflow by Zippy, Google will ask you to grant permissions. This is expected — here is what each permission is used for:
| Permission | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| View and manage your Gmail | To read, label, archive, and delete emails according to your Action Packs |
| Manage your labels | To create and apply the labels you configure in your rules |
| Send email on your behalf | Only used if you configure a “Forward” or “Reply” action |
| Connect to Google Drive | To store your Action Pack configuration |
| Read and write spreadsheets | To write optional processing reports |
Click Allow to continue. The app runs entirely inside your own Google account — your emails never leave Google’s infrastructure.
Privacy note: Pilotflow by Zippy stores your rule configuration in your Google account’s PropertiesService. Nothing is sent to external servers. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Step 3: Create Your First Action Pack
An Action Pack is a named rule that matches emails and performs one or more actions on them.
- On the home screen, click ”+ Create New Rule”
- Enter a Rule Name (e.g.,
Newsletter Archive) - Enter a Gmail Search Query — this uses the same syntax as Gmail’s search bar:
from:[email protected]— emails from a specific sendersubject:Daily Digest— emails with a specific subjectlabel:promotions— emails in a Gmail categoryfrom:(spotify.com OR netflix.com)— emails from multiple senders
- Select one or more Actions to perform:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Archive | Removes the email from your inbox (keeps it in All Mail) |
| Delay Archive | Holds the email in your inbox for N days, then archives it |
| Delete | Moves the email to Trash |
| Star | Stars the email for easy follow-up |
| Mark as Read | Marks the email as read without opening it |
| Apply Label | Adds a Gmail label you specify |
| Forward | Forwards the email to another address |
- Click Save Rule — your Action Pack is active immediately.
Tip: Start with one or two Action Packs for the most obvious categories (newsletters, receipts, social notifications). You can always add more later.
Step 4: Run Your Action Packs
Manual run (on demand)
On the home screen, click “▶ Run All Action Packs” to process your inbox immediately. You will see a brief confirmation once processing is complete.
Automatic schedule
To run Action Packs automatically every hour (recommended):
- Click “⏱ Set Up Schedule” on the home screen
- Choose a frequency: Hourly (recommended), Every 6 hours, or Daily
- Click Activate — Pilotflow by Zippy will now run in the background without you needing to open the app
Once the schedule is active, your inbox stays clean automatically.
Step 5: Use Pre-Built Templates
Not sure which rules to create? Click “📚 Browse Templates” to load one of five ready-made Action Packs:
| Template | What it does |
|---|---|
| Auto-Archive Promotions | Archives promotional emails after 3 days |
| Star VIP Emails | Stars emails from a list of important senders |
| Newsletter Triage | Labels all newsletters so you can review them in one click |
| Shopping & Orders | Organizes receipts and shipping notifications by label |
| Mute Social Notifications | Archives social media notifications immediately |
Click a template to preview it, then click Import to add it to your rules. You can customize the search query and actions after importing.
Step 6: Gmail Add-On Sidebar (Optional)
The Pilotflow by Zippy Gmail Add-On gives you access to your rules without leaving Gmail.
Install the Add-On
- In the Apps Script editor (ask your beta contact for the link), click Deploy → Test deployments
- Install the add-on in your Gmail account
Use the sidebar
Once installed, a Pilotflow icon appears in the Gmail right sidebar. When you open an email:
- Match view — shows which of your rules already matched this email, and which rules would match it
- Quick create — click “Add Rule from This Email” to pre-fill a new rule with the sender and subject already filled in
Click the Pilotflow icon in the sidebar when no email is open to access Manage All Rules and create or edit Action Packs without leaving Gmail.
Step 7: Inbox Cleaner (Automated Aging)
The Inbox Cleaner automatically archives or deletes emails based on age, using special Gmail labels.
Set up the Inbox Cleaner
Click “⚙️ Setup Labels” on the home screen. This creates six Gmail labels:
| Label | Effect |
|---|---|
toarchive/1days |
Archives threads older than 1 day |
toarchive/3days |
Archives threads older than 3 days |
toarchive/5days |
Archives threads older than 5 days |
todelete/1days |
Deletes threads older than 1 day |
todelete/3days |
Deletes threads older than 3 days |
todelete/5days |
Deletes threads older than 5 days |
Apply the labels
In Gmail, apply one of the toarchive/ or todelete/ labels to any email thread. The next time Pilotflow by Zippy runs (automatic or manual), threads with that label that are old enough will be processed automatically.
This is useful for emails you want to keep in your inbox temporarily but not forget to clear — for example, newsletters you want to read within 3 days, or shipping confirmations you can delete after 1 day.
Step 8: Visualise Rule Chains
Click “🔗 View Rule Chains” to see when one rule’s output feeds into another rule’s input. For example:
- Rule A applies label
tag/newsletter - Rule B is configured to match
label:tag/newsletterand archive after 5 days
The Rule Chains view shows these two rules as a connected chain, helping you understand how your rules interact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pilotflow by Zippy read my email content?
Only to match against your search queries. Email bodies are not stored or transmitted outside your Google account.
Will it archive emails I want to keep?
Each Action Pack only acts on emails that match your exact search query. Test your query in Gmail’s search bar first to see which emails match before enabling an action.
Can I pause a rule without deleting it?
Yes — use the toggle switch next to any rule in the Manage All Rules view to enable or disable it.
What happens if I miss an important email?
If you use Delay Archive, emails stay visible in your inbox for the configured number of days before being archived. You can always find archived emails by searching in:archive in Gmail.
How do I see what was processed?
After each run, a brief summary appears in the app. For a full log, check the “View Last Run Results” section on the home screen.
I am getting an authorization error. What should I do?
Close the app, reopen it, and click through the authorization flow again. If the problem persists, contact your beta administrator.
Need Help?
Found a bug or have a question? Open an issue at our GitHub Issues tracker or write to [email protected].
Pilotflow by Zippy is currently in beta (Testing Mode). Features and the interface may change between updates. See our Terms of Service for full details.
