CandidInbox — inbox rules in plain English, every action explained.
A self-hosted email triage agent that follows rules you write in your own words — and shows you exactly what it did and why. No code. No black box. Nothing sent without you.
2-field signup · nothing for sale · takes ~20 seconds
The plan
How it will work
-
You write rules in plain English.
A
rules.mdfile that reads like instructions to a person: “Archive newsletters older than a week. Flag anything from my manager.” -
CandidInbox matches them — deterministically first.
Simple conditions are checked directly, predictably, every time.
-
AI only when a rule is genuinely fuzzy.
“Looks like a recruiter” gets an LLM pass — “from @mycompany.com” doesn’t. Keeps behavior predictable and cost down.
-
Every action is logged and explained.
Which rule fired, why, and what happened. Irreversible actions wait for your approval. Drafts only — CandidInbox never sends email on its own.
Why trust it
Why self-hosted
Your inbox stays on your infrastructure.
CandidInbox is designed to run as a small service you host yourself — no third party holds your email.
An audit trail by design, not as a feature bolt-on.
Every decision is explainable after the fact.
Safe by default.
Dry-run mode, human approval gates, drafts-only. The plan is to earn trust before taking action.
Fit check
Who it’s for
A great fit if you…
- Self-host (or are willing to run) a small service for your own tools
- Have a busy personal inbox with rules too fuzzy for Gmail filters
- Want to see why every automated action happened
Not a fit if you…
- Need a hosted, zero-setup SaaS (not planned for v1)
- Manage a team/shared inbox (single-user by design in v1)
- Want an agent that sends email autonomously (explicit non-goal)
Early access
Join the early-access waitlist
Help shape what gets built. Tell us who you are and how you’d expect to use CandidInbox — it takes about 20 seconds.
This page exists to find out whether the concept is worth building. Your answers directly steer the roadmap and the free-vs-paid decision.
CandidInbox is a concept under active development. Features and timelines shown here are plans, not promises — nothing on this page is available for use today.
You’re on the list.
Check your inbox for a quick confirmation. There’s no product to use yet — we’ll email you about early access, and a short 2-minute survey lands in about 48 hours to help shape what gets built.
Read the FAQ while you’re here.
Questions
FAQ
Is CandidInbox available now?
No — it’s in development. This page exists to find out whether the concept is worth building, and to shape it with early feedback.
Why self-hosted? Isn’t that friction?
Deliberately. Your inbox is some of the most sensitive data you have. The design bet is that the people who feel inbox-triage pain most acutely also care most about who holds their email. We’re testing that bet — tell us if we’re wrong (survey link below).
Will it send email for me?
No. v1 drafts replies at most; sending always stays with you.
What does “plain-English rules” actually mean?
A markdown file of instructions written like you’d brief an assistant — no code, no filter-builder UI. Deterministic checks where possible, AI only for genuinely fuzzy judgment calls.
How much will it cost?
Nothing is final and nothing is for sale. The plan being explored is a free tier (deterministic rules only) plus a paid tier for AI-assisted rules. Your answer to the signup question above directly shapes that decision.