Gmail
You choose which labels agents may read, whom they may send mail to, and whether they may save drafts. Google lets Minerva read the whole mailbox, and Minerva limits agents to the mail you allow.
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”| Permission | Chosen per | What agents can do |
|---|---|---|
| Read mail | Label | List labels, search messages, and read a message or a conversation as plain text, with the names of its attachments. |
| Send mail | Address or domain | Send plain-text mail, and reply to a message they may read. |
| Create drafts | The connection | Save drafts and reply drafts in Gmail, to any recipient. You send them. |
- A label covers the labels nested under it, so Work covers Work/Projects.
- A message with several labels can be read if one of them is allowed, and is hidden if one of them is blocked.
- Archived mail without labels is covered only by allowing every label.
- Every address a message goes to needs Send mail, Cc and Bcc included. A reply goes only to the original’s Reply-To addresses, or else its sender, and each of them needs it too.
Risks to weigh
Section titled “Risks to weigh”- Mail is written by others. Anyone can email the account, and a message can contain text meant to steer the agent. Be most careful when agents both read mail from outside and may send.
- Everyone at a domain is a lot of people. Allowing a domain allows every address there, which for gmail.com is everyone with an account. Mailing lists, aliases and forwarding can pass mail on to people you did not allow.
- Drafts can go to anyone. A draft waits in Gmail until you send it, so it needs no allowed recipients. It can be addressed to anyone and contain anything the agent read. Check both before you send it.
- Mail goes out as you. Recipients see your address and name.
- Searches can hint at hidden mail. Gmail searches the whole mailbox before Minerva filters the results. An agent can learn whether mail it may not read matches a search, and so test what that mail says without seeing it.
What agents cannot do
Section titled “What agents cannot do”Agents cannot open attachments, forward, reply to all, label, archive or delete mail, or send drafts. They cannot reply to drafts or to the account’s own mail, and Google Chat is out of reach.