Forwarding

Airbox treats mail as a forward when:

• The subject starts with Fwd: or Fw:
• The body contains a forwarded-message marker (e.g. ---------- Forwarded message ----------)

These rules apply when Airbox detects a forward. When you're composing fresh mail or BCCing, you can also put commands in the subject or on the first body line — see Airbox verbs (command syntax).

When you forward, the Fwd: subject line is the original email's subject — not your command. Put your instruction in the body instead, one of these ways:

1. An instruction block (recommended) — one line above the forwarded message, wrapped in (* … *) so Airbox knows it's a command:

   (* @claude #summarize *)
   
   ---------- Forwarded message ----------

2. Just a command line — a line or two above the forwarded message that starts with a command symbol (@ # ! -) also works.
3. Nothing at all — a plain send or forward still works. Airbox summarizes the email and lists any action items.

Plain writing above the forwarded message — like “Please review this” with no command symbols and no (* … *) block — is read as part of the email, not as a command. This is on purpose: it's what keeps forwarded emails from being able to boss your AI around.

To send mail to an Airbox address automatically — batching newsletters, say, rather than forwarding each one by hand — set up forwarding in Gmail first, then a filter that decides what gets forwarded.

1. Add the address

1. In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
2. Click Add a forwarding address and paste your Airbox address.
3. Google emails a confirmation code to that address. Airbox recognizes it and relays it to your account email — the same address you signed in with — so check that inbox.
4. Click the confirm link in the relayed email, or paste the code back into Gmail's settings. The code is also in the relayed email's subject line.

2. Forward only what you want

Once the address is verified, Gmail offers to forward all incoming mail. For a topic-specific inbox you almost always want a filter instead:

1. Go to Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter.
2. Narrow it — by sender, by list:, or by a label you already apply:

   from:(newsletter@example.com OR digest@example.com)

3. Click Create filter, then check Forward it to and pick your Airbox address.

Filters only apply to mail arriving after they're created — use Apply filter to matching conversations if you want your existing backlog forwarded too.

3. Let the newsletter through your allowlist

This is the step people miss. An auto-forwarded newsletter still arrives from the newsletter — Gmail relays it, but the sender Airbox checks is the original one (newsletter@example.com), not you. If Restrict senders is on and that address isn't listed, Airbox rejects the mail and you get nothing — no reply, no entry in your digest. Either:

• Add each newsletter's From address to the inbox's allowlist — or, on Pro and Team, *@substack.com to allow a whole domain; or
• Uncheck Restrict senders on that inbox. Anyone can then trigger it, so it's best on an address you only use for forwarding — SPF/DKIM checks still apply either way.

Rejected mail is visible in Logs & Activity — check there first if a newsletter never shows up.

See examples for copy-paste patterns, and the security guide for how Airbox keeps instructions and content apart.