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Rules let you automatically handle inbound emails based on conditions you define — without involving your AI. Use them to tag, route, close, or skip threads before your AI ever sees them.

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Rule Structure

Each rule has one or more conditions and one or more actions. All conditions must match for the actions to run.

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Conditions

FieldOperators
from_addressequals, contains, ends_with
subjectcontains, starts_with
bodycontains
to_addressequals

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Actions

ActionDescription
add_tagApply a label to the thread
set_statusSet thread status (open, closed)
assign_identityRoute to a specific sender identity
skip_aiMark thread so AI does not draft a reply
auto_replySend a fixed response immediately

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Creating a Rule

curl -X POST https://api.actionlayer.dev/v1/rules \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Close OOO replies",
    "conditions": [
      {"field": "subject", "operator": "contains", "value": "out of office"}
    ],
    "actions": [
      {"type": "set_status", "value": "closed"},
      {"type": "add_tag", "value": "ooo"}
    ]
  }'

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Rule Evaluation

Rules run in order. The first matching rule wins — subsequent rules are not evaluated. Rules only run on inbound messages.

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Use Cases

  • Auto-close out-of-office replies
  • Tag support vs. billing threads
  • Skip AI drafting for known spam patterns
  • Route to a specific identity based on recipient address
  • Send instant auto-replies for common requests