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Give each AI agent its own email

ResearchedWhat this sticker meansIntermediateSmall business

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Quick answer

Google says a Workspace admin can add up to 30 alias addresses per user at no extra cost. Mail to an alias lands in the user's main inbox. An alias is a separate address, not a separate inbox.

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At a glance

All outcome figures are estimates from cited sources, not independent verification by us.

What it is allowed to do
Drafts for you

Writes drafts (emails, posts, plans, replies). You review and send. Nothing goes out without you.

Reviewed Oct 31, 2026

Time saved (estimate)
About 15 minutes a week of sorting who wrote what.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Tools needed
Gmail, Claude, ChatGPT
Typical cost
Google Workspace aliases cost nothing extra per Google's help page, up to 30 per user. Workspace plan prices: Not stated in sources.

Basis (estimate): Estimate only: based on the steps above, not timed.

What does this setup do?

Give each AI helper its own sending address, such as ops@ or billing@, so its drafts are easy to tell apart and nothing goes out without you.

Who is it for?

Small teams running more than one AI helper on Gmail or Google Workspace. You need to own the domain or the Gmail addresses. An alias is not a separate inbox, so it does not isolate access to your mail.

How do you set it up?

Tools

  • Google Workspace admin access, or a Gmail account that can add Send mail as addresses
  • One alias name per helper, such as ops@ or billing@
  • Claude or ChatGPT with a Gmail connection, if the helper should draft from Gmail

Steps

  1. List your helpers and the one job each does. Give each a plain name, such as billing@ or scheduling@.
  2. In Google Workspace, an admin adds each name as an alternate email address for the user. Google says up to 30 per user, and one user can use an alias.
  3. In Gmail, open Settings, then See all settings, then Accounts, and under Send mail as choose Add another email address. Enter the name and address and send the verification.
  4. Open the confirmation message Google sends to the address and click the link. Check Spam for a message from send-as-noreply@google.com if it does not arrive.
  5. Tell each helper to draft only. In a new message, choose the helper's address in the From line and check it before sending.
  6. If you use Claude's Gmail connector, Claude's help center says it asks for approval before it sends, replies or forwards by default. Keep that on.
  7. If several people need to use one address, Google recommends Gmail delegation instead of an alias.

Example output

Illustrative. Your results will differ.

  • From: billing@yourbusiness.com (draft, not sent)
  • Re: Invoice 1042. Thanks for flagging this. Payment terms will be confirmed by [CONFIRM].
  • Original: customer asks to move the due date by a week

Where to paste this prompt

Claude → Project knowledge & custom instructions

Copy-paste prompt

Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.

You are the [HELPER NAME] helper for [BUSINESS NAME]. Your address is [ALIAS ADDRESS].

Your only job: [ONE JOB, for example: draft replies to billing questions].

Rules:
- Draft only. Never send, forward or delete email.
- Write every draft so it can be sent from [ALIAS ADDRESS].
- If a message is not about your job, say so and stop. Do not answer it.
- Put each draft in front of me with the original message summarized in one line.
- Do not promise prices, dates or refunds. Mark those spots with [CONFIRM].

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What usually goes wrong?

Where agents tend to stall on this job. More patterns in Where AI gets stuck.

  • Gmail help says Send as for third-party addresses such as @yahoo.com or @outlook.com ends in January 2027. Workspace aliases and Gmail addresses you own are not affected.
  • An alias does not give a helper a separate inbox. Anyone with access to your mail can still read everything.
  • A separate mailbox with its own login: Not stated in sources.

Which chat tools work with this prompt?

Paste the prompt into any of these assistants (free or paid tiers).

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Gmail

Common questions

Does an alias create a new inbox?
No. Google says messages sent to an alias go to the user's primary inbox. The alias is another address for the same account.
How many addresses can I add?
Google's admin help says up to 30 aliases per Workspace user. Gmail's Send mail as help says you can send from up to 99 addresses.
Can a helper send mail on its own?
Set it to draft only. Claude's help center says Claude asks for approval before it sends by default, and that is the setting to keep.

Where should you go next on this site?

What tips make it smoother?

  • Google says mail sent to an alias routes to the user's primary inbox, so you read it there.
  • Gmail help says you can send from up to 99 different addresses.
  • Name each alias for the job, not the tool.

Where do the claims come from?

Summaries use public sources linked below, not independent verification. How setups are picked.

  • Read Google’s write-up (knowledge.workspace.google.com)

    Google: Add or delete an email alias: up to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost, alias forwards to primary inbox, one user per alias, delegation for shared addresses (read 2026-10-31 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open)

  • Read Google’s write-up (support.google.com)

    Google: Send emails from a different address or alias: Send mail as steps, verification email, up to 99 addresses, January 2027 change for third-party addresses (read 2026-10-31 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open)

  • Read Anthropic’s write-up (support.claude.com)

    Anthropic: Use Google Workspace connectors: Gmail drafting, approval before send, reply or forward by default (read 2026-10-31 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open)

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