Let Claude read your inbox and calendar
Lesson 3 of 3 · Claude & Cowork mastery
1 · Learn the move · Context + audience
The best context is not pasted, it is connected. With mail and calendar linked through MCP connectors, the model reads the actual thread and your actual schedule instead of a summary you typed. The move is still context + audience: point it at the real source and name who the brief is for - you, walking into a specific owner meeting - so it preps you, not a generic reply.
Using my connected mail and calendar: pull the thread with the owner for tomorrow's walk and give me a one-page brief. Where we left off, what is outstanding, and what to confirm on site. Facts from the thread only.
2 · Your turn. You write the prompt
You have an owner walk tomorrow and a 40-message thread you have not reread since the selections changed. Mail and calendar are connected. Write the prompt that turns the live thread plus tomorrow's calendar into a one-page walk brief.
Write the prompt for this scenario as given, or swap in a real one from your own work. The score works the same either way.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt, not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional. These shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.