sales-spark-mail

What this skill does

# Spark Mail Platform Help

Helps with Spark Mail — a cross-platform AI email client by Readdle (est. 2007). Smart Inbox auto-categorizes email, Gatekeeper screens unwanted senders, and AI features handle writing, summarization, and translation. Team features include shared drafts, internal comments, and email delegation. Works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange, Yahoo, and any IMAP provider across Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. 19.5M+ downloads, Apple Editors' Choice.

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What are you trying to do with Spark Mail?**
   - A) Set up Spark Mail and configure Smart Inbox / Gatekeeper
   - B) Fix sync, performance, or crash issues
   - C) Use AI features (writing, summarization, translation)
   - D) Set up team collaboration (shared drafts, comments, delegation)
   - E) Compare Spark to other email clients
   - F) Something else — describe it

2. **Which platform(s)?**
   - A) Mac / iPhone / iPad
   - B) Windows / Android
   - C) Cross-platform (multiple devices)

3. **Which plan are you on (or considering)?**
   - A) Free — core features, Smart Inbox, Gatekeeper
   - B) Premium Individual ($59.99/yr / ~$5/mo) — AI features, advanced customization
   - C) Premium Teams ($6.99/user/mo) — collaboration, shared drafts, delegation
   - D) Not sure / evaluating

**Skip-ahead rule**: if the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|---|
| Comparing AI email clients broadly | `/sales-do {question}` |
| Team shared inbox with ticketing/SLAs | `/sales-missive {question}` or `/sales-hiver {question}` |
| Server-side email filtering without switching clients | `/sales-sanebox {question}` |
| Connecting tools via Zapier/Make/API | Note: Spark Mail has no public API or iPaaS integration |

For Spark-specific questions, continue to Step 3.

## Step 3 — Spark Mail platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, Smart Inbox setup, AI features, team collaboration, and privacy details.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

- For **Smart Inbox setup**: Enable it in Settings → Smart Inbox. It auto-sorts into Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters. Pin important contacts so their emails always surface first. Use Gatekeeper to block or screen unknown senders.
- For **sync issues**: Force-sync by pulling down on inbox. Check that background app refresh is enabled on mobile. If persistent, sign out and re-add the account. Spark 3 introduced some stability regressions — ensure you're on the latest version.
- For **AI features**: AI writing and summarization require Premium. They work best for short emails — for complex replies, use AI as a starting draft and edit. AI is less sophisticated than Superhuman or Shortwave's offerings.
- For **plan selection**: Free is genuinely useful (Smart Inbox + Gatekeeper alone are worth it). Premium ($5/mo) for AI writing/summarization. Teams ($6.99/user/mo) only if you need shared drafts and delegation.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and privacy that may be outdated.*

- **Server-side processing.** Spark stores your email credentials on Readdle's servers to power features like Smart Inbox and push notifications. This is a privacy tradeoff — your emails pass through their servers. They claim GDPR/CCPA compliance and no data selling, but security-conscious users should be aware.
- **AI is lighter than competitors.** Spark's AI writing and summarization are functional but less contextually deep than Superhuman or Shortwave. Think of it as enhanced Smart Compose, not a full AI assistant.
- **No public API.** No REST API, webhooks, Zapier, Make, or any programmatic interface. Cannot be automated.
- **Spark 3 stability.** The Spark 3 rewrite introduced performance regressions — slowness, crashes, and sync inconsistencies. Most issues have been fixed in updates, but some users still report problems.
- **Free tier is generous.** Unlike Superhuman ($30/mo) or Shortwave ($7+/mo), Spark's core features (Smart Inbox, Gatekeeper, multi-account) are free forever.
- **Self-improving**: If you discover something not covered here, append it to `references/learnings.md` with today's date.

## Related skills

- `/sales-superhuman` — Superhuman email client (fastest keyboard workflow, MCP server, AI triage, $30/mo). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-superhuman -a claude-code`
- `/sales-shortwave` — Shortwave AI-native Gmail client (AI filters, Ghostwriter, MCP consumer, $7-14/mo). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-shortwave -a claude-code`
- `/sales-newmail` — NewMail AI email assistant (voice-trained drafting, task extraction, daily briefings, $15-30/mo). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-newmail -a claude-code`
- `/sales-fyxer` — Fyxer AI email assistant (inbox organization, AI drafting, meeting notes). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-fyxer -a claude-code`
- `/sales-missive` — Missive collaborative team inbox (internal threads, co-drafting, API). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-missive -a claude-code`
- `/sales-hey` — Hey privacy-first email service by 37signals (Screener, Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail, no AI, $99/yr). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-hey -a claude-code`
- `/sales-mimestream` — Mimestream native macOS Gmail client (Gmail API-powered, tracking prevention, no AI, $50/yr). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-mimestream -a claude-code`
- `/sales-bluemail` — BlueMail cross-platform email client (free unified inbox, GemAI AI writing, clustering, Later Board, Free/$5/$12/Enterprise). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-bluemail -a claude-code`
- `/sales-em-client` — eM Client desktop email client (cross-platform, PGP encryption, calendar/tasks, Free/€30yr/€40 one-time). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-em-client -a claude-code`
- `/sales-airmail` — Airmail Apple-exclusive email client (customizable actions, AppleScript automation, Privacy Mode, Free/$49yr). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-airmail -a claude-code`
- `/sales-sanebox` — SaneBox server-side email filtering (smart folders, any provider, $7/mo). Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-sanebox -a claude-code`
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:
  `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code`

## Examples

### Example 1: Configuring Smart Inbox for a busy founder
**User says**: "I get 200+ emails a day and most are newsletters and notifications. How do I set up Spark to surface only the important stuff?"
**Skill does**: Reads platform guide. Walks through: 1) Enable Smart Inbox to auto-sort into Personal/Notifications/Newsletters. 2) Pin your top 10 contacts so they always appear first. 3) Enable Gatekeeper to screen unknown senders. 4) Use "Mute Thread" for recurring threads you want auto-archived. 5) Set Smart Notifications to only alert for pinned contacts. Notes this all works on the free plan.

### Example 2: Evaluating Spark vs Superhuman for a sales team
**User says**: "We're a 5-person sales team on Gmail. Spark Teams at $7/user sounds way cheaper than Superhuman at $30/user. What are we giving up?"
**Skill does**: Reads platform guide for feature comparison. Explains: Spark Teams gives you shared drafts, internal comments, and de