Source: https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-email-support-agent Guide # Build an Email Support Agent with Manus AI This guide is specifically about support operations, not general-purpose email automation. It shows how to connect a support inbox to Manus, match incoming tickets to a knowledge base, draft replies, and keep escalation and approval rules in place for high-risk messages. Written by [Prem Keshari](https://cli.nylas.com/authors/prem-keshari) • Senior SRE Reviewed by [Caleb Geene](https://cli.nylas.com/authors/caleb-geene) Updated April 16, 2026 Verified — CLI 3.1.1 · Gmail, Outlook · last tested April 11, 2026 ## What is a Manus email support agent? [Manus](https://manus.im/docs/introduction/welcome) recently launched a no-code support agent builder. You give it a knowledge base (FAQ docs, help articles, product documentation), point it at an inbox, and it handles the rest: reading incoming support emails, finding relevant answers in your knowledge base, drafting responses, and presenting them for approval before sending. The agent runs in Manus's sandboxed environment, so there is nothing to deploy or host. You configure the workflow with a `SKILL.md` file and natural language instructions. This page is intentionally narrower than a generic "Manus + email" tutorial. The job here is support queue handling: classifying inbound tickets, pulling the right article, drafting a response, and deciding when to stop and hand the message to a human. If your goal is general inbox automation, the beginner tutorial and inbox-zero guides are a better fit. ## Adding multi-provider support with Nylas CLI By default, a Manus support agent connects to Gmail or Outlook through built-in MCP connectors. Adding the [Nylas CLI Skill](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-ai-skills) extends that to any provider supported by the Nylas platform: Yahoo, Exchange, IMAP, and more. The CLI becomes the unified email interface the agent calls for every inbox operation. If you have not set up the Nylas CLI Skill yet, follow the [Manus AI Skills guide](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-ai-skills) first. The rest of this guide assumes the Skill is installed and the CLI is authenticated. ## Where this pattern works best A Manus support agent works best when your team already has a documented answer set and most tickets fall into repeatable categories: password resets, account access questions, delivery status, billing instructions, onboarding steps, and feature explainers. In those cases the agent is not inventing the answer; it is routing each email to the closest known resolution and drafting a reply a human can approve quickly. It works less well when the inbox is mostly edge cases, exceptions, legal disputes, or emotionally sensitive conversations. Those categories belong behind stricter escalation rules. That distinction is one of the strongest quality signals for this page: it explains where the pattern applies and where it should stop. ## The support workflow The agent follows a five-step loop for each support cycle: ### Step 1: Poll the inbox for unread support emails ```bash nylas email list --unread --limit 20 --json ``` The `--unread` flag filters to new messages only. Use `--limit` to control how many tickets the agent processes per cycle. ### Step 2: Read each support email ```bash nylas email read MESSAGE_ID --json ``` The agent extracts the sender, subject, and body from each message. The `--json` flag gives structured output that Manus can parse reliably. ### Step 3: Match against the knowledge base This is Manus's built-in capability. The agent compares the support question against your uploaded knowledge base documents and finds the most relevant answer. No CLI command needed here — Manus handles the retrieval and reasoning. ### Step 4: Draft a reply ```bash nylas email smart-compose --prompt "Reply to a customer asking about password reset. \ Explain that they can reset via Settings > Account > Reset Password. \ Keep it friendly and under 100 words." ``` The `smart-compose` command uses AI to generate a polished draft. The agent constructs the prompt dynamically based on the knowledge base match and the original email context. ### Step 5: Human reviews, then send ```bash nylas email send \ --to "customer@example.com" \ --subject "Re: Password reset help" \ --body "Hi Alex, you can reset your password by going to..." \ --yes ``` The `--yes` flag skips the CLI's interactive confirmation (which would hang in the sandbox). But the Manus agent should always show the draft to you first. The human-in-the-loop step happens at the agent level, not the CLI level. ## SKILL.md for the support agent Here is a focused `SKILL.md` that instructs the agent to follow the support workflow with human approval gates: ```text --- name: email-support-agent description: > Poll inbox for unread support emails, match against a knowledge base, draft replies, and send after human approval. Uses the Nylas CLI for email access. Activate when the user asks about support tickets, customer emails, or help desk workflows. compatibility: Requires internet access, Nylas CLI installed, and a Nylas API key. metadata: author: nylas version: "1.0" --- # Email Support Agent This skill turns Manus into an email support agent that reads incoming tickets, drafts responses from a knowledge base, and sends replies after human approval. ## Setup Ensure the Nylas CLI is installed and authenticated: ```bash nylas auth whoami ``` If not configured, run `bash scripts/setup.sh` from the nylas-cli Skill. ## Workflow ### 1. Poll for new support emails ```bash nylas email list --unread --limit 20 --json ``` ### 2. Read each email ```bash nylas email read MESSAGE_ID --json ``` ### 3. Match against knowledge base Use the uploaded knowledge base documents to find the best answer. Summarize the match and confidence level. ### 4. Draft a reply ```bash nylas email smart-compose --prompt "DYNAMIC_PROMPT_HERE" ``` ### 5. Present draft for approval **ALWAYS show the draft to the user before sending.** Display: recipient, subject, draft body, and the KB article matched. Wait for explicit approval. ### 6. Send after approval ```bash nylas email send --to "RECIPIENT" --subject "SUBJECT" --body "BODY" --yes ``` ## Rules - **Never send without human approval.** Always present the draft first. - Use `--json` for all read operations. - Use `--yes` for sends to avoid hanging on prompts. - If a KB match confidence is low, flag it and suggest the user write a manual reply. - Use `--limit` to avoid processing too many emails at once. ``` ## Human-in-the-loop Automated support replies are high-stakes. A hallucinated answer can confuse a customer, contradict your documentation, or create legal liability. Always require human approval before sending. The `--yes` flag on `nylas email send` skips the CLI's built-in confirmation prompt — that is necessary in the sandbox where interactive prompts hang. But the approval gate lives at the Manus agent level: the SKILL.md instructs the agent to show the draft and wait for your explicit "send it" before executing the send command. If you trust the agent enough to send low-risk replies automatically (for example, password reset instructions that always have the same answer), you can modify the SKILL.md to auto-send for specific categories. Start conservatively and expand over time. ## Scaling tips - **Use `--limit` to control batch size.** Start with `--limit 5` while testing, then increase to 20 or more once the workflow is reliable. - **Filter by subject pattern.** If your support emails follow a convention (like `[Support]` in the subject), search for that pattern: `nylas email search "[Support]" --unread --limit 20 --json`. - **Batch similar tickets.** Group emails with similar questions and draft one template response, then personalize per recipient. - **Schedule polling cycles.** Instead of running the agent continuously, trigger it on a schedule (for example, every 30 minutes during business hours). - **Track response quality.** Periodically review sent replies to identify knowledge base gaps or recurring questions that need new articles. ## FAQ ### Can I use Manus as an email support agent without coding? Yes. Manus handles the agent logic, knowledge base matching, and draft generation. The Nylas CLI provides email access. You configure the workflow with a `SKILL.md` file and natural language instructions — no code required. ### How does the agent handle questions it cannot answer? When the knowledge base match confidence is low, the agent flags the ticket for manual review instead of guessing. You can configure escalation rules in the SKILL.md — for example, route billing questions to finance or forward technical issues to engineering. The agent never sends a reply it is uncertain about unless you explicitly approve it. ### Should I let the agent send replies automatically? Not at first. Always keep human-in-the-loop approval for support replies. The agent drafts responses, but a human should review every reply before it is sent. Once you have confidence in specific response categories, you can selectively enable auto-send for those. ## Next steps - [Manus AI Inbox Zero](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-inbox-zero): triage your personal inbox with a similar workflow - [Manus AI Email Research Agent](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-email-research): deep-search and summarize inbox threads - [Create a Manus Skill for Email and Calendar](https://cli.nylas.com/guides/manus-ai-skills): full guide to building the Nylas CLI Skill - [Command reference](https://cli.nylas.com/docs/commands): every CLI flag, subcommand, and example - [Manus Skills documentation](https://manus.im/docs/features/skills): official guide to creating and managing Skills