Advanced: Auto-forwarding with Gmail filters

You can set up Gmail filters to automatically forward certain emails to Noise.bot. This is useful when you regularly receive updates or reports that you want Storytell to process without manual effort.

Written By Patrick Intervalo

Last updated 5 months ago

How it works

Gmail’s filter system lets you define rules based on criteria like sender, subject line, or keywords. When an email matches those rules, Gmail can automatically forward it to Noise.bot. Once forwarded, Noise.bot processes it like any other email and replies with results to your inbox.

Steps

  1. Open Gmail on your computer and click the gear icon, then select See all settings.

  2. Go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

  3. Click Add a forwarding address.

  4. Enter the Noise.bot address you want to use:

    Note: In some cases, Gmail will send a confirmation email to [email protected] before allowing you to finish. Don’t worry—we’ll approve this confirmation on our side so you can continue setup.

  5. Complete the verification prompts that appear. Follow the on-screen steps to finish adding the forwarding address.

  6. Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses.

  7. Click Create a new filter.

  8. Set the criteria that should trigger forwarding, such as a specific sender or subject keywords.

  9. Click Create filter.

  10. Check Forward it to, then choose the Noise.bot address you added.

  11. Optional: check Also apply filter to matching conversations to process existing messages.

  12. Click Create filter to save.

New emails that match your filter will be forwarded to Noise.bot automatically, and you’ll receive the response in your inbox.

Example uses

  • Auto-forward all weekly analytics reports and later ask: “Summarize key trends across the last month.”

  • Auto-forward customer feedback forms and ask: “Highlight recurring issues.”

Tips for advanced filtering

Once you’re comfortable with basic filters, you can get more precise by combining conditions:

  • From + Keyword
    Example: from:storytell.ai subject: report
    → Forwards only emails from Storytell that mention “money.”

  • Multiple Senders
    Example: from:(storytell.ai OR linear.app)
    → Catches emails from either domain.

  • Exclude Certain Emails
    Example: from:storytell.ai -subject:"newsletter"
    → Forwards Storytell emails but skips newsletters.

  • Attachment Filters
    Example: has:attachment filename:pdf
    → Targets only emails with PDF attachments.

  • Date-Based Filters
    Example: after:2025/01/01 before:2025/02/01
    → Forwards emails received in a specific time window.

These can be mixed and matched to create powerful automation flows that keep your inbox clean while ensuring the right messages are auto-forwarded.