How to create an AI agent that "has an email inbox", receives and executes tasks?

Questions
1

Hey everyone,

I couldn’t find an existing thread that fits my needs, so I’m starting a new topic.

I’m looking to build an AI agent that monitors an email inbox and performs specific tasks when an email arrives. Here’s the idea:

  • Input: I receive an email containing all the details (content, title, description, featured image, etc.) needed to update a website.
  • Action: The AI agent will process the email and then navigate to a website’s backend to upload or update the content.
  • Tooling: I’m considering using automation tools like Playwright to interact with the website.

I’m not expecting a full solution yet, but I’d like some guidance on:

  • Where to start with setting up such an AI-driven workflow.
  • Whether it’s feasible to have an entire inbox managed by an AI agent.
  • Any alternative approaches or tools that might be better suited for this task.

Feel free to ask for clarification if needed.

Thanks in advance!

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: latest, self hosted
  • Database (default: SQLite): default
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): docker
  • Operating system: ubuntu
2

Hey! I’m developing Distrans, which does exactly what you’re looking for—it lets you create an inbox for each AI agent, giving them a toolkit to send and read messages with full threading support.

As a building block, Distrans gives your agent full control over its inbox. In your use case, upon receiving a message, the agent can be invoked to call tools—such as updating or uploading content to a website.

3

Anyone who did this with n8n or other Open Source tools? Not looking for commercial options at this point.

4

While I appreciate your response, this is not what I’m looking for.
BTW there’s quite a big jump in your pricing from $2/month to $100/month in the next tier.

5

I plan to open-source my work, but self-hosting won’t necessarily lead to massive cost savings. The pricing model is pay-per-usage with volume discounts—there are no tiered plans

6

That might be a good idea. Offering an open source / community edition with no direct support, and a paid / hosted version with private support.

Regarding the pricing all what I say is, you could offer something in between. I know for sure, from basically free ($2 per month) to $100 monthly is a huge jump, even if the price is justified for that usage.

7

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