Track your action items from Granola notes by creating Asana tasks
Track your action items from Granola notes by creating Asana tasks
Email assistant: Turn starred emails into Asana tasks with AI
Automatically convert your starred Gmail emails into structured Asana tasks with AI-powered extraction and smart due dates.
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Overview
Important emails get buried in your inbox, and action items slip through the cracks
You're constantly switching between Gmail, your task manager, and Slack just to stay on top of follow-ups.
Manual task creation from emails is time-consuming and error-prone. You have to copy content, figure out due dates, attach files, and remember to notify your team. Meanwhile, critical deadlines get missed because that important client email got lost in the shuffle. This scattered approach to email task management creates stress, reduces productivity, and can damage professional relationships when follow-ups fall through the cracks.
This automation transforms your starred Gmail messages into structured Asana tasks instantly. AI analyzes your email content to extract action items, calculate smart due dates, and create detailed task descriptions. Files get attached automatically, and your team receives Slack notifications with direct links to the new tasks. You'll go from reactive email chaos to proactive task management, ensuring nothing important gets forgotten.
Why build an email to task automation?
- Tasks get created instantly when you star important emails, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of forgotten action items
- AI-powered extraction identifies due dates and action items automatically, saving hours of manual task creation each week
- Team visibility improves with automatic Slack notifications that include direct links to newly created Asana tasks
You can customize this workflow by swapping Gmail for other email providers, connecting different task management tools instead of Asana, or adding approval steps for high-priority tasks.
What key features come with the email to task automation?
- Smart email filtering — Automatically excludes "noreply" addresses and automated emails to focus only on actionable human communications
- AI task extraction — GPT-4o-mini analyzes email content to identify specific action items, extract due dates, and generate concise task titles
- Intelligent due date calculation — Converts relative date references like "by Friday" or "next week" into specific deadlines, with a 3-day default when no date is mentioned
- Automatic file attachment — Transfers email attachments directly to Asana tasks to preserve context and supporting documents
- Slack team notifications — Locates team members by email address and sends direct messages with clickable links to newly created tasks
How does this email to task automation work?
This ready-made automation builds you a complete email-to-task pipeline with AI-powered content extraction. Here's how it works:
- You star an important email in Gmail that requires follow-up action
- The system captures the starred message and filters out automated emails from "noreply" addresses
- AI analyzes the email content to identify action items specifically assigned to you
- Smart date processing converts relative timeframes into specific due dates
- A comprehensive Asana task gets created with the AI-generated title and description
- Email attachments are automatically transferred to the Asana task
- The system finds the appropriate team member in Slack using their email address
- A direct message notification is sent with task details and a clickable Asana link
You'll find detailed setup instructions inside the automation. Scroll down for a preview.
Who should use this email to task automation?
- Project managers who need to track action items from client communications and ensure nothing falls through the cracks during busy project cycles
- Sales professionals managing follow-ups from prospect emails and converting leads into trackable tasks with proper due dates
- Executive assistants organizing tasks for leadership teams and maintaining visibility across multiple email threads and priorities
- Customer success managers converting support requests into trackable tasks while keeping the team informed about new customer issues
- Operations teams who handle vendor communications and need to turn email requests into structured workflows with proper documentation
Ready to transform your email chaos into organized task management? Set up this automation and never lose track of important action items again.
Frequently asked questions
How does the starred email to task automation work?
When you star an email in Gmail, this automation instantly creates a corresponding task in Asana with AI-powered content extraction that pulls key details like deadlines, priorities, and action items from the email. Your team gets notified via Slack, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Can I use a different project management tool instead of Asana?
Yes. This automation works with other project management tools in the same category. For example, if you don't use Asana, you can swap in tools like Trello, Monday.com, or ClickUp instead. Zapier supports thousands of apps, making it easy to adapt the workflow to your existing stack.
What AI features help with email task creation?
The automation leverages AI to intelligently extract task details from your starred emails, including smart due date calculation, priority assessment, and automatic categorization. This means you get properly formatted Asana tasks without manual data entry, saving hours of administrative work.
How much time does this email task automation save?
Most users save 2-3 hours weekly by eliminating manual task creation from emails. The AI-powered extraction means you no longer need to copy-paste email content, set due dates manually, or remember to create follow-up tasks for important messages.
Can I customize which emails get converted to tasks?
Yes, the automation triggers only when you star emails in Gmail, giving you complete control over which messages become tasks. You can also set up filters to automatically star emails from specific senders or with certain keywords for hands-free operation.
What happens to email attachments when creating Asana tasks?
Email attachments are automatically included with your Asana tasks, ensuring all relevant files stay connected to the work item. This eliminates the need to manually download and re-upload files, keeping your project documentation complete and organized.
