Plan one review-only email assistant before giving AI your inbox
Turn one small email-triage idea into a fictional test mailbox, draft-only rules, a review receipt and a named reason to pay for a managed service.
A review-only email-assistant pack: a one-page permission contract, three fictional messages, a local-model boundary, draft receipts, a redacted decision log and one specific upgrade trigger.
Start with the messages and decisions you are willing to review, not permission to read a real mailbox. It does not connect an inbox, run a model, test Godwit, send mail or claim a customer result. The illustration is a FreeStack concept, not a provider screenshot.
About this guide & its examples
This original FreeStack workflow uses Godwit, local Ollama, VS Code and Git to plan a fictional three-message exercise. Official sources checked 1 November 2026.
Illustrations are FreeStack concepts, not provider screenshots. Check the free limits below and test your own files before delivery.
Free boundaries before you start
What’s free, whether you need an account, and when we last checked.
Godwit · checked 2026-11-01
Ongoing-free Apache-2.0 early-preview desktop mail client for macOS, Windows and Linux. It supports IMAP/SMTP plus local or hosted model adapters; the maintainer says Wit never sends without approval, TypeScript plugins cannot send and MCP write calls require approval. Mail service, models, plugins, backups and production support remain separate.
No Godwit service account is documented for the desktop client. A mail-provider account is required, and a hosted model may require its own account; local compatible model routes are also documented.
Ollama · checked 2026-11-01
Local Ollama remains ongoing-free with no subscription or provider run quota. Hosted pricing now lists a $0 subscription with pay-per-token cloud model use, three concurrent requests and no service fees; it no longer documents the prior recurring free cloud allowance. Paid Pro and Max plans include monthly credits.
No Ollama hosted account is required for the local runtime. Cloud model billing, purchased credits and hosted plan management require an account.
Visual Studio Code · checked 2026-10-31
VS Code remains free for private and commercial use. Microsoft's distribution uses its product licence; the published source is MIT-licensed. Extensions, Settings Sync, Copilot, remote services and deployment infrastructure have separate terms and limits.
No Microsoft account is required for core local editing. Optional sync, Copilot, marketplace or hosted services can require accounts.
Git · checked 2026-11-01
Free GPLv2 distributed version-control software for local repositories, with no provider project or history quota. Remote hosting, backup, access control and large-file storage are separate services.
No account is required for a local Git repository. Any remote host or sync service can require an account.
A small example to aim for
Supplier question · review required
Require the receipt.
Keep Send human.
Permission contract · local-model card · draft evidence · redacted decision log
FreeStack editorial workflow illustration · not a provider screenshot, connected mailbox, hands-on test or customer result.
Illustrative example · adapt it to your project.
Jump to a step
Write the mailbox contract before connecting anything
Create a one-page Markdown contract for three fictional messages: a meeting confirmation, a supplier question and an obvious newsletter. Define the permitted output as category, supporting phrase, proposed next step and an optional reply draft. Deny sending, deleting, archiving, moving, opening links, downloading attachments, changing account settings and reading any folder outside the named test set. Name the reviewer and require every uncertain message to remain unchanged.
Check the client boundary against the source
Review Godwit's current maintainer documentation before treating it as suitable. The project is an Apache-2.0 early preview for macOS, Windows and Linux, uses IMAP and SMTP, and says Wit never sends without approval. Plugins can read mail and write drafts but cannot send; MCP write calls require approval. Record those documented controls and the early-preview warning in the brief. They are design evidence, not proof that a local installation is secure or error-free.
Choose the smallest model route
For the exercise, plan a local Ollama model that can label and draft from the three fictional messages. Record the model identifier, context sent, device requirement and whether any request leaves the machine. Ollama's current pricing says local models remain available without a subscription, while cloud models are pay per token; do not describe the hosted route as a recurring free allowance. A local model still consumes hardware and can produce unsafe or invented text.
Design a draft receipt, not an invisible action
For each fictional message, require a receipt containing message ID, category, one quoted supporting phrase, proposed next step, draft status and reviewer decision. Use placeholder addresses and no real signatures. A category without evidence is unknown. A reply stays plain text until a human compares it with the message and deliberately copies or approves it. This makes a useful result visible before any mail action exists.
Version only the safe configuration
Commit the permission contract, fictional messages, prompt card and redacted receipts to a local Git repository with messages that describe the decision. Keep mailbox databases, attachments, account tokens, API keys, logs containing addresses and model caches out of version control. Git records changes but is not backup; choose a separate approved backup only after its access and recovery boundary is understood.
Pay only for the missing operating requirement
Keep the local review-only workflow when one person can process a small volume and manually approve every draft. FreeStack editorial upgrade triggers: managed uptime, supported mailbox migrations, team roles, governed retention, auditable approvals, shared prompt administration, specialist compliance controls or a measured volume that makes manual review impractical. Name the requirement and test it with fictional data before buying a membership.
Your workflow, connected.
Follow the steps and carry the output into the next stage. These are suggested handoffs, not automatic integrations.
- 01Bound the inbox
VS Code core editing is free for private and commercial use. Extensions, sync and hosted AI services have separate terms.
Permission contract + three safe examples - 02Name the documented gate
Godwit has no software usage quota, but it needs a mail account. Keep an independent server-side copy and review its early-preview warning.
Client boundary note - 03Keep inference explicit
Local Ollama is the ongoing-free route. Hosted model use is currently pay per token, and model licences remain separate.
Model card + data route - 05Keep the evidence portable
Local Git needs no account or provider quota. Remote hosting, large-file storage, access control and recovery are separate.
Named checkpoints + exclusion list
Provider information
Check current plans and documentation before committing to a workflow.
View 5 provider links
A couple of useful questions
Does this guide connect Godwit to my real inbox?
No. The output is a contract and fictional evidence pack. Connecting an account is a separate security decision after you review the provider, mailbox, model, plugin and recovery boundaries.
What stays free?
Godwit is Apache-2.0 software, Ollama's local runtime remains an ongoing-free route, VS Code core editing is free, and Git is GPLv2 software. Your device, mail service, models, storage, backup and any cloud inference remain separate.
Can the AI send a reply?
The exercise deliberately stops at a draft receipt. Godwit's maintainer says Wit never sends without approval and plugins cannot send, but you must still inspect the installed version and keep a human decision before any real message leaves the account.
What does Save this toolkit keep?
The existing FreeStack flow saves Godwit, Ollama, VS Code and Git to a private stack after sign-in. It does not connect a mailbox, store messages, install a model, keep credentials, run the exercise or authorize a send.
What would you try?
Share your result or ask a specific question about this workflow.
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