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Nico Reyes
Nico Reyes

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Built a tool to auto-reply to emails. Now I reply to spam faster than real people.

#python #automation #productivity #showdev

Built a tool to auto reply to emails. Now I reply to spam faster than real people.

Was getting 30 cold emails a day minimum. Recruiters, sales pitches, people asking if I want to buy their course. Started replying manually with "not interested" but that ate 20 minutes every morning.

Thought hey I can automate this.

Version 1 was embarrassingly simple

Wrote a Python script that checked my Gmail every 5 minutes and sent "Thanks but not interested" to anything with keywords like "opportunity" or "partnership" in the subject.

import imaplib
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText

imap = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL('imap.gmail.com')
imap.login('user@gmail.com', 'password')
imap.select('INBOX')

status, messages = imap.search(None, 'UNSEEN SUBJECT "opportunity"')
for num in messages[0].split():
    msg = MIMEText('Thanks but not interested')
    msg['Subject'] = 'Re: ...'
    smtp = smtplib.SMTP('smtp.gmail.com', 587)
    smtp.sendmail('user@gmail.com', sender, msg.as_string())
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Ran for 2 days.

Then I auto declined a job I actually wanted. Oops.

Tried adding a whitelist

Figured I needed to NOT reply to:

  • Domains I've emailed before
  • Anyone in my contacts
  • Emails with "interview" or "position" in subject

That helped until I replied to a vendor my boss was negotiating with. That conversation was awkward.

Current version pattern matches the body

Now it parses email content looking for:

  • "I came across your profile"
  • "quick call to discuss"
  • Links to calendly or meeting schedulers
  • Generic "reaching out" phrases

If 3+ patterns match and sender not in whitelist, auto sends "not currently looking for new opportunities".

spam_patterns = [
    "came across your profile",
    "quick call",
    "calendly.com",
    "reaching out",
    "opportunity that might interest"
]

matches = sum(1 for pattern in spam_patterns if pattern in body.lower())
if matches >= 3 and sender not in whitelist:
    send_auto_reply(sender)
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Running for 3 weeks now. Handled 180 cold emails. Only 1 false positive where I replied to a conference organizer I should have responded to manually.

Still kinda weird that my script is more polite to strangers than I am.

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