Process Inbox - Claude Reasoning Loop

This skill implements the Claude Reasoning Loop for the AI Employee system. When invoked, Claude Code acts as the reasoning engine to process action files and create intelligent execution plans.

Architecture

code

Watchers (perception) → Needs_Action/ (memory) → Claude Code via /process-inbox (reasoning) → Plans/ + MCP (action)

Instructions

When this skill is invoked, you MUST:

1. Scan for Pending Actions

Read all .md files in AI_Employee_Vault/Needs_Action/

2. For Each Action File, Perform Intelligent Analysis

•Read the action file content
•Parse the YAML frontmatter (source, type, priority, timestamp)
•Understand the context and intent of the request
•Read AI_Employee_Vault/Company_Handbook.md for business rules
•Consider sensitivity (new contacts, financial, public posting)

3. Generate a Structured Execution Plan

Create a plan file in AI_Employee_Vault/Plans/ with:

markdown

---
action_id: <from original action>
created: <ISO timestamp>
status: pending
requires_approval: <true if sensitive>
sensitivity: <none|medium|high>
---

# Execution Plan: <brief title>

## Objective
<One sentence describing what needs to be done>

## Analysis
<Your reasoning about this action: what's being requested, context you understand, any concerns>

## Execution Steps
- [ ] Step 1 **[APPROVAL REQUIRED]** (if sensitive)
- [ ] Step 2
- [ ] Step 3

## Risk Assessment
<Any risks, concerns, or things to watch for>

## Recommended MCP Actions
<Which skills/MCP servers to use: email-ops, social-ops, etc.>

4. Handle Sensitive Actions

If the action involves:

•Sending email to NEW contact → Requires approval
•Financial transaction → Requires approval
•Public posting (LinkedIn, social) → Requires approval
•Bulk operations → Requires approval

Create approval request in AI_Employee_Vault/Pending_Approval/

5. Move Processed Files

Move action file from Needs_Action/ to Done/ after plan creation

6. Update Dashboard

Update AI_Employee_Vault/Dashboard.md with processing activity

Example Processing

Input (Needs_Action/email_action.md):

yaml

---
source: gmail
type: email
priority: high
---
From: client@example.com
Subject: Need invoice for January work

Hi, please send the invoice for the work completed in January.

Output (Plans/plan_invoice_request.md):

markdown

---
action_id: email_action_1234
created: 2026-01-16T03:30:00Z
status: pending
requires_approval: true
sensitivity: medium
---

# Execution Plan: Generate and Send January Invoice

## Objective
Create and send the January invoice to the requesting client.

## Analysis
Client has requested an invoice for work completed in January. This requires:
1. Gathering work records for January
2. Calculating total based on agreed rates
3. Generating invoice document
4. Sending via email

This is a financial document being sent to an existing client (known contact).

## Execution Steps
- [ ] Review January work records in vault
- [ ] Calculate total amount based on Company_Handbook rates
- [ ] Generate invoice using standard template
- [ ] **[APPROVAL REQUIRED]** Send invoice to client@example.com via email-ops

## Risk Assessment
- Low: Existing client relationship
- Verify: January hours/rates before sending

## Recommended MCP Actions
- email-ops: Send final invoice after approval

Validation Checklist

After processing, verify:

• All action files in Needs_Action/ have been processed
• Plan files created in Plans/ with proper YAML frontmatter
• Sensitive actions have approval requests in Pending_Approval/
• Processed action files moved to Done/
• Dashboard.md updated with activity summary