Boomerang for Gmail

Send later, reminders, scheduling, and inbox pause for Gmail

KINDA · partial replacement
price variesestimated build time weekend to multi-dayreplaced by 0 people

The visible Gmail scheduling add-on loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Boomerang for Gmail earns its keep through deliverability, security, integration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • team routing and shared inbox rules
  • abuse response and security operations
  • calendar-provider edge cases and timezone correctness
  • provider-grade deliverability
  • push reliability across devices

Why people still pay

Boomerang for Gmail: Email is infrastructure. Customers pay to avoid lost messages, broken auth, spam problems, and the reputational cost of a flaky inbox.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Runtime and tools: TypeScript, Node, PostgreSQL and a database-backed job worker with a small React run inspector.
  • Before starting: Credentials for only the chosen integrations, their current API documentation, example payloads and an always-on worker for schedules.
01
TypeScript, Node, PostgreSQL and a database-backed job worker with a small React run inspector
02
Data design: Store DraftRevision, SendAttempt, ThreadReference and FollowUpRule; use message/thread identifiers and reply relationships rather than subject text alone to decide whether to cancel a reminder.
03
Setup: Credentials for only the chosen integrations, their current API documentation, example payloads and an always-on worker for schedules
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Pin the working slice and create its example input: Schedule a reviewed draft and remind its owner only if no matching reply arrives before a chosen deadline. Confirm setup: Credentials for only the chosen integrations, their current API documentation, example payloads and an always-on worker for schedules.

2

Phase 2

Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store DraftRevision, SendAttempt, ThreadReference and FollowUpRule; use message/thread identifiers and reply relationships rather than subject text alone to decide whether to cancel a reminder.

3

Phase 3

Connect the working view to real saved state. Persist trigger identity, step input version and external receipts before marking success. Retry bounded transient failures; unknown write outcomes require reconciliation. Do not promise exactly-once execution across external services.

4

Phase 4

Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Use one authorized mailbox adapter; show that local schedules stop when the worker stops. An ambiguous SMTP/API result requires reconciliation, and inbox pausing is deferred.

5

Phase 5

Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Receive an unrelated email with the same subject and then a true reply; the unrelated email leaves the reminder intact and the real reply cancels it. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
Build the following focused alternative to Boomerang for Gmail. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service.

WORKING SLICE
Schedule a reviewed draft and remind its owner only if no matching reply arrives before a chosen deadline.

SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE
Use TypeScript, Node, PostgreSQL and a database-backed job worker with a small React run inspector. Prerequisites: Credentials for only the chosen integrations, their current API documentation, example payloads and an always-on worker for schedules. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success.

DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS
Store DraftRevision, SendAttempt, ThreadReference and FollowUpRule; use message/thread identifiers and reply relationships rather than subject text alone to decide whether to cancel a reminder.

IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT
Persist trigger identity, step input version and external receipts before marking success. Retry bounded transient failures; unknown write outcomes require reconciliation. Do not promise exactly-once execution across external services. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content.

APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY
Use one authorized mailbox adapter; show that local schedules stop when the worker stops. An ambiguous SMTP/API result requires reconciliation, and inbox pausing is deferred.

ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO
Receive an unrelated email with the same subject and then a true reply; the unrelated email leaves the reminder intact and the real reply cancels it. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested.

DELIVERY
Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product.

PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md
Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherMailspringOpen-source desktop mail client and useful IMAP prior art.↗
share on X ↗

Boomerang for Gmail pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
basic$0/user$0/user10 message credits/month; each message using Send Later, Boomerang, Response Tracking, or Read Receipts consumes a credit
personal—$4.98/userUnlimited message credits; Gmail addresses only; includes mobile appsOfficial pricing page shows $4.98/month billed annually; exact month-to-month price was not publicly exposed.
pro—$14.98/userUnlimited message credits; Gmail or Google Workspace; recurring messages and advanced Inbox Pause/RespondableOfficial pricing page shows $14.98/month billed annually; exact month-to-month price was not publicly exposed.
premium—$49.98/userUnlimited message credits; adds track-by-default, CRM integration, Toolbox, priority support, and GQueues BusinessOfficial pricing page shows $49.98/month billed annually; exact month-to-month price was not publicly exposed.
teams pro——Central billing/admin; instant quote for up to 100 users; 100+ users require sales contactSold with monthly or annual billing; public quote widget did not expose a stable numeric seat price.
teams premium——Central billing/admin; instant quote for up to 100 users; 100+ users require sales contactSold with monthly or annual billing; public quote widget did not expose a stable numeric seat price.
enterprise——Custom service agreement, training, professional services, and integrationsCustom quote.

free tier10 message credits/month; credits count messages using Send Later, Boomerang, Response Tracking, or Read Receipts; 30-day Pro trial with no card

billingmonthly + annual; public individual prices show annual equivalents, while exact month-to-month prices are available only during account checkout

hidden costsPersonal is restricted to @gmail.com addresses; Google Workspace accounts require Pro or higher. Paid access applies per subscribed email address. Team pricing is quantity-dependent.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Boomerang for Gmail

Can you build your own Boomerang for Gmail with AI?

Partly. The visible Gmail scheduling add-on loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Boomerang for Gmail earns its keep through deliverability, security, integration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

What does the Boomerang for Gmail build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Schedule a reviewed draft and remind its owner only if no matching reply arrives before a chosen deadline. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: team routing and shared inbox rules; abuse response and security operations; calendar-provider edge cases and timezone correctness. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Boomerang for Gmail prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Boomerang for Gmail project take?

The catalogue estimate is weekend to multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Boomerang for Gmail?

team routing and shared inbox rules; abuse response and security operations; calendar-provider edge cases and timezone correctness; provider-grade deliverability; push reliability across devices. Boomerang for Gmail: Email is infrastructure. Customers pay to avoid lost messages, broken auth, spam problems, and the reputational cost of a flaky inbox.

What can I use instead of building Boomerang for Gmail?

The prior-art section lists Mailspring as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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