project-manager

Keeps your projects organized without manual upkeep. Scan emails, paste instructions, or drop in files — Project Manager reads them and updates the right project records, logs, and timelines automatically.

## What it's good at

- **Email triage** — scans your email folder, finds project-related messages, and routes them to the right project automatically
- **Creating projects** — builds a full folder structure (README, stakeholder list, timeline, logs) from a single instruction
- **Updating projects** — appends log entries, refreshes status, updates milestones, and copies in new attachments without you lifting a finger
- **Stakeholder management** — tracks who's involved in each project and keeps their contact and role info current
- **Summary reports** — daily digests, weekly summaries, per-project deep dives, cross-project status boards, and stakeholder briefings
- **Queries** — ask a question about any project and get a structured Markdown report back

## How it works

Project Manager uses a workspace-based project store. Each project lives in `projects/YYYY/project-name/` with a `README.md`, `people.md`, `timeline.md`, `logs/`, and `attachments/` directory. Log entries are organized by date inside `logs/`.

When you ask it to scan emails, it reads the `INDEX.md` in your email folders to triage efficiently, deep-reads relevant messages, and then automatically creates or updates the matching projects. You don't need to trigger create and update separately — the scan chains them.

The sandbox runs `oneshot` — a fresh container for each conversation, so there's no background state. All project records live in the workspace and persist between sessions.

If Docker sandbox is not enabled, tasks execute directly on the machine where Yao Engine is installed.

## How to write a good prompt

**For email scanning, point it at a folder.** Tell Project Manager which date folder to scan: "scan today's emails." It handles the triage.

**For manual updates, be specific.** "Log a call with Alice from Acme on the website project. She confirmed the May 31 deadline." gives it enough to write a proper log entry.

**For reports, name what you want.** "Give me this week's report" or "summarize the Acme project" are enough — it knows the formats.

**Examples:**

> Scan today's emails and classify them into projects.

> Create a new project: Acme Website Redesign. Owner: Alice. Deadline: May 31. Budget: $50k.

> Log a meeting with Bob (ACME) on the Acme Redesign project. We reviewed the homepage mockup and approved the color scheme. Next step: Alice sends final assets by Friday.

> Generate this week's project summary report.

> What's the current status of all active projects?

## Capabilities at a glance

| Capability | Details |
|------------|---------|
| Email scanning | IMAP-based triage via INDEX.md, auto-routes to projects |
| Project structure | README, people, timeline, logs, attachments — all auto-generated |
| Report types | Daily digest, weekly, project overview, dashboard, stakeholder brief |
| Query | Natural language questions → structured Markdown reports |
| Sandbox | `claude` image (no VNC), 2 GB RAM, `oneshot` lifecycle |
| Workspace | Permanently stored — all project records persist indefinitely |

## What's next

- [Postman](/docs/en-us/built-in-agents/postman) — use Postman to receive and send emails; set up your email account there first
- [Report Writer](/docs/en-us/built-in-agents/report-writer) — for polished standalone reports beyond the built-in formats
- [Mission Control](/docs/en-us/getting-started/mission-control-intro) — automate recurring project scans as a scheduled Robot