Helps with Missive — a collaborative team inbox that merges email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and live chat into a shared workspace. Teams collaborate with internal threads, co-draft emails before sending, convert emails to tasks, and automate workflows with rules.
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.
Ask the user:
- What are you trying to do with Missive?
- A) Set up shared inboxes and team spaces for the first time
- B) Fix search, assignment, or automation issues
- C) Connect Missive to CRM or other tools (API, Zapier, webhooks)
- D) Configure collaborative drafting or internal threads
- E) Compare Missive to other shared inbox tools
- F) Something else — describe it
-
How many team members?
- A) 1-5 (micro team — Starter plan fits)
- B) 6-50 (growing team — Productive plan fits)
- C) 50+ (scaling — Business plan fits)
-
Which plan are you on (or considering)?
- A) Starter ($14/user/mo) — up to 5 users, email/SMS/social, team spaces
- B) Productive ($24/user/mo) — up to 50 users, integrations, API, automations, basic analytics
- C) Business ($36/user/mo) — unlimited users, SSO/SAML, IP restriction, advanced analytics
- D) Not sure / evaluating
Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip to Step 2.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|---|
| Comparing shared inbox / help desk platforms broadly | /sales-helpdesk-selection {question} |
| Contact center / CCaaS selection | /sales-ccaas-selection {question} |
| Live chat strategy across tools | /sales-live-chat {question} |
| Connecting tools via Zapier/Make/API pipelines | /sales-integration {question} |
For Missive-specific questions, continue to Step 3.
Step 3 — Missive platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, data model, API endpoints, integration recipes, code examples.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.
- For search issues: Use Gmail-style search operators within Missive. Clear filters before searching. Search by sender email address instead of name for more reliable results.
- For assignment/archiving confusion: Archiving in a shared inbox archives for all members. Use "Close" status instead to mark conversations as resolved without removing from others' views.
- For plan selection: Start with Starter ($14) for up to 5 users. Upgrade to Productive ($24) when you need API access, automations, or 6+ users. Business ($36) only for SSO/SAML or 50+ users.
- For onboarding: Expect 2-3 days for basic setup, up to 2 weeks to tune rules and permissions for a 15+ person team.
If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
- No permanent free plan. Only a 30-day trial — no free tier like Hiver or Freshdesk. Smallest paid plan is Starter at $14/user/mo.
- API requires Productive plan ($24/user/mo). Starter users cannot use the REST API or webhooks — must upgrade or use Zapier (also Productive+).
- Search is the weakest feature. Users consistently report search not finding old messages, especially when searching by numbers or partial terms. Clear all filters before searching.
- Archiving affects the whole team. Unlike personal email, archiving a shared inbox conversation removes it from everyone's view, not just yours. Use status changes instead.
- Only account owner can manage aliases. Admins cannot add email aliases — only the account owner has this permission.
- Steep learning curve for teams. Basic setup takes 2-3 days, but tuning rules, permissions, and workflows for a 15+ person team takes closer to 2 weeks.
- Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
references/learnings.mdwith today's date.
Related skills
/sales-hiver— Hiver platform help (Gmail-native shared inbox, AI copilot, SLAs). Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-hiver -a claude-code/sales-gmelius— Gmelius platform help (Gmail AI collaboration, Meli assistant, Kanban boards). Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-gmelius -a claude-code/sales-helpdesk-selection— Compare help desk platforms (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Help Scout, and more). Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-helpdesk-selection -a claude-code/sales-front— Front platform help (AI-powered shared inbox, omnichannel, Autopilot/Copilot, REST API). Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-front -a claude-code/sales-integration— Connect tools via Zapier/Make/API pipelines/sales-live-chat— Live chat strategy across tools/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code
Examples
Example 1: Setting up shared inbox for a support team
User says: "We're an 8-person SaaS team. We want to set up support@company.com and sales@company.com as shared inboxes with auto-assignment." Skill does: Reads platform guide. Recommends Productive plan ($24/user/mo) since they need 8 users (exceeds Starter's 5-user limit) and automations. Walks through: create organization → add shared email accounts → create team spaces → set up auto-assignment rules → configure internal thread workflows. Notes that collaborative drafting lets agents co-write replies before sending.
Example 2: Syncing Missive conversations to HubSpot via API
User says: "How do I automatically create HubSpot contacts when we get new conversations in Missive?" Skill does: Reads platform guide for API endpoints and webhook setup. Provides two paths: 1) Zapier recipe using "New message" trigger → HubSpot "Create Contact" action, 2) Webhook approach: create a Rule with webhook action → POST to your server → call HubSpot API. Includes cURL example for listing conversations. Notes API requires Productive plan.
Example 3: Search not finding messages
User says: "I'm searching for an email from last month but Missive can't find it. I know it exists because I can see it in Gmail." Skill does: Acknowledges search limitations as a known issue. Recommends: 1) Clear all active filters and search again. 2) Search by exact sender email address instead of name. 3) Try narrowing with date range. 4) As a workaround, use Gmail's native search to find the message, then locate it in Missive by subject line. Notes this is the most common Missive complaint on G2.
Troubleshooting
Search not finding conversations or messages
Symptom: Searching for a conversation returns no results even though the email exists Cause: Missive's search is its weakest feature (95+ G2 mentions). It doesn't reliably match partial terms, numbers, or old messages — especially with active filters. Solution: 1) Clear all filters before searching. 2) Search by exact sender email address. 3) Use Gmail/Outlook native search as a fallback to find the message, then locate in Missive by subject. 4) Report persistent search issues to Missive support — they've been improving this.
Steep learning curve during team onboarding
Symptom: New team members struggle with Missive's interface, rules, and collaboration features Cause: Missive combines email, chat, tasks, and automations in one tool — more complex than a basic email client. Basic setup takes 2 days, but team-wide tuning takes up to 2 weeks. Solution: 1) Start with just shared inboxes and internal threads — don't enable automations on day one. 2) Roll out features incrementally: week 1 shared inbox → week 2 assignments → week 3 rules → week 4 integrations. 3) Use Missive's onboarding resources and customer stories for team training. 4) Business plan includes personalized team onboarding.
Conversations disappearing after archiving
Symptom: An agent archives a conversation and it vanishes from other team members' views Cause: In shared inboxes, archiving removes the conversation for everyone — unlike personal email where archiving is per-user. Solution: 1) Use "Close" status instead of archive to mark conversations as resolved. 2) Set up team conventions: archive = permanently done, close = resolved but accessible. 3) Closed conversations remain searchable and can be reopened. 4) Consider using labels/tags to organize instead of archiving.