see the tree in the woods - github notifications and google mail

When you start working with Github you might be overwhelmed by all the notificiations that are suddenly in your inbox. It looks like every action that everyone does creates an e-mail that just floods you.

Github themself already provide help with that topic in the github help center but you are still in a situation that needs emergency help - kind of.

I had found several blog postings from around 2015 explain how you can do effective filter for github in google mail - but they never used the above mentioned help from github. Some newer gists make use of them - but does not really explain what and why.

This set of four rules that will guide you and clean up your inbox in Google Mail.

To clarify - Google Mail tags are similar to folders, but in addition it will give you the option to have visual markers when you see the mails in one pile.

First I like to have all Github Mails out of my Inbox - that is the reason for the first filter. I need to actively look and no important mail is lost because of hundreds of notifications.

The next rules picking out when someone has assigned something to me - I need to look at this active because someone wants that I work on something. The third rule is all kind of reply to conversations I have done or someone mention me, that is something I can look, read and maybe act on.  The last rule filter all notifications where someone requested my review.

The above filters can be downloaded as .xml import to have a system up and running quickly from this gist.

Based on the above it is simple to build and customize your Github rules in Google Mail - but this should already give you some peace and highlight where you are mentioned directly or your work is needed.