Questions and answers
Is Threadline a bulk email tool?
No. It is designed for low-volume, personal one-to-one outreach — about 15–20 new emails a day (the default daily limit is 18). It does not try to get around Gmail's sending limits or spam filters. If you need to send newsletters or large campaigns, use a dedicated email service instead.
Do you need my Google or Gmail password?
Never. You sign in with Google and connect Gmail through Google's own OAuth consent screen. Threadline receives an access token, which is encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM). You can revoke access at any time from your Google Account.
What happens when someone replies?
Any reply — positive, negative or neutral — immediately stops all automation for that lead and flags it as Replied – needs your review. The thread is also re-checked right before every follow-up, and if you reply yourself from Gmail, automation stops too. You then carry the conversation on in Gmail as you normally would.
How do you stop the AI from making things up?
Every claim in the final email is linked to the public source it came from, and you can see that list for each lead. The first draft is reviewed against a checklist and rewritten before you see it, and when the research found little solid evidence the draft is flagged as low confidence. “Review before send” is on by default, so nothing goes out without your approval.
Which AI model writes the emails, and what does it see?
Drafts are written by Anthropic's Claude. To research and write an email, the lead's details from your spreadsheet, information from public web sources about their company, your company profile and playbook and, for follow-ups, the earlier messages in the thread are sent to Anthropic's API. See the Privacy Policy for details.
Does it scrape LinkedIn?
No. LinkedIn is never scraped. If your CSV includes a
linkedin_url column it is stored as a reference for you only. The research step researches the company from public web sources, and every source it used is listed for you on the lead's page.Do you track opens or clicks?
No. Emails are sent as plain text with no tracking pixels and no link tracking — the same as an email you'd type yourself.
What should my spreadsheet contain?
Upload a .csv or .xlsx file (from Google Sheets: File → Download). A first name and an email column are required; last name, company name, company website, job title and notes help. Columns are matched automatically and you can correct them. Before anything is saved you see a preview of every row: addresses are validated, duplicates and suppressed or previously-replied contacts are skipped, and rejected rows can be downloaded.
What if there's little public information about a company?
The draft is marked as low confidence so you know to read it carefully, and you'll be asked to confirm before approving it. It won't fill gaps with invented details.
How many follow-ups are sent, and when?
Up to five. By default they're sent 3, 7, 12, 20 and 28 days after the first email, and you can change the schedule per campaign. Every follow-up stays in the same Gmail thread and is only sent if there's still no reply.
What about out-of-office auto-replies?
An out-of-office reply postpones that lead's sequence by a week instead of ending it. This behaviour is configurable.
What happens if an email bounces?
Bounces are detected. A hard bounce stops the sequence for that lead and adds the address to your suppression list, which applies across all your campaigns.
Is there an unsubscribe link? Who's responsible for compliance?
Yes. Every email includes a link to a one-click unsubscribe page, and anyone who uses it is added to your suppression list and their sequence stops. Live sending stays off until you add your postal address. You are still responsible for complying with the anti-spam and privacy laws that apply to you (for example CAN-SPAM, CASL and GDPR) — for leads in Canada you record the basis of consent before approving their email.
Is Threadline made by Google?
No. Threadline works with your Gmail account through Google's standard OAuth, but it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.
How do I delete my data?
Email support@example.com from the address you signed in with and we'll delete your account data. You can also revoke Threadline's access to Gmail at any time from your Google Account settings.
Try it with a small list.
Review before send is on by default, so you'll see every draft first.