Deep Research Email

An automated email-based research assistant powered by Google's Deep Research AI. Send an email with your research question, and receive a comprehensive research report back via email.

• Email-triggered research: Send a research query via email to initiate deep research
• Asynchronous processing: Research runs in the background using Google's Deep Research Pro
• Automated delivery: Completed research reports are automatically emailed back to you
• Status tracking: Uses Val Town blob storage to track ongoing research tasks
• Markdown formatting: Receive beautifully formatted research reports in HTML

1. Send an email to: deep-research@valtown.email
2. Subject: Your research topic (e.g., "Latest advances in quantum computing")
3. Body: Detailed research question or context
4. Wait: The system will process your request and send the research report back to your email

This val consists of two main components:

• Type: Email Val
• Trigger: Incoming email
• Function:
  • Receives email and extracts the research question
  • Initiates a Deep Research task via Google GenAI API
  • Stores task metadata in blob storage for tracking
  • Returns immediately while research continues in background

• Type: Interval Val
• Trigger: Scheduled (periodic check)
• Function:
  • Polls blob storage for pending research tasks
  • Checks completion status with Google GenAI API
  • Sends email with research results when completed
  • Handles failed research attempts
  • Cleans up completed tasks from storage

• @google/genai - Google GenAI SDK for Deep Research
• markdown-it - Markdown to HTML conversion
• Val Town standard library (blob, email)

Email arrives → Store task → Background research
                    ↓
            Periodic status check
                    ↓
         Research complete? → Email results

Tasks are stored in blob storage as:

{
  [interactionId]: {
    interaction: { id, status, ... },
    e: { from, subject, text, ... }
  }
}

• Race condition: Concurrent emails or simultaneous status checks may cause conflicts (noted in code comments)
• Consider implementing proper locking mechanism for production use

• Google GenAI API credentials (configured through Val Town secrets)

• From address: paulkinlan.deep-research-email@valtown.email
• Reply name: "Deep Research"

Email to send:

To: paulkinlan.deep-research-email@valtown.email
Subject: The impact of AI on software development
Body: I'm interested in understanding how AI tools like 
      GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT are changing the way 
      developers write code. Please research recent 
      trends and statistics.

Response you'll receive: A comprehensive email with:

• Detailed research findings in HTML format
• Multiple sources and citations
• Well-formatted sections and bullet points
• Original query context included

This val is ready to use as-is. The components are:

• Email endpoint: Automatically configured by Val Town
• Cron job: Set to run at configured intervals
• Blob storage: Managed by Val Town infrastructure

This is a personal project hosted on Val Town.

Paul Kinlan (@paulkinlan)

Built with Val Town 🏝️