Rishikesh Ranjan — rishikeshranjan.com

// disciplines

Email Check

/ttm-email-check

Deliverability, dark-mode, and spam-trigger check for email assets. Run before sending any email campaign.

manual invocation
allowed-tools:ReadWriteBashGrep
SKILL.md ↗

Overview

ttm-email-check is the email pre-flight gate. It runs a draft email through deliverability checks, dark-mode compatibility checks, and a spam-trigger scan, then evaluates the draft against the email playbook gate definitions and the positioning gate to produce a go/no-go recommendation. Run it before sending any email campaign.

Why it matters: email is unforgiving. One drift-laden send to a warm list can damage open rates for weeks. Treat this skill like a pre-commit hook for outbound work: cheap, fast, and the only thing standing between your draft and your domain reputation. The output is a pass/fix-list, plus a voice check against your BRAND.md.

Invoke it with ttm-email-check. The skill reads and follows the workflow at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/workflows/discipline/email-check.md, which is reproduced below.

How it works

Step 0: First-run inline education

Read .taketomarket/CONFIG.md. Parse first_run_seen (object) and inline_education (boolean, default true).

If inline_education is false: skip this step. Else if first_run_seen.ttm-email-check is not true, print the explainer below verbatim, then mark this skill as seen:

node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/ttm-tools.cjs" first-run mark ttm-email-check

Use this exact check (bash) to decide whether to print: node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/ttm-tools.cjs" first-run check ttm-email-check --raw — the JSON seen field is true once the explainer has run before.

This first-run gate is backed by the script at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/ttm-tools.cjs.

Explainer for /ttm-email-check

/ttm-email-check is the email pre-flight. It runs a draft email through deliverability checks (spam-trigger phrases, structural red flags, list-hygiene reminders) and the positioning gate, plus a voice check against your BRAND.md. Output is a pass/fix-list.

Why it matters: email is unforgiving — one drift-laden send to a warm list can damage open rates for weeks. Treat this skill like a pre-commit hook for outbound: cheap, fast, and the only thing standing between your draft and your domain reputation.

(Canonical source: references/inline-education-blurbs.md. Embedded verbatim because workflows do not @-resolve files at runtime.)

Purpose

Pre-send deliverability, dark-mode compatibility, and spam-trigger scan for email content. Evaluates against email playbook gate definitions and generates a go/no-go recommendation. Single-pass analysis workflow per D-07.

Required reading

  • @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/context-loading.md
  • @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/playbooks/email.md

Constraints

Process

Text-Mode Detection

Text mode (--text flag): Set TEXT_MODE=true if --text is present in $ARGUMENTS or if the runtime is not Claude Code. When TEXT_MODE is active, replace every AskUserQuestion call with a plain-text numbered list.

Detection:

if echo "$ARGUMENTS" | grep -q -- '--text'; then TEXT_MODE=true; fi

If AskUserQuestion tool is not available in the current runtime, set TEXT_MODE=true.

Step 1: Load Context

takeToMarket > LOADING CONTEXT FOR EMAIL PREFLIGHT

Tier 1 summaries (lines 1 to <!-- END_SUMMARY -->) from all 9 .taketomarket/ reference files.

Tier 2 (full): .taketomarket/BRAND.md (voice/banned words check).

Playbook gates: @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/playbooks/email.md

If .taketomarket/POSITIONING.md does not exist: Error and exit.

Step 2: Get Email Content

Ask: "Paste your email content (subject line, preview text, and body). Include HTML if available."

Parse into: subject line, preview text, body content, and HTML structure (if provided). If user provides a file path, read the file. If subject/preview are not clearly marked, ask for clarification.

Step 3: Run Email Preflight Checks

takeToMarket > RUNNING EMAIL PREFLIGHT CHECKS

Evaluate against 7 email discipline gates:

1. Subject Line Spam Triggers (DISC-EMAIL-01)

Check for: ALL CAPS words, excessive punctuation (!!!, ???), spam trigger phrases (FREE, ACT NOW, LIMITED TIME, GUARANTEED, etc.), multiple formatting red flags.

  • PASS: No spam triggers; clean formatting
  • WARN: 1 borderline trigger with mitigating context
  • FAIL: 2+ spam triggers, ALL CAPS subject, or excessive punctuation

2. Preview Text Optimization (DISC-EMAIL-05)

Preview text present, distinct from subject, 40-130 chars, compelling.

  • PASS: Present, 40-130 chars, distinct from subject
  • WARN: Present but too short/long or repeats subject
  • FAIL: No preview text specified

3. Dark Mode Compatibility (DISC-EMAIL-02)

If HTML: check for dark-mode-safe colors, no hardcoded white backgrounds, image alt-text.

  • PASS: No hard-coded light backgrounds; all images have alt text
  • WARN: Background colors may render poorly in dark mode
  • FAIL: White backgrounds without alternatives; image-dependent content

4. Unsubscribe/Address (DISC-EMAIL-03)

CAN-SPAM compliance: unsubscribe link and physical address present.

  • PASS: Both unsubscribe link and physical address clearly present
  • WARN: Present but buried or incomplete
  • FAIL: Missing unsubscribe or physical address

5. Content-to-Image Ratio (DISC-EMAIL-04)

Text-to-image ratio at least 60:40, alt text on all images.

  • PASS: Text dominant; fully readable without images
  • WARN: Roughly equal text/image; core message survives without images
  • FAIL: Image-heavy; image-only sections or missing alt text

6. Deliverability Signals (DISC-EMAIL-07)

Link count (<10 recommended), no URL shorteners, SPF/DKIM/DMARC reminder.

  • PASS: <10 links, no shorteners, proper sending domain
  • WARN: 10-15 links or minor deliverability concerns
  • FAIL: Excessive links, URL shorteners, or unconfigured domain

7. Brand Voice

Check against BRAND.md tone guidelines and banned words list.

  • PASS: Tone matches brand voice; no banned words
  • WARN: Minor tone deviation but no banned words
  • FAIL: Banned words present or tone contradicts brand

Per check: assign PASS / WARN / FAIL with evidence.

Step 4: Generate Report

Determine verdict: GO (0 FAIL, <=2 WARN) | CAUTION (>2 WARN) | NO-GO (any FAIL)

========================================
takeToMarket > EMAIL PREFLIGHT REPORT
========================================
Subject: [subject line]
Date: [current date]
Overall: [GO / CAUTION / NO-GO]

| # | Check                  | Result | Detail                |
|---|------------------------|--------|-----------------------|
| 1 | Spam Triggers          | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 2 | Preview Text           | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 3 | Dark Mode              | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 4 | Unsubscribe/Address    | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 5 | Content-to-Image Ratio | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 6 | Deliverability Signals | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |
| 7 | Brand Voice            | [P/W/F] | [detail]             |

ISSUES (WARN/FAIL fixes):
- [Check]: [Specific fix recommendation]

VERDICT: [GO / CAUTION / NO-GO]
- GO: 0 FAIL + <=2 WARN -- safe to send
- CAUTION: >2 WARN -- review recommended before sending
- NO-GO: any FAIL -- must fix before sending

What if this doesn't fit?

Looks like /ttm-email-check can't do that yet.

  • Want a new skill? /ttm-request-skill
  • Existing skill needs work? /ttm-improve-skill