nowfound

AI · June 28, 2025

I built an AI chief of staff to stop drowning in email and meetings

Hi HN, I built Merlin because I was overwhelmed trying to stay on top of email, meetings, and Slack while leading frontend at a fast-paced startup. I just wanted something that could help me figure out what actually mattered — and act on it, fast. Merlin connects to Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack. It: • surfaces your highest-impact priorities (e.g. VIP emails, missed follow-ups, urgent meetings) • drafts replies in your voice • accepts or declines meetings based on context • builds your daily plan before you open your laptop You can interact with it like a chat assistant. Think of it as…

I built an AI chief of staff to stop drowning in email and meetings launched on June 28, 2025 with 5 votes and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.

What it does

Merlin is an AI assistant that finds your highest-impact priorities from your inbox and calendar, then helps you complete them with a single click.

Merlin finds your highest-impact priorities from your inbox and calendar, then helps you complete them with a single click. Starting your day knowing exactly what matters: emails prioritized, action items flagged, and your day mapped out before the caffeine hits. " M e r l i n b e c a m e t h e o p e r a t i n g s y s t e m f o r m y d a y — c l e a r e d m y p l a t e a n d g a v e m e b a c k 1 2 h o u r s a w e e k . " Merlin syncs Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack so you can book trips, clear tasks, and silence chaos from one chat. Hey Merlin - When can Jason Glover and I squeeze in a trip to Tokyo together for 4 days? Dates: March 16-20. Shifted Jason's 9 AM meeting to the 15th (he'll…from merlin.computer

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi HN, I built Merlin because I was overwhelmed trying to stay on top of email, meetings, and Slack while leading frontend at a fast-paced startup. I just wanted something that could help me figure out what actually mattered — and act on it, fast. Merlin connects to Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack. It: • surfaces…

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