Using the Gmail Add-in
Linking an Email to a Matter
Section titled “Linking an Email to a Matter”1. Open an Email
Section titled “1. Open an Email”Open any email in Gmail — on web, Android, or iOS. The Athenty Matter Planner add-on loads automatically in the right sidebar panel when an email is open.
2. Open the Add-on Panel
Section titled “2. Open the Add-on Panel”On Gmail Web: The Athenty Matter Planner card appears in the right sidebar automatically. If the sidebar is collapsed, click the Athenty icon to expand it.
On Gmail Mobile (Android / iOS): Tap the overflow menu (three dots) at the bottom of an open email, then tap Athenty Matter Planner. The card slides up from the bottom of the screen.
3. Search for a Matter
Section titled “3. Search for a Matter”Type a matter name or number in the search box. Results appear from your Athenty account. If no search term is entered, a default list of your most recently active matters is shown.
4. Select a Matter
Section titled “4. Select a Matter”Tap the matter you want to link the email to. A preview card appears showing the email subject, sender, date, and a body snippet — confirm this is the correct email.
5. Link
Section titled “5. Link”Tap Link to matter. A confirmation card appears with the matter name and a View in Athenty button that opens the matter’s Emails tab in your browser.
The email is now attached to the matter and appears under the Emails tab in the matter detail view in app.athenty.com.
Viewing Linked Emails
Section titled “Viewing Linked Emails”Linked emails appear in the matter’s Emails tab. Each entry shows:
- Subject line
- Sender
- Recipients (To and CC)
- Date and time
- Body snippet
- Attachment list (names and sizes)
- Source channel (“extension”)
Open the full email record to see the complete body text captured at link time.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”Tap or click the Settings gear icon in the add-on card to open the Settings screen. It shows:
- Your organization name
- Your name and role
- The date the add-on was first paired
- The add-on version
Click Sign out to disconnect the add-on and return to the pairing screen.
What Gets Captured
Section titled “What Gets Captured”When you link an email, the following is sent to Athenty Matter Planner:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Subject | Full subject line |
| From | Display name + email address |
| To | All recipients |
| CC | All CC recipients |
| Date | Sent timestamp (UTC) |
| Message ID | Internet message ID for deduplication |
| Thread ID | Gmail thread identifier |
| Body (plain text) | Full body up to 65,000 characters |
| Attachments | Filename, MIME type, and size only |
Attachment content is not uploaded in v1. Filenames and sizes are captured as metadata. Full attachment upload is planned for a future release.
Body preview note: The sidebar card shows a preview of the body text limited to ~512 characters. The full body (up to 65,000 characters) is still sent to the API when you tap Link — only the in-card display is truncated.
Current Limitations
Section titled “Current Limitations”- Read-only: The add-on can only read the currently open email. It cannot compose, reply, forward, or send.
- Compose mode: Linking from a compose or draft window is not supported. Only emails in the reading view can be linked.
- Attachment content: Attachment metadata (filename, MIME type, size) is captured, but file content is not uploaded.
- Personal Gmail accounts: Google Workspace Add-ons are not available on personal
@gmail.comaccounts — only Google Workspace (business/education) accounts. - Offline mode: The add-on requires internet access to reach the Athenty API. Linking is not available while offline.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”The sidebar shows a blank card or nothing loads. Reload Gmail and try again. On mobile, close and reopen the Gmail app. If the problem persists, check your internet connection.
The matter search shows no results. Check that your organization has active matters with names matching your search term. If Matter Planner is newly enabled, create a matter in your Athenty dashboard first.
“Upgrade required” appears instead of the matter picker. Matter Planner is not enabled on your organization’s plan. Go to athenty.com/pricing or contact your admin.
“Session expired. Please re-pair.” Your refresh token has expired or been revoked. Generate a new pairing code in Settings → General → Matter Planner Add-ins and enter it in the add-on pairing card.
The add-on shows after linking but my email isn’t in the matter’s Emails tab. Allow a few seconds for the API to process the link. Reload the matter’s Emails tab in your Athenty dashboard. If it still does not appear after 30 seconds, try linking the email again — the internet message ID ensures duplicates are handled gracefully.