Definition

The Delete Gmail Filter action allows users to delete an existing filter from a Gmail account. Filters are commonly used to automate email organization, forwarding, or labeling, and this action enables administrators to remove any filter that may no longer be needed or is no longer compliant with organizational policies. By deleting unwanted or outdated filters, administrators can maintain a clean and organized Gmail environment. This action supports email workflow management and automation, making it easier to maintain or update email handling rules.

Example Use Cases

1. Removing Outdated Email Forwarding Rules

An IT administrator may use this action to delete filters that automatically forward company emails to personal or external addresses, which may have been set up before a security policy change.

2. Deleting Filters After Email Migration

After migrating users to a new email system or reorganizing their email accounts, administrators can delete old filters that are no longer needed or are incompatible with the new setup.

3. Cleaning Up Spam Filters

When users report that legitimate emails are being mistakenly labeled as spam or filtered out, admins can delete unnecessary or incorrectly configured spam filters that might be causing these issues.

4. Removing Legacy Filters

As part of regular audits, an admin might want to remove legacy filters that are no longer relevant, such as old filters used for project-specific email handling that is no longer active.

5. Adjusting Organizational Email Policies

When reviewing and tightening email security policies, administrators can use this action to delete filters that automatically apply labels or perform actions (such as forwarding) that do not comply with the new guidelines.

Inputs

Connection

The authenticated Google Workspace Administration connection used to access Gmail account data.

You need to provide a Google Workspace Administration connection that includes a credential JSON file for a service account with domain-wide delegation enabled. This allows Zenphi to interact with Gmail settings on behalf of the user.

• Guide: Follow this guide to create the necessary connection.
• Best Practices:
  • Ensure the service account has the necessary permissions and scopes (e.g., https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.settings.basic).
  • Always store the credential file securely.

User Email

The email address of the user whose Gmail filter you want to delete.

• Explanation: Provide the full email address (e.g., [email protected]) of the user whose Gmail filters you are managing.
• Best Practices:
  • Make sure the user has existing filters before running the action to avoid errors.

Mailbox Filter ID

The unique ID of the filter that you want to delete.

• Explanation: You need to specify the ID of the filter you want to remove. This ID is typically retrieved from a previous step in your automation, such as by using the List Gmail Filters action.
• Best Practices:
  • Ensure you have the correct filter ID to avoid accidentally deleting the wrong filter.
  • Use the List Gmail Filters action to first retrieve a list of filters and their IDs if you're unsure which filter to delete.

Example Scenario

Situation:
An IT administrator needs to remove an outdated filter that automatically forwards all emails from a specific external address to a personal email, which is no longer required after a security policy update.

Solution Using Zenphi:
The administrator configures the Delete Gmail Filter action as follows:

1. Connection: They provide the Google Workspace Administration connection using the correct credentials.
2. User Email: The administrator enters the email address of the user whose filter needs to be deleted (e.g., [email protected]).
3. Mailbox Filter ID: They enter the filter ID of the forwarding rule they want to remove, which they previously retrieved using the List Gmail Filters action.

Once the flow runs, the specified filter is deleted from the user's Gmail account, ensuring that no further emails are forwarded to external addresses. The administrator can now be confident that the user's email handling complies with the updated security policy.