🎯 AutoSort+ for Thunderbird

AI-powered email organization that adapts to your workflow. Choose from cloud providers (Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Mistral) or run a local Ollama model and let AutoSort+ automatically move emails to the right folders.

Version Thunderbird License
Download .xpi View on GitHub Documentation

Available as a manual install (.xpi). See the Documentation below for installation and usage instructions.

🌟 What is AutoSort+?

AutoSort+ transforms your email workflow by automatically organizing messages into your custom folder structure using cutting-edge AI. Unlike rigid rule-based systems, AutoSort+ understands context, learns your preferences, and adapts to your unique organizational needs.

✨ Why Choose AutoSort+?

Feature Traditional Filters AutoSort+
Setup Time Hours of rule configuration Minutes with AI
Flexibility Static rules, breaks easily Adaptive AI, learns patterns
Context Understanding Basic keyword matching Full content comprehension
Multi-Provider N/A 5 cloud providers + local Ollama support
Smart Limits N/A Built-in rate limit management
History Tracking Manual logging Automatic 100-move history

🎉 Latest Release: v1.2.3.3

🚀 Release v1.2.3.3 — January 28, 2026

Summary: Fixed manual label application from the context menu (Right-click → AutoSort+ → AutoSort Label → pick a label). The background script now handles selection and labeling reliably across Thunderbird views.

🛠️ Notable Fix

  • ✅ Manual Labeling Fix: Replaced content-script dependency with mailTabs API handling in background script to avoid “Could not establish connection. Receiving end does not exist.” errors.

🎯 Key Features

🤖 Multi-Provider AI Support

Choose the best AI provider for your needs:

Provider Model Free Tier Speed Best For
Gemini gemini-2.5-flash 20/day/key ⚡⚡⚡ General use, fast processing
OpenAI gpt-4o-mini - ⚡⚡ Premium quality
Claude claude-3-haiku 1000/day ⚡⚡⚡ Long emails, nuanced content
Groq llama-3.3-70b Generous ⚡⚡⚡⚡ Ultra-fast, free
Mistral mistral-small Free tier ⚡⚡⚡ European privacy focus
Ollama local LLM (llama3.2, phi, tinyllama) Local (no external usage) ⚡⚡ - ⚡⚡⚡ Run models locally for privacy and offline use; supports model download and CPU-only mode

📊 Smart Rate Limit Management (Gemini)

📁 Flexible Folder Management

📜 Move History & Tracking

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1️⃣ Installation

Option 1: Direct Download

# Download the latest XPI from releases
wget https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus/releases/latest/download/autosortplus.xpi

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus.git
cd AutoSort-Plus
# Install in Thunderbird: Tools → Add-ons → Install Add-on From File

2️⃣ Get Your API Key

Choose your preferred AI provider:

3️⃣ Configure AutoSort+

  1. Open Thunderbird → Tools → Add-ons
  2. Find AutoSort+ → Click Options
  3. Select AI Provider and paste your API key
  4. Click “Test API Connection” ✅
  5. Load folders from IMAP or add custom labels
  6. Save settings and you’re ready!

4️⃣ Start Organizing

You have two options:

Option 1: AI-Powered Sorting

Option 2: Manual Labeling

If you add or change labels in the settings menu, you must restart Thunderbird for the new labels to appear in the right-click menu.

📖 Usage Guides

Managing Gemini Rate Limits

If using Gemini’s free tier:

  1. Monitor Usage: Check settings for real-time count (X/20)
  2. Watch Warnings: Yellow alert at 15, red at 20
  3. Create More Keys: Generate multiple API keys in different projects
  4. Switch Keys: Paste new key when limit reached, click Reset Counter
  5. Upgrade: Enable “Gemini paid plan” if you have one

Creating Multiple Gemini Keys

1. Go to Google AI Studio: https://aistudio.google.com/
2. Create a new project
3. Generate API key for that project
4. Each project = new 20/day limit
5. Switch keys in AutoSort+ settings as needed

Setting Up Custom Folders

Method 1: IMAP Discovery

Method 2: Bulk Import

Work
Personal  
Finance
Projects
Family

Method 3: Manual Entry

🔒 Privacy & Security

Aspect Details
Email Storage ❌ Never stored, analyzed in memory only
API Keys 🔐 OS-level encryption via browser storage
Data Transmission ✅ Direct to your chosen AI provider
Telemetry ❌ None - zero tracking
Open Source ✅ Full transparency, audit anytime
Third Parties ❌ No intermediary servers

Your privacy is paramount. All analysis happens directly between Thunderbird and your chosen AI provider. We don’t have servers because we don’t want your data!

🛠️ Advanced Configuration

Provider-Specific Settings

Gemini Users:

Ollama (Local) Users:

All Providers:

Folder Organization Tips

⚠️ Troubleshooting

API Key Issues

Problem: “API Key Not Configured” error

Solution:

  1. Verify key is from correct provider
  2. No spaces before/after key
  3. Click “Test API Connection”
  4. Check provider’s usage dashboard for validity

Rate Limit Errors

Problem: “Rate limit exceeded” for Gemini

Solution:

  1. Check usage counter in settings (X/20)
  2. Wait for daily reset (time shown in settings)
  3. Create new API key in different project
  4. Switch key and click “Reset Counter”
  5. Or enable “Paid Plan” if applicable

Settings Page Won’t Load

Solution:

1. Thunderbird → Settings → Privacy → Cookies and Site Data
2. Click "Clear Data"
3. Tools → Add-ons → AutoSort+ → Reload

Emails Not Moving

Check:

📊 System Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Thunderbird Email Client        │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
               │
┌──────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
│        AutoSort+ Extension              │
│                                         │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐           │
│  │ UI Layer │  │ Background│           │
│  │(options) │◄─┤  Script   │           │
│  └──────────┘  └─────┬─────┘           │
│                      │                  │
│              ┌───────▼────────┐        │
│              │  Rate Limiter  │        │
│              │  (Gemini only) │        │
│              └───────┬────────┘        │
└──────────────────────┼─────────────────┘
                       │
         ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
         │                           │
    ┌────▼────┐  ┌────────┐  ┌─────▼─────┐
    │ Gemini  │  │  Groq  │  │  Claude   │
    │   API   │  │  API   │  │   API     │
    └─────────┘  └────────┘  └───────────┘

🤝 Support & Community

| 💡 Have Questions? | 🐛 Found a Bug? | ✨ Feature Ideas? | |-------------------|-----------------|-------------------| | [Discussions](https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus/discussions) | [Issues](https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus/issues) | [Feature Requests](https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus/issues) |

Before reporting an issue:

  1. Check troubleshooting section above
  2. Search existing issues
  3. Include: Thunderbird version, AutoSort+ version, AI provider, error message

🙏 Contributing

We ❤️ contributions! Here’s how to help:

Ways to Contribute

Development Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Nigel1992/AutoSort-Plus.git
cd AutoSort-Plus

# Make changes
# Test in Thunderbird: Tools → Add-ons → Debug Add-ons → Load Temporary Add-on

# Submit PR
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
git commit -m "Add amazing feature"
git push origin feature/amazing-feature

📄 License

MIT License - Free to use, modify, and distribute.

See LICENSE for full text.

🎨 Credits

Icon Design: Fantasyou - Flaticon

AI Providers:

Built with:

⭐ Star History

Star History Chart

Made with ❤️ to help you organize email faster

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Thunderbird License Version