diff --git a/apps/x/apps/renderer/src/components/email-view.tsx b/apps/x/apps/renderer/src/components/email-view.tsx
index 895c31e0..959c5c71 100644
--- a/apps/x/apps/renderer/src/components/email-view.tsx
+++ b/apps/x/apps/renderer/src/components/email-view.tsx
@@ -399,12 +399,15 @@ function ComposeBox({
   const to = mode === 'reply' ? extractAddress(latest?.from) : ''
 
   const initialContent = useMemo(() => {
-    if (mode !== 'reply' || !thread.draft_response) return ''
-    return thread.draft_response
+    if (mode !== 'reply') return ''
+    // Gmail-side draft (user's own work) wins over the AI-generated draft.
+    const source = thread.gmail_draft || thread.draft_response
+    if (!source) return ''
+    return source
       .split(/\n{2,}/)
       .map((para) => `<p>${escapeHtml(para).replace(/\n/g, '<br />')}</p>`)
       .join('')
-  }, [mode, thread.draft_response])
+  }, [mode, thread.gmail_draft, thread.draft_response])
 
   const editor = useEditor({
     extensions: [
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/classify_thread.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/classify_thread.ts
index 1a742ecc..69109e34 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/classify_thread.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/classify_thread.ts
@@ -196,9 +196,14 @@ function buildPrompt(
     return lines.join('\n');
 }
 
+export interface ClassifyOptions {
+    skipDraft?: boolean;
+}
+
 export async function classifyThread(
     snapshot: GmailThreadSnapshot,
     userEmail: string | null,
+    options: ClassifyOptions = {},
 ): Promise<Classification> {
     if (userReplied(snapshot, userEmail)) {
         return { importance: 'important' };
@@ -213,9 +218,13 @@ export async function classifyThread(
         const config = await resolveProviderConfig(provider);
         const model = createProvider(config).languageModel(modelId);
 
+        const systemPrompt = options.skipDraft
+            ? `${SYSTEM_PROMPT}\n\n# Skip the draft\n\nThe user already has their own draft in progress for this thread — DO NOT generate a draftResponse. Always omit the draftResponse field.`
+            : SYSTEM_PROMPT;
+
         const result = await generateObject({
             model,
-            system: SYSTEM_PROMPT,
+            system: systemPrompt,
             prompt: buildPrompt(snapshot, userEmail, styleGuide, calendar),
             schema: ClassificationSchema,
         });
@@ -231,7 +240,7 @@ export async function classifyThread(
         const out: Classification = { importance: result.object.importance };
         if (result.object.importance === 'important') {
             if (result.object.summary) out.summary = result.object.summary;
-            if (result.object.draftResponse) out.draftResponse = result.object.draftResponse;
+            if (!options.skipDraft && result.object.draftResponse) out.draftResponse = result.object.draftResponse;
         }
         return out;
     } catch (err) {
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/sync_gmail.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/sync_gmail.ts
index eec5fd33..a5aacfe2 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/sync_gmail.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/knowledge/sync_gmail.ts
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ export interface GmailThreadSnapshot {
     unread?: boolean;
     importance?: 'important' | 'other';
     draft_response?: string;
+    gmail_draft?: string;
     messages: Array<{
         id?: string;
         from?: string;
@@ -452,6 +453,7 @@ export async function fetchThreadSnapshot(threadId: string, expectedHistoryId?:
                 bodyHtml = parts.html;
             }
         }
+        const isDraft = msg.labelIds?.includes('DRAFT') ?? false;
         return {
             id: msg.id || undefined,
             from: headerValue(headers, 'From') || 'Unknown',
@@ -463,11 +465,24 @@ export async function fetchThreadSnapshot(threadId: string, expectedHistoryId?:
             bodyHtml,
             unread: msg.labelIds?.includes('UNREAD') ?? false,
             bodyHeight: msg.id ? heightCarryover.get(msg.id) : undefined,
+            isDraft,
         };
     }));
 
-    const latest = parsed[parsed.length - 1]!;
-    const earlier = parsed.slice(0, -1);
+    const sentMessages = parsed.filter((m) => !m.isDraft);
+    const draftMessages = parsed.filter((m) => m.isDraft);
+    // Drop the isDraft helper field from outgoing messages — it's internal.
+    const visibleMessages = sentMessages.map(({ isDraft: _isDraft, ...rest }) => rest);
+    const latestDraftBody = draftMessages.length > 0
+        ? draftMessages[draftMessages.length - 1]!.body.trim()
+        : '';
+
+    // A thread with no sent messages (only a draft) shouldn't show up in the inbox —
+    // skip caching it. Once the user actually sends, the thread reappears with a real message.
+    if (visibleMessages.length === 0) return null;
+
+    const latest = visibleMessages[visibleMessages.length - 1]!;
+    const earlier = visibleMessages.slice(0, -1);
     const earlierSummary = earlier
         .map((msg) => {
             const date = msg.date ? ` (${msg.date})` : '';
@@ -480,19 +495,23 @@ export async function fetchThreadSnapshot(threadId: string, expectedHistoryId?:
     const snapshot: GmailThreadSnapshot = {
         threadId,
         threadUrl: `https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#all/${threadId}`,
-        subject: latest.subject || parsed[0]?.subject,
+        subject: latest.subject || visibleMessages[0]?.subject,
         from: latest.from,
         to: latest.to,
         date: latest.date,
         latest_email: latest.body,
         past_summary: earlierSummary || undefined,
-        unread: parsed.some((m) => m.unread),
-        messages: parsed,
+        unread: visibleMessages.some((m) => m.unread),
+        messages: visibleMessages,
+        gmail_draft: latestDraftBody || undefined,
     };
 
     try {
         const userEmail = await getUserEmail(auth);
-        const classification = await classifyThread(snapshot, userEmail);
+        // If the user already has a Gmail-side draft going, skip the AI draft generation —
+        // the renderer will prefer the Gmail draft anyway, and we save an LLM call.
+        const skipDraft = latestDraftBody.length > 0;
+        const classification = await classifyThread(snapshot, userEmail, { skipDraft });
         snapshot.importance = classification.importance;
         if (classification.summary) snapshot.summary = classification.summary;
         if (classification.draftResponse) snapshot.draft_response = classification.draftResponse;
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/shared/src/blocks.ts b/apps/x/packages/shared/src/blocks.ts
index c7b48011..b5552c28 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/shared/src/blocks.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/shared/src/blocks.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ export const GmailThreadSchema = EmailBlockSchema.extend({
   threadUrl: z.string().url(),
   unread: z.boolean().optional(),
   importance: z.enum(['important', 'other']).optional(),
+  gmail_draft: z.string().optional(),
   messages: z.array(GmailThreadMessageSchema),
 });