Smart folders (saved searches)

A saved search is a query stored on this Mac. It is not the same thing as the sidebar Smart filters (Pinned, Flagged, Snoozed) and not the same thing as Focused List categories.

Built-in sidebar rows (not saved searches)

In Smart mode the sidebar already has unified mailboxes plus Pinned, Flagged, and Snoozed. Those are filters on loaded mail. You do not create them, pick an icon, or sync them. See Smart vs Classic folders.

Save a search

1. Press ⌘F and run a query. See Full-text search for operators that actually parse in the Search panel.
2. Click Save search in the Search header.

Empty queries are ignored. The saved name is the query string. The save stays on this Mac. It does not sync through a Primail cloud account.

What is not in the app

The current sidebar has no Saved searches section. There is no overflow save-as-folder command, no symbol picker, no drag-to-reorder, and no right-click Edit query / Rename / Delete on a saved search.

Until those controls exist, list or change saves from the command line:

primail smart-folder list
primail smart-folder update
primail smart-folder delete

primail smart-folder create can also add a query. Agents use the MCP names below.

Deleting a saved search removes only the query. It does not touch messages.

Query language

A saved query is stored as text. It does not run every Search panel date phrase or Boolean the same way. There is no shared AND / OR / NOT grammar across Search, CLI, and MCP. NOT list:* is not a supported filter.

Agents

smart_folder_create, smart_folder_list, smart_folder_update, and smart_folder_delete are registered MCP tools. The GUI Save search button creates a saved query. See the MCP tool reference.