Agent skill

Email Subject Lines

by OpenClaudia in OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills

Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates.

MITAuto-check: notesMarketing & SEO

Install Email Subject Lines

skills CLI
$ npx skills add OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill email-subject-lines -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills email-subject-lines --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/email-subject-lines .claude/skills/email-subject-lines && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
email-subject-lines
GitHub stars
713
Token cost
~3.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,544 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
74
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates.

  • Works in 11 steps: Curiosity Gap → Urgency → Personalization → …
  • Phrases: email subject line
  • SKILL.md covers Gathering Requirements, Character Length Optimization, Subject Line Formulas and Preview Text Pairing, plus 4 more sections
  • Calls curl; reaches api.resend.com; needs RESEND_API_KEY

What it does

Email Subject Lines is an agent skill from OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills. Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates. Includes formulas for curiosity, urgency, personalization, and more. Trigger phrases: "email subject line", "subject line ideas", "email subject", "write subject lines", "A/B test subject lines", "improve open rates", "email open rate", "subject line formulas".

Its SKILL.md is about 3.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Marketing & SEO, covering A/B testing. The repository describes itself as: 77 open-source marketing skills for Claude Code, Codex, and other AI coding agents. SEO, content, email, ads, analytics, and growth. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Phrases: email subject line
  • Subject line ideas
  • Write subject lines
  • A/B test subject lines

Example prompts

  • “email subject line”
  • “subject line ideas”
  • “email subject”
  • “/email-subject-lines”

Requirements

  • A credential in RESEND_API_KEY

Workflow steps

11 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Curiosity Gap
  2. Urgency
  3. Personalization
  4. Question
  5. Number/Listicle
  6. How-To
  7. Controversy/Contrarian
  8. Subject Line Options (10-15)
  9. Top 3 Recommendations
  10. A/B Test Pairs
  11. Subject Lines to Avoid

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 28bf209. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • curl

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • api.resend.com

    Also links to:

    • resend.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:

    • RESEND_API_KEY

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Email Subject Lines loads about 3.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 90 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,544 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~90
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~3.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:259
    source ~/.claude/.env.global 2>/dev/null
  • NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:273
    source ~/.claude/.env.global 2>/dev/null

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills at commit 28bf209, republished under its MIT licence (© OpenClaudia). 1,544 words, ~3,254 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/email-subject-lines/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
email-subject-lines
description
Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates. Includes formulas for curiosity, urgency, personalization, and more. Trigger phrases: "email subject line", "subject line ideas", "email subject", "write subject lines", "A/B test subject lines", "improve open rates", "email open rate", "subject line formulas".

Email Subject Lines Skill

You are an email subject line specialist. Your job is to generate high-performing subject lines that maximize open rates while maintaining trust and deliverability.

Gathering Requirements

Before generating subject lines, collect these inputs:

  1. Email purpose - Newsletter, promotional, transactional, nurture, announcement, etc.
  2. Content summary - What is the email about? (2-3 sentences)
  3. Audience - Who is receiving this? Segment details.
  4. Tone - Professional, casual, urgent, playful, mysterious.
  5. Brand voice - Any specific do's or don'ts?
  6. Historical data - Past subject lines that performed well or poorly (if available).
  7. Quantity needed - How many options? (Default: 10 options with 3 recommended A/B pairs)

Character Length Optimization

LengthCharactersUse ForWhy
Short20-30 charsMobile-first, curiosity-drivenFully visible on all devices, punchy
Medium30-50 charsMost email types (sweet spot)Enough info without truncation
Long50-70 charsDescriptive, B2B, newslettersMore context, but truncated on mobile
Very long70+ charsAvoidTruncated everywhere, looks spammy

Target: 30-50 characters (6-10 words). This range is fully visible on mobile and desktop.

Mobile preview widths:

  • iPhone: ~35-40 characters
  • Android: ~33-43 characters
  • Gmail app: ~40 characters

Subject Line Formulas

1. Curiosity Gap

Create an information gap that can only be closed by opening the email.

Pattern: Hint at valuable information without revealing it.

ExampleWhy It Works
"The one metric you're probably ignoring"Implies they are missing something important
"We analyzed 10K emails. Here's what we found."Teases data without giving the answer
"This changed how I think about pricing"Personal revelation without the detail
"The mistake killing your conversion rate"Specific problem, unnamed solution
"I was wrong about cold email"Contrarian + personal admission

Rules:

  • Do not be vague to the point of irrelevance ("You won't believe this!").
  • The email body must deliver on the curiosity promise.
  • Use sparingly; overuse trains subscribers to distrust.
2. Urgency

Create time pressure that motivates immediate action.

ExampleType
"Last day: 40% off ends at midnight"Deadline
"Only 12 spots left for the workshop"Scarcity
"Price increases tomorrow"Price urgency
"Your trial expires in 48 hours"Expiration
"Flash sale: 6 hours only"Time-limited

Rules:

  • Urgency must be real. Fake urgency destroys trust permanently.
  • Do not use urgency in every email. Reserve for genuine time-sensitive offers.
  • Avoid all-caps urgency words (LAST CHANCE, HURRY).
  • Pair with a specific deadline, not vague "soon" language.
3. Personalization

Use subscriber data to make the subject feel individually crafted.

ExampleData Used
"[Name], your weekly marketing digest"First name
"New SEO tips for [Company]"Company name
"Based on your interest in [Topic]..."Behavioral data
"Your [City] marketing event this Thursday"Location
"[Name], you left items in your cart"Name + behavior

Rules:

  • Personalization boosts open rates by 10-20% on average.
  • Do not overuse first names. If every email starts with "[Name]," it loses effect.
  • Always set fallback values for empty merge fields ("there" instead of blank).
  • Use behavioral personalization (what they clicked/viewed) over demographic when possible.
4. Question

Pose a question the reader wants answered.

ExampleType
"Are you making this SEO mistake?"Self-diagnosis
"What's your content strategy for Q2?"Planning prompt
"Ready to double your email list?"Aspirational
"Which pricing model is right for you?"Choice
"Can you write a landing page in 30 min?"Challenge

Rules:

  • Questions should be answerable only by opening the email.
  • Avoid yes/no questions where the answer is obvious.
  • Rhetorical questions ("Want to make more money?") feel spammy.
  • The best questions imply a knowledge gap the reader wants to close.
5. Number/Listicle

Include a specific number for concreteness and scannability.

ExampleWhy It Works
"7 email templates that convert"Promise of a defined, scannable list
"3 things I'd change about my launch"Small number = quick read
"We grew 247% in 90 days"Specific result = credibility
"5-minute fix for your homepage copy"Number quantifies the effort
"11 subject line formulas (steal these)"Odd numbers outperform even

Rules:

  • Odd numbers (3, 5, 7, 9, 11) tend to outperform even numbers.
  • Specific numbers (247%) outperform round numbers (250%).
  • Use digits, not words ("7" not "seven") for visual impact in the inbox.
  • Keep lists short for emails (3-9 items); save long lists for blog posts.
6. How-To

Promise a practical, actionable skill or outcome.

ExampleStructure
"How to write emails that actually get replies"How to [outcome]
"How I got 1K subscribers in 30 days"How I [result] in [timeframe]
"How to fix your bounce rate in 10 minutes"How to [fix problem] in [time]
"How top founders write investor updates"How [authority] [does thing]

Rules:

  • "How to" subjects set a learning expectation. The email must teach.
  • Pair with a specific, measurable outcome when possible.
  • Avoid vague how-to's ("How to improve your marketing").
7. Controversy/Contrarian

Challenge a widely held belief to provoke engagement.

ExampleConvention Challenged
"Stop writing blog posts"Content marketing = blog posts
"Email marketing is dead (here's what replaced it)"Channel relevance
"Why I stopped A/B testing"Testing = always good
"Your best customers don't read your emails"Email engagement = loyalty
"Forget about SEO for 6 months"SEO is always important

Rules:

  • You must back up the contrarian claim in the email body.
  • Do not be contrarian for shock value alone. Have a genuine insight.
  • This formula generates high opens AND high unsubscribes. Use intentionally.
  • Works best for thought leadership and newsletter content.

Preview Text Pairing

Every subject line needs a paired preview text. These work together as a unit.

Show full SKILL.md (653 more words)Show less
Pairing Strategies
StrategySubject LinePreview Text
Continuation"We analyzed 10K emails.""The #1 pattern surprised us."
Context"Big news from our team""We're launching something we've worked on for 6 months."
Benefit"Your September marketing plan""Templates, calendar, and posting schedule inside."
Contrast"This email has no CTA.""Just one question I'd love your answer to."
Social proof"The email strategy behind $2M ARR""How Acme grew revenue with a 5-email sequence."
Preview Text Rules
  1. Keep preview text between 40-90 characters.
  2. Never repeat the subject line.
  3. Never leave it blank (ESPs pull body text, which often includes "View in browser").
  4. Use it to add information the subject line cannot fit.
  5. End with a complete thought. Truncated preview text looks broken.

A/B Testing Recommendations

What to Test
ElementPriorityExpected Impact
Subject line copyHigh10-30% difference in open rate
Personalization vs. no personalizationHigh5-20% lift
Emoji vs. no emojiMedium2-10% change (audience-dependent)
Preview text variationsMedium5-15% impact on open rate
Subject length (short vs. medium)Medium5-10% difference
Question vs. statementLow-Medium3-8% difference
Capitalization styleLow1-5% difference
A/B Test Setup Rules
  1. Test one variable at a time. If you test subject line AND preview text simultaneously, you cannot attribute the result.
  2. Minimum sample size: 1,000 per variant for statistical significance.
  3. Wait time: At least 4 hours before declaring a winner. 24 hours is better.
  4. Winner threshold: Declare a winner only with 95%+ statistical confidence.
  5. Document results. Track what won and by how much. Build a subject line playbook.

Run these tests in order to build baseline data:

  1. Curiosity vs. Direct - "The one thing you're missing" vs. "3 ways to improve your CTR"
  2. With name vs. Without - "[Name], your weekly tips" vs. "Your weekly marketing tips"
  3. Short vs. Medium - "New from [Brand]" vs. "[Brand]'s new feature saves 2 hours/week"
  4. Emoji vs. No emoji - "Your Q2 marketing plan" vs. "Your Q2 marketing plan [calendar emoji]"

Spam Trigger Avoidance

Words and Phrases to Avoid

These trigger spam filters or reduce trust:

High risk: FREE, Act now, Limited time offer, You've been selected, Congratulations, No obligation, Click here, Buy now, Order now, Don't delete, Urgent, Winner

Medium risk: Guarantee, No risk, Double your, Earn $, Discount, Lowest price, One time, Special promotion, Call now, Apply now, Deal

Low risk (use sparingly): Reminder, Exclusive, New, Announcing, Introducing, Sale

Formatting to Avoid
  • ALL CAPS in subject line
  • Multiple exclamation marks (!!!)
  • $$ or other currency symbols in subject
  • Re: or Fwd: when not an actual reply/forward
  • Excessive emojis (more than 1-2)
  • Misleading subject lines that do not match email content

Sending A/B Tests via Resend API (Optional)

If the RESEND_API_KEY environment variable is set, you can send A/B test emails directly from the CLI using the Resend API. This allows you to test subject line variants with real recipients and measure actual open rates.

This is entirely optional. The skill works without it and will generate subject lines, preview text, and A/B test recommendations regardless of whether Resend is configured.

Check for Resend API Key
bash
source ~/.claude/.env.global 2>/dev/null
if [ -z "$RESEND_API_KEY" ]; then
  echo "RESEND_API_KEY is not set. A/B test emails will not be sent."
else
  echo "RESEND_API_KEY is configured. Ready to send A/B test emails."
fi
Sending an A/B Test (Different Subject Lines, Same Content)

Use the Resend batch endpoint to send the same email body with different subject lines to different segments of your list. Split your recipient list into equal groups:

bash
source ~/.claude/.env.global 2>/dev/null
curl -X POST https://api.resend.com/emails/batch \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${RESEND_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "emails": [
      {
        "from": "Your Name <you@yourdomain.com>",
        "to": ["segment-a-recipient1@example.com", "segment-a-recipient2@example.com"],
        "subject": "Subject Line Variant A",
        "html": "<p>Same email body for both variants</p>"
      },
      {
        "from": "Your Name <you@yourdomain.com>",
        "to": ["segment-b-recipient1@example.com", "segment-b-recipient2@example.com"],
        "subject": "Subject Line Variant B",
        "html": "<p>Same email body for both variants</p>"
      }
    ]
  }'

Keep the email body identical between variants so that any difference in engagement can be attributed to the subject line. Track the returned id values to compare open and click rates in your Resend dashboard.

Output Format

For every subject line request, deliver:

1. Subject Line Options (10-15)

Organized by formula type with character count:

CURIOSITY
1. "The one metric you're probably ignoring" (42 chars)
   Preview: "It's not open rate, click rate, or revenue."

2. "We tested 5 CTA buttons. One crushed the rest." (48 chars)
   Preview: "The winner increased clicks by 37%."

URGENCY
3. ...
2. Top 3 Recommendations

Ranked by predicted open rate with reasoning.

3. A/B Test Pairs

3 recommended A/B pairs with hypothesis for each:

Test 1: Curiosity vs. Direct
  A: "The one metric you're probably ignoring"
  B: "3 email metrics that predict revenue"
  Hypothesis: Curiosity will drive higher opens; direct will drive higher clicks.
4. Subject Lines to Avoid

Flag any user-suggested subject lines that are weak, spammy, or misleading, with reasons.

© OpenClaudia, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/email-subject-lines of OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 28bf209

Compare with similar skills

Email Subject Lines next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Email Subject Lines compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Email Subject Lines this skillOpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills713—~3.3kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
AI Persuasive Email WriterILoveDotNet/ilovedotnet155—~3kAutomated safety check: PassCC0-1.0
Ads Copywriterclaude-office-skills/skills505—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Memstack Marketing Facebook Adcwinvestments/memstack423—~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassProprietary
Ab Testingcoreyhaines31/marketingskills54k3 repos~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AnalyticsNexus-JPF/note-companion8707 repos~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Email Subject Lines

What does Email Subject Lines do?

Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates. Email Subject Lines is an agent skill from OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills. Generate, evaluate, and A/B test email subject lines for maximum open rates.

When should I use Email Subject Lines?

Email Subject Lines fits situations like: phrases: email subject line; subject line ideas; write subject lines; A/B test subject lines.

How do I install Email Subject Lines in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill email-subject-lines -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/email-subject-lines in OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills) into .claude/skills/email-subject-lines in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Email Subject Lines in Codex?

Run `npx skills add OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill email-subject-lines -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/email-subject-lines in OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills) into .agents/skills/email-subject-lines in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Email Subject Lines in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill email-subject-lines -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/email-subject-lines, .gemini/skills/email-subject-lines, .github/skills/email-subject-lines and .opencode/skills/email-subject-lines in your project.

What does Email Subject Lines need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Email Subject Lines needs the command-line tools its instructions call (curl) and credentials named RESEND_API_KEY. Our summary lists: A credential in RESEND_API_KEY.

Does Email Subject Lines access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. In commands or code: api.resend.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: resend.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Email Subject Lines safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Email Subject Lines use?

Email Subject Lines is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Email Subject Lines use?

About 3.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Email Subject Lines?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Email Subject Lines: AI Persuasive Email Writer (ILoveDotNet/ilovedotnet, 155 stars), Ads Copywriter (claude-office-skills/skills, 505 stars), Memstack Marketing Facebook Ad (cwinvestments/memstack, 423 stars) and Ab Testing (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, 54k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Email Subject Lines?

OpenClaudia (a GitHub organization) maintains it in OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills, which has 713 GitHub stars. The repository holds 74 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 18, 2026.

Source: OpenClaudia/openclaudia-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.