---
schema: 1
type: term
title: sweep
description: >-
  A **sweep** is a single organized pass through a backlog of items — in this
  channel's material, the inbox — to process and clear everything in it,
  typically performed repeatedly by an agent as part of an inbox-zero workflow.
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/sweep-ef883193fd55'
markdown: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/sweep-ef883193fd55.md'
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# sweep

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/sweep-ef883193fd55

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

A **sweep** is a single organized pass through a backlog of items — in this channel's material, the inbox — to process and clear everything in it, typically performed repeatedly by an agent as part of an inbox-zero workflow.

In this channel's material, **sweep** describes working through a backlog of messages — the inbox — in a single organized pass, so nothing is left unhandled. The term appears in the context of the **inbox-zero workflow** that a Codex agent runs: the agent clears the inbox by processing what arrives rather than letting messages pile up indefinitely. [^759f5666-c356-59d0-8a71-9b53e5735bf7@13]A *sweep* is not a one-off cleanup. It names the repeated, agent-driven pass over incoming items that keeps an inbox at zero — the same delegation pattern the chapter on **coding agents in practice** explores, where agents take over real knowledge work like inbox triage instead of just writing code.- **Sweep** = one organized pass through a backlog (here, the inbox) to clear it.- In this material it is tied to an **agent-run inbox-zero workflow**, not a manual habit.- It illustrates the chapter's larger point: coding agents now handle real knowledge work, including email triage.