AI WORLD HQWrite a Friendly Out-of-Office Reply with Le Chat in Under 3 Minutes
A practical walkthrough to draft a polite, customizable away message in minutes using Mistral's Le Chat.
In short: Le Chat, Mistral's AI assistant, can draft a warm, professional out-of-office reply in under three minutes — you just give it a few details (your dates, an alternate contact, the tone you want), then copy the result into your email. It's free to use, but the draft still needs a human glance before you send it.
You're about to step away from work — a short break, a long weekend, or a two-week vacation. Setting up an out-of-office reply is one of those tiny tasks that always takes longer than it should, and the wording never feels quite right. Le Chat can take the friction out: it builds a polite, ready-to-paste message from a few details, and you adjust the tone to match how you actually sound.
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- A free or paid Le Chat account at chat.mistral.ai (the free tier is enough for this task).
- A web browser on desktop or mobile, or the Le Chat app if you have it installed.
- Three quick details handy: your return date, an alternate contact (name and email), and a sentence about why you're away — vacation, conference, parental leave, whatever fits.
- About 3 minutes of unhurried time.
- Honest note: Le Chat drafts the message — it cannot actually set your out-of-office auto-reply for you. You still copy the result into Gmail, Outlook, or whatever email service you use.
Open Le Chat and start a new chat
In your browser, go to chat.mistral.ai and sign in. If you're not logged in yet, look for a "Log in" or "Sign in" button in the top-right corner and use your usual account. Once you're in, you'll see a clean chat window with a text box at the bottom. Click into the text box — your cursor blinks, ready for you to type. This is the same kind of chat box you've probably seen in other AI assistants. If your screen looks a little different (newer redesigns, mobile layout), look for a "+ New chat" or "New conversation" button first, then find the text input.
You'll know it worked when you see a fresh, empty conversation with a blinking cursor and Le Chat greeting you.
Tell Le Chat what you need
Click into the text box and write a short instruction that covers the four things every good out-of-office message needs: who's away, the dates, who to contact instead, and the tone. Press Enter to send. A few seconds later, a draft reply appears in the chat. If your version of Le Chat has a different send control, look for a small arrow icon (→) or a "Send" button next to the box — same idea, different icon. The more specific you are here, the less editing you'll need later.
You'll know it worked when Le Chat returns a complete email draft (greeting, body, sign-off) within a few seconds.
Adjust the tone to match how you sound
Read the draft out loud, quietly in your head, and ask: does this sound like me? If it feels too formal ("Please be advised that I am currently out of the office…"), reply to Le Chat with a short follow-up like "Make it sound more relaxed and human." If it feels too casual for your workplace, say "Make it slightly more formal but still warm." Le Chat rewrites the draft in the same chat — you don't need to start over. The chat remembers the previous version, so the new draft will be a tweak of the same message. If your email account supports a different language, you can also add "Write it in [language]" — Le Chat handles many languages.
You'll know it worked when the new draft feels like something you'd actually send without cringing.
Add the small details that matter
Now scan the draft for the human touches: your actual job title (if Le Chat guessed wrong), your company's name if you want to mention it, and any project or client name that helps the sender reach the right person. If anything is missing, just type one more short instruction and Le Chat will revise. This is the step where a generic template becomes your message. Don't overthink it — three or four small tweaks are usually enough. If you're away for a longer period, you might also add a line about when you'll start answering again ("I'll reply to non-urgent messages starting January 6").
You'll know it worked when the final draft includes your real return date and a name that's spelled exactly the way you want.
Copy the final draft into your email
Hover over the final message in Le Chat and look for a "Copy" button (often a small clipboard icon at the top or bottom of the message). Click it. Now open your email service — Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, whatever you use — and go to its out-of-office / vacation responder settings. In Gmail, that's Settings → General → Vacation responder. In Outlook, it's File → Automatic Replies. Paste the draft into the message box, double-check the dates and alternate email, and turn the responder on. The exact menu names vary by email provider and by version, so if you don't see "Vacation responder," search the help docs for "auto-reply" or "out of office."
You'll know it worked when your email service confirms the auto-reply is on, often with a banner that says "Vacation responder is on until [date]."
- Forgetting to include an alternate contact. A reply that just says "I'm away" is frustrating for the sender. Always give Le Chat one fallback person and their email — even if it's a shared team inbox.
- Leaving the dates vague. "Away for a while" makes people wait. Use exact start and end dates so senders know when to expect a real reply, and update the responder if your return slips.
- Skipping the human read-through. AI drafts are 90% there, but small things — your job title, a colleague's name spelling, a tone that doesn't match your workplace — still need your eyes. A 30-second read beats an awkward email.
Open chat.mistral.ai, send the example prompt from Step 2, and within 30 seconds you'll have a draft you can paste straight into your email. Tweak the tone in one follow-up message, copy the result, and you're done — about three minutes from start to finish.
❓ Quick questions
How long does this take?
About 6 minutes — the guide has 5 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.
Which tool do I need?
This guide uses Mistral Le Chat — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.
Do I need to prepare anything?
- A free or paid Le Chat account at chat.mistral.ai (the free tier is enough for this task).
- A web browser on desktop or mobile, or the Le Chat app if you have it installed.
- Three quick details handy: your return date, an alternate contact (name and email), and a sentence about why you're away — vacation, conference, parental leave, whatever fits.
- About 3 minutes of unhurried time.
- Honest note: Le Chat drafts the message — it cannot actually set your out-of-office auto-reply for you. You still copy the result into Gmail, Outlook, or whatever email service you use.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Forgetting to include an alternate contact. A reply that just says "I'm away" is frustrating for the sender. Always give Le Chat one fallback person and their email — even if it's a shared team inbox.
- Leaving the dates vague. "Away for a while" makes people wait. Use exact start and end dates so senders know when to expect a real reply, and update the responder if your return slips.
- Skipping the human read-through. AI drafts are 90% there, but small things — your job title, a colleague's name spelling, a tone that doesn't match your workplace — still need your eyes. A 30-second read beats an awkward email.
Keep reading
✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World HQ's AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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