Explaining CC Family Agent
Explaining CC (Family AI Agent)
When asked about CC, first identify the question category, then answer using the relevant section below:
- What is it? → Overview
- How do I set it up? → Setup & Onboarding
- Who can see my data? → Privacy & Sharing
- What can/can't it do? → Capabilities & Limitations
- How do I manage my group? → Group Management
- How do I leave/stop? → Account Deletion
CC is an opt-in Google Labs experiment (not part of Gemini Apps or Google Workspace) that acts as a household coordination agent. It works across four surfaces for a user-created group:
| Surface | Function |
|---|---|
| Sends a daily "Your Day Ahead" briefing pulling from shared senders' emails | |
| Calendar | Auto-creates events on a dedicated shared CC Calendar with enriched details |
| Chat | Users message CC directly (text or photos) to add reminders/events or request help with tasks |
| Tasks | Surfaces to-dos (forms, RSVPs, appointments) into a shared CC Tasks list |
Eligibility: 18+, personal Google Account, currently rolling out via waitlist (US first; Canada/Australia/NZ later). Existing users keep current functionality; upgrading to new features is optional and invite-based.
Progress:
- Determine if the question is about setup, privacy, capability, or account management
- Check whether the asker is a Group Manager or an invited member (permissions differ)
- Pull the precise rule from the relevant section (don't paraphrase loosely — CC has specific hard boundaries)
- Note any prerequisite (e.g., Workspace smart features toggle) if setup-related
- Flag irreversible actions (Delete Account, Delete Group) with their actual consequences
Prerequisite for all users: In Gmail Settings → General → Workspace smart features, toggle ON "Smart features in other Google products" and "Smart features in Google Workspace." Then sign up at labs.google.com/cc.
As Group Manager:
- Complete onboarding: name the CC group, invite members via personal Gmail address (18+ only), choose which senders to share
- CC auto-creates: shared CC Calendar, CC Chat space, synced CC Tasks list
As invited member:
- Accept email invite → immediate access to shared Calendar/Chat/Tasks
- Separately set sharing preferences (which senders CC can read) when prompted
Adding members: Only via CC Settings page (Group Manager or self), never through chat commands to CC itself.
Removing members: Cannot remove individual members once accepted. Only options are "Delete Group" (wipes shared spaces for all, no re-waitlisting needed) or the member using "Delete Account" (removes them entirely, deletes the group, others keep accounts active).
Core principle: CC only sees what each individual explicitly shares. No member sees another's full inbox.
- Email access is sender-based, not inbox-wide — each member independently selects senders/categories during setup, editable anytime in Sharing Preferences
- CC suggests new senders weekly (private review process, not shared with group, not stored/learned from)
- Calendar: only the shared CC Calendar by default; primary calendar access is opt-in
- Drive: files CC creates are shared only within the group unless a member confirms external sharing
- Removing a sender from Sharing Preferences causes CC to delete associated emails from its own inbox (but not from the user's actual Gmail — that requires manual deletion)
Can do:
- Calendar management from shared senders, enriched with logistics (what to bring, when to arrive)
- Daily proactive briefings via email
- Create Docs/Sheets (meal plans, packing lists, budgets)
- Pre-fill fillable PDF forms for review (not submission)
- Send Chat reminders for approaching deadlines
- Process PDFs, images/receipts, plain text attachments
Cannot do:
- Search/log into personal inboxes beyond approved senders
- Reply to, resolve, or assign Docs/Sheets/Slides comments
- Share files/PDFs outside the group without explicit confirmation
- Sign forms, submit payments, or enter credit card info autonomously
- Access encrypted/password-protected PDFs or video/audio files
- Add/remove group members via chat (Settings page only)
- View/edit the primary personal calendar unless explicitly added
Example 1: Input: "Will my spouse see every email in my inbox if I join their CC group?" Output: No. CC does not expose full inboxes. Each member independently chooses, sender-by-sender, which emails to share (e.g., school emails but not personal correspondence). This is set during onboarding and adjustable anytime in CC Settings → Sharing Preferences.
Example 2: Input: "Can CC just pay the soccer registration fee for me?" Output: No. CC can pre-fill the registration PDF's editable fields and surface the payment link, but it cannot enter payment details or submit the form/payment autonomously — a human must complete that step.
Example 3: Input: "I want to remove my teenager from the family group but keep everyone else." Output: Not possible directly — individual members can't be removed once they've accepted. The only options are: (a) "Delete Group," which wipes the shared agent/spaces for everyone (no re-waitlisting, can recreate immediately), or (b) that member choosing "Delete Account" themselves, which also deletes the group for everyone else, though their accounts stay active.
- Always distinguish "Delete Group" (non-destructive to accounts, no waitlist re-entry) from "Delete Account" (destructive, waitlist re-entry required, and cascades to delete the whole group)
- When explaining sharing, emphasize sender-level granularity, not just category-level
- Clarify CC operates from its own dedicated Google account/email, not the user's identity, when explaining how it reads emails
- Mention CC is explicitly not covered by Workspace Labs or Gemini Apps privacy notices — general Google Privacy Policy applies
- Don't imply CC can autonomously complete purchases or sign legal documents — it only pre-fills/surfaces
- Don't say deleting a Gmail email removes it from CC — clarify that only removing the sender from Sharing Preferences or fully deleting the CC account clears CC's copy
- Don't confuse "Group Manager" onboarding actions with things any member can self-serve (adding/removing members is Settings-page only, not chat-based)
- Don't state CC watches the primary calendar by default — it's opt-in and separate from the dedicated shared CC Calendar