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Email (IMAP/SMTP)

Connect any email inbox to your AI agents directly

βœ“ Native Support Works with any mail provider 10-Minute Setup

The IMAP/SMTP integration lets your AI agents send emails directly through your own mail server β€” not via a third-party ESP. Use it with any provider: Gmail, Outlook, Zoho, IONOS, ProtonMail Bridge, or your company's own mail server.

Gmail
Outlook
Zoho Mail
IONOS
ProtonMail
Custom

✨ What Your Agents Can Do

βœ“ Send outbound emails via your own SMTP server
βœ“ Use your branded domain (no "sent via" footers)
βœ“ Support HTML + plain-text emails
βœ“ Attach your SMTP credentials per-client
βœ“ Route escalated support cases via email
βœ“ Works alongside Zendesk/Freshdesk as fallback

Setup Guide

1

Get your SMTP credentials

Most providers give SMTP credentials in your mail settings. Common settings:

Provider SMTP Host Port Notes
Gmail smtp.gmail.com 587 Use an App Password
Outlook / M365 smtp.office365.com 587 Use your M365 password
Zoho Mail smtp.zoho.com 587 Enable SMTP in Zoho settings
IONOS smtp.ionos.com 587 Standard email password

⚠️ Gmail requires an App Password

Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords β†’ Create an App Password for "Mail" β†’ use that instead of your Google account password. 2FA must be enabled on your Google account.

2

Connect in the Hub

Go to Integrations β†’ Support and select Email (IMAP/SMTP). Fill in:

  • SMTP host β€” your provider's SMTP server
  • SMTP port β€” usually 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
  • Email address β€” the from address your agents send as
  • Password / App password β€” your SMTP password
3

Use as support escalation channel

To use IMAP/SMTP as a helpdesk escalation channel (instead of Zendesk/Freshdesk), set these env vars on your customer support agent:

HELPDESK_PROVIDER=imap-smtp
# Credentials stored encrypted via the Hub Integrations page

Common Use Cases

πŸ“§ Email digest delivery

The Email Digest agent sends daily summaries from your own branded domain β€” no "sent via Mailchimp" attribution.

🎫 Support escalation

When no Zendesk or Freshdesk is configured, the Customer Support AI falls back to sending escalation emails to your support inbox.

πŸ“€ Follow-up workflows

Invoice Reminder and Follow-Up Nurture agents use SMTP to send time-sensitive outbound emails at scale.

Troubleshooting

❌ Authentication failed

For Gmail, you must use an App Password β€” not your regular Google password. For other providers, check if 2FA breaks standard SMTP auth.

❌ Connection timeout

Try port 587 with STARTTLS first. If your provider blocks 587, try 465 (SSL). Check your firewall allows outbound connections on that port.

❌ Emails going to spam

Ensure SPF and DKIM records are set for your sending domain. Use a domain you own rather than a free email address for best deliverability.

πŸ’‘ Deliverability Tips

  • β†’ Use a dedicated subdomain: mail.yourdomain.com
  • β†’ Set SPF: v=spf1 include:yourprovider.com ~all
  • β†’ Enable DKIM signing in your provider's DNS settings
  • β†’ Set a DMARC policy to protect your domain from spoofing

Ready to connect your email inbox?

Works with any SMTP provider. Your agents send from your own domain.

Connect Email β†’