IMAP/SMTP email

2 min read

Kujira can receive, classify, and reply to email from mailboxes compatible with IMAP and SMTP.

Configure IMAP and SMTP

Add an email channel and enter the connection details supplied by the mailbox administrator. Kujira validates IMAP and SMTP when you save the channel, so both must be available from the start.

Connection	Required details
IMAP · inbound	Server, port, username, and password. The usual TLS port is 993.
SMTP · outbound	Server, port, username, password, and sending address. The usual secure SMTP port is 465.

Request the mailbox details

Ask the provider or systems team for the IMAP and SMTP servers, ports, and credentials. Do not assume they share a host or port.

Use an app password when appropriate

If the provider requires two-factor authentication or blocks main-password access, create an application password specific to this channel.

Define the sending address

Enter the address that will appear as the sender. It must be authorized by the configured SMTP server.

Run a full test

Send a test email to the mailbox and confirm that the agent receives it and can reply from the expected address.

Receiving through IMAP does not mark messages as read, move them, or delete them. The mailbox keeps its state for people who share it with the agent.

Protect the mailbox

Use an account intended for the agent's role and grant only the permissions required. Do not paste passwords into conversations or documents. If the channel is external, incoming messages also appear in Agent Desk; those from an internal mailbox do not.

Compose, reply, and supervise

The agent can reply in a thread, draft new emails, and prepare drafts according to its instructions and permissions. Define clearly what type of email it may answer autonomously and what situations must go through approval.

By default, leaving an email as a draft is the agent's own decision on each message. To make sure it never sends:

• Internal mailbox: turn on Always leave as drafts in the channel settings. Everything the agent writes stays in the mailbox's drafts folder, where a person reviews and sends it from their own email client.
• External mailbox: use Agent Desk draft mode, where drafts are reviewed inside Kujira.

The channel does not save

Check that both host, port, and credential sets are correct. The mailbox needs access through both IMAP and SMTP.

Email does not reach the agent

Check that the channel is active and the sender is authorized when you have restricted the allowed-sender list. The list accepts individual addresses or a whole domain, such as `*@yourcompany.com`.

The agent cannot reply

Review the sending address, SMTP credentials, and provider restrictions on senders or application passwords.