> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pingback.live/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email

> Route inbound emails into PingBack conversations and reply directly from your inbox.

Connecting an email channel lets you receive inbound emails as PingBack conversations. Agents can read and reply from within PingBack, and replies are sent back to the customer via email.

<Note>Email is available on the **Mini** and **Pro** plans only.</Note>

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the email channel in PingBack">
    Send a `POST` request to `/api/v1/channels/` with `type` set to `"email"` and your sending address in the `config` object.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash curl theme={null}
      curl -X POST https://api.pingback.live/api/v1/channels/ \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_token>" \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -d '{
          "type": "email",
          "config": {
            "from_address": "support@example.com"
          },
          "is_active": true
        }'
      ```

      ```json response theme={null}
      {
        "id": 58,
        "type": "email",
        "is_active": true,
        "config": {
          "from_address": "support@example.com"
        }
      }
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Forward inbound email to PingBack">
    Configure your email provider to forward or relay inbound messages to the PingBack email webhook endpoint:

    ```
    https://api.pingback.live/api/v1/webhooks/email
    ```

    The steps vary by provider. Here are common options:

    * **Mailgun**: Set up an inbound routing rule that forwards to the URL above using the **Store and Notify** or **Forward** action.
    * **SendGrid**: Use the **Inbound Parse** webhook and point it to the URL above.
    * **Gmail / Google Workspace**: Use a forwarding rule or Google Apps Script to POST to the URL above.
    * **Custom SMTP**: Configure your mail server to relay messages to the URL above via HTTP.

    <Tip>Make sure your email provider sends the message body in a field named `text`, `stripped-text`, or `Body` — PingBack checks all three.</Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the connection">
    Send a test email to your support address. The email should appear as a new conversation in your PingBack inbox within seconds, with the subject line and body visible to agents.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reply from PingBack">
    When an agent replies to an email conversation from PingBack, the reply is sent via email to the original sender. The reply uses the `from_address` you set in step 1 as the sending address.
  </Step>
</Steps>