Email triggers
Give an Agent Program its own email address, choose who may write to it, and understand what each incoming message does.
On this page
An email trigger gives a program its own receive-only address. Each message that arrives starts one run, with the message's subject and text as the run's input. Forwarding a message to the program is the common case.
Set one up
Tell Willo's chat what should happen when mail arrives, for example: "Make an agent that reads every enquiry forwarded to it and drafts a reply for me to review." Willo sets the program's trigger to email and gives you its address. The address is also on the Agents tab, under the program's Trigger, with Copy and Rotate.
The address only receives. If the program replies, the reply comes from the business's normal sending address.
Who may start it
You choose who may write to the address:
| Setting | Who can start a run |
|---|---|
| Members (the default) | The business's verified members. Right for forwarding your own mail. |
| Named addresses | Exactly the addresses you list. |
| A domain | Anyone at that domain, such as everyone at @example.com. |
| Anyone | Anyone who knows the address. |
Mail from anyone else is dropped without a bounce. Auto-replies, bounces and the business's own outgoing addresses never start a run.
What happens to each message
- The message arrives and Willo checks the sender against your list.
- It joins the program's queue. Programs take one message at a time; the rest wait their turn.
- A run starts, usually within about five minutes, with the subject and text as its input.
- The run's trace on the Agents tab shows the message it started from.
What asks first
A run started by email treats the message as text it cannot vouch for. In every mode, even "Act on its own", a step that sends to or changes something for people outside the business asks you first.
Two things never ask:
- messaging you, the owner;
- replying only to the person who sent the message. A reply that adds anyone else asks.
Content work, such as drafting a document or a CMS item, never asks either.
Limits
Each program takes up to 60 messages a day by default. An owner can raise that to 500 on the Agents tab, under the program's Limits. Past the limit, new messages are not run that day and you get one notice. Email programs also have a daily credit budget. See Agent Program limits.
Changing or rotating the address
Rotate on the Agents tab issues a new address. The old one stops working at once, so update anywhere you forward from.
Related: Webhook triggers, Agent Programs overview.