Outbound Email Setup

Every transactional email your portal sends — magic links, ticket replies, invoices, contract requests, file-transfer links — goes out through the mailer you configure here. ClientCove has a built-in outbound-email panel, so you don't need a separate SMTP plugin.

Where to Configure

Open Settings → Communication → Outbound Email.

If your subscription includes managed transactional email, you'll see two cards at the top: your included service, and My own outbound transactional email. Choosing "My own outbound transactional email" lets you send through your own provider using the fields below it.

The Mailer selector offers three providers:

  • SendGrid
  • Postmark
  • Google Workspace / Gmail

Only the fields for the selected provider need a value — the others are ignored until you switch. Click Save Mailer Settings when you're done.

Choosing a Provider

ProviderBest forYou'll need
SendGridAny volume; also powers inbound email-to-ticket parsingAn API key with "Mail Send" permission
PostmarkFast, deliverability-focused transactional sendingA Server API token
Google Workspace / GmailSmall teams already on Google who want mail to come straight from their own mailboxThe Google address + a 16-character App Password

Google Workspace and Gmail enforce daily send limits (roughly 2,000 messages/day on Workspace, far fewer on a personal @gmail.com account). It's a great fit for low-volume portals; for higher volume, use SendGrid or Postmark.

SendGrid

  1. Set Mailer to SendGrid.
  2. At sendgrid.com → Settings → API Keys, create a key with at least Mail Send permission.
  3. Paste it into SendGrid API Key (it looks like SG.xxxxxxxx).
  4. Save.

ClientCove sends over smtp.sendgrid.net on port 587 (TLS). Verify your sending domain (SPF + DKIM) in SendGrid for best deliverability.

Postmark

  1. Set Mailer to Postmark.
  2. At postmarkapp.com → Servers → (your server) → API Tokens, copy the Server Token (not the Account token).
  3. Paste it into Postmark Server Token.
  4. Save.

ClientCove sends over smtp.postmarkapp.com on port 587 (TLS). Postmark uses the token as both the SMTP username and password — the portal handles that for you.

Google Workspace / Gmail

Send transactional email straight from your own Google mailbox using an App Password.

Before you start

  • 2-Step Verification must be on for the Google account. App Passwords aren't available without it.
  • Decide which address will send — usually a shared mailbox like notifications@yourdomain.com or your own Workspace address.

1. Create an App Password

  1. Go to myaccount.google.com → Security → App passwords (visible only when 2-Step Verification is enabled).
  2. Create a password (name it "ClientCove" so you can recognize it later).
  3. Google shows a 16-character password, usually grouped as xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx.

2. Enter it in ClientCove

  1. Set Mailer to Google Workspace / Gmail.
  2. Google Workspace / Gmail Address — the address that signs in to send (e.g. notifications@yourdomain.com).
  3. Gmail App Password — paste the 16-character password. Spaces are fine; the portal removes them automatically.
  4. Save.

ClientCove sends over smtp.gmail.com on port 587 (TLS), authenticating as the address you entered.

Gmail sends as the authenticated account. Your Sender Email (below) must be the same address, or a verified "Send mail as" alias on that Google account (Gmail → Settings → Accounts → "Send mail as"). If it isn't, Google rewrites the From to the account address, which can hurt trust and alignment.

Sender Identity

Below the mailer settings, Email Sender Settings control the From line on every outgoing email:

  • Sender Name — what recipients see as the sender (e.g. "Acme Portal").
  • Sender Email — the From address (e.g. notifications@yourdomain.com).

Keep the Sender Email consistent with whatever you authenticated above — the verified SendGrid/Postmark sender, or the Google account/alias for Gmail.

Test the Connection

After saving, use Test Connection (in the "Test Mailer Connection" card). The button matches your selected provider:

  • SendGrid / Postmark — validates the API key/token against the provider.
  • Google Workspace / Gmail — opens a real authenticated SMTP session to smtp.gmail.com and closes it (no email is sent). A success message means your address and App Password are correct.

For an end-to-end check, also send a test from the Email Designer, then trigger a real notification (create a test ticket or invoice) and confirm delivery to Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.

Troubleshooting

  • Gmail: "rejected the sign-in" / error 535 — 2-Step Verification isn't on, or the value isn't an App Password. Regenerate a 16-character App Password and paste that, not your normal Google password.
  • Emails send but arrive as a different From — for Gmail, the Sender Email isn't the authenticated account or a verified "Send mail as" alias. Fix the alias in Google, or set Sender Email to the account address.
  • Nothing arrives even though the test passes — check spam, confirm SPF/DKIM for your domain, and see Outbound Email Log for what actually happened to each message. For suppression lists (SendGrid), use the deliverability check on the same settings page.
  • Hitting send limits — Google caps daily volume. If you send a lot of notifications, switch to SendGrid or Postmark.

See Transactional Emails for the full list of what triggers email and how templates are chosen.

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