# AutoSend Inbound Email API > Receive, parse, and reply to inbound emails via REST API. AutoSend handles parsing, attachment extraction, authentication verdicts (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and threading. Available on Starter 10k and above. Last updated: July 2026 --- ## How It Works Inbound email is webhook-driven. When an email arrives at your receiving address, AutoSend fires a webhook event to your endpoint. You then use the message ID from the event to fetch the full parsed email via API. **Three steps:** 1. **Set up a webhook** — subscribe to the `email.received` event in your project settings 2. **Receive the event** — AutoSend POSTs the message ID, sender, subject, and thread metadata to your endpoint 3. **Fetch the parsed email** — call the Get Message endpoint to retrieve bodies, attachments, headers, and auth verdicts --- ## Receiving Domains Every project gets a default receiving domain with no DNS setup required. You can also enable inbound on any verified custom domain. --- ## API Endpoints **Base URL**: `https://api.autosend.com/v1/inbound/messages` All requests require `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY`. --- ### List Messages Retrieve all inbound messages for your project, paginated. **Endpoint**: `GET /v1/inbound/messages` **Query params**: `page` (default: 1), `limit` (default: 50) ```bash curl --location 'https://api.autosend.com/v1/inbound/messages?page=1&limit=50' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' ``` **Response**: ```json { "success": true, "data": { "items": [ { "id": "60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234", "messageId": "", "domainName": "support.example.com", "from": { "email": "customer@gmail.com", "name": "Jane Customer" }, "to": [{ "email": "help@support.example.com", "name": null }], "cc": [], "subject": "Question about my order", "status": "PROCESSED", "attachmentCount": 0, "receivedAt": "2026-06-20T10:15:30.000Z" } ], "pagination": { "page": 1, "limit": 50, "total": 1, "pages": 1 } } } ``` --- ### Get Message Fetch a single message by ID with full parsed content. **Endpoint**: `GET /v1/inbound/messages/:id` ```bash curl --location 'https://api.autosend.com/v1/inbound/messages/60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' ``` **Response**: ```json { "success": true, "data": { "id": "60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234", "messageId": "", "domainName": "support.example.com", "from": { "email": "customer@gmail.com", "name": "Jane Customer" }, "to": [{ "email": "help@support.example.com", "name": null }], "subject": "Question about my order", "text": "Hi, I wanted to check on the status of order #4821.", "html": "

Hi, I wanted to check on the status of order #4821.

", "attachments": [ { "attachmentId": "att_60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b9999", "filename": "receipt.pdf", "contentType": "application/pdf", "size": 20480, "index": 0 } ], "spamVerdict": "PASS", "virusVerdict": "PASS", "spfVerdict": "PASS", "dkimVerdict": "PASS", "dmarcVerdict": "PASS", "status": "PROCESSED", "threadId": "60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234", "receivedAt": "2026-06-20T10:15:30.000Z" } } ``` --- ### Download Attachment Download a file attachment by its index. **Endpoint**: `GET /v1/inbound/messages/:id/attachments/:index` ```bash curl --location \ 'https://api.autosend.com/v1/inbound/messages/60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234/attachments/0' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \ --output receipt.pdf ``` Returns binary file content. `Content-Type` and `Content-Disposition` headers are set based on the original attachment. --- ### Reply to Message Send a threaded reply to an inbound message. AutoSend sets `In-Reply-To` and `References` headers automatically so the conversation threads correctly in any email client. **Endpoint**: `POST /v1/inbound/messages/:id/reply` ```bash curl --location \ 'https://api.autosend.com/v1/inbound/messages/60d5ec49f1b2c72d9c8b1234/reply' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data-raw '{ "from": { "email": "support@example.com", "name": "Support Team" }, "html": "

Thanks for reaching out! We will look into order #4821 and get back to you shortly.

", "text": "Thanks for reaching out! We will look into order #4821 and get back to you shortly." }' ``` **Response**: ```json { "success": true, "message": "Reply queued", "data": { "emailId": "0102018f-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "message": "Email queued successfully.", "status": "QUEUED", "totalRecipients": 1 } } ``` --- ## Authentication Verdicts Every inbound message includes SPF, DKIM, DMARC, spam, and virus verdicts. Possible values per verdict: `PASS`, `FAIL`, `GRAY`, `PROCESSING_FAILED`. Use these to filter messages, flag suspicious senders, or enforce your own policies before processing. --- ## Scope and Limitations - Inbound email is available on the **Starter 10k** plan and above - API-only — there is no SMTP or SDK interface for receiving email - Replies go through the same sending infrastructure as transactional emails and count toward your monthly volume - Automation sequences cannot be triggered by inbound email events yet (planned) --- ## FAQs **Do I need a custom domain to receive email?** No. Every project gets a default receiving domain. Custom domains work too — enable inbound on any verified domain in your project settings. **How do I get notified when an email arrives?** Set up a webhook subscribed to the `email.received` event. AutoSend posts the message metadata to your endpoint as soon as the email is processed. **Can I reply to inbound emails through the API?** Yes. Use the Reply to Message endpoint with the message ID. AutoSend handles threading headers automatically. **How do I access attachments?** The Get Message response includes attachment metadata (filename, content type, size, index) for every file. Download any attachment by calling the Download Attachment endpoint with the attachment index. **What authentication checks does AutoSend run on inbound email?** AutoSend checks SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for every incoming message, plus spam and virus scanning. All verdicts are included in the Get Message response. --- ## Resources - [Inbound Email page](https://autosend.com/inbound) - [Inbound API Reference](https://docs.autosend.com/api-reference/inbound) - [Webhooks Docs](https://docs.autosend.com/webhooks) - [Pricing](https://autosend.com/pricing) - [Support](mailto:support@autosend.com)