Quickly send an email from a flow
Use the Send Email action to notify a team mailbox or system endpoint when something happens in a flow:
Step-by-Step Process
- Open the Flow Editor.
- Add a Send Email action at the point where you want to notify someone (for example, after registration is completed).
[CAPTURE: Flow editor showing a “Send an Email” action.]
- Set the recipient email address (To).
- Write a clear Subject.
- Write the Body, using variables if needed (for example, values collected earlier in the flow).
[CAPTURE: Send an Email configuration panel with To, Subject, and Body fields.]
You can reference dynamic values inside the subject and body, including:
- @contact, @urns, @results, @fields, @channel
- @run.results.[result_name].extra
- @parent, @input
- Expressions such as @(today()) and @(now())
Example: If the flow collected a due date earlier, you can reference it in the email body using @run.results.due_date.
[CAPTURE: Send an Email action showing variables used in the email body.]
- Run the flow in the Simulator to confirm variables resolve correctly.
- Send a real test run before using it in production.
[CAPTURE: Simulator showing a flow triggering an email.]
By default, emails are sent from a RapidPro/Nyaruka system address. If you want to send from your own address, configure email settings in your account:
- Go to Account Settings.
- Click the Email icon.
- Enter your SMTP settings (email address, host URL, port, credentials, and encryption type).
- Save and send a test email.
[CAPTURE: Account settings page showing email configuration fields.]
Gmail note: If you use a Gmail-hosted address, Google account security settings may block external app access, and daily sending limits may apply.
[CAPTURE: Gmail security settings page showing connected apps access.]
Common Issues & Quick Fixes
Problem: Emails are not being sent.
Possible causes: Incorrect credentials, wrong SMTP host/port, or mismatched encryption settings.
Fix: Recheck host, port, encryption, and credentials in Account Settings, save, then send a test email.
Problem: Gmail authentication fails.
Cause: Gmail may block sign-ins from external apps by default, or you may have exceeded Gmail sending limits.
Fix: Allow access for connected/external apps in your Google account security settings and confirm you have not exceeded daily limits.
Problem: Variables appear blank in the email.
Cause: The referenced variable was not collected or populated before the Send Email step.
Fix: Confirm the variable exists earlier in the flow (for example, a Wait for Response result), and verify values in the Simulator.