Email Trigger

Configure email-based process triggers to automatically start process instances when emails are received. Email Triggers connect to IMAP mail servers and monitor specific mailboxes to initiate workflows.

New in 5.4.0

Email Trigger is a data source type that enables process instances to be automatically started when emails are received via IMAP, bringing event-driven automation to your email workflows.

For Microsoft Outlook mailboxes, you can also use the Microsoft Outlook data source which connects via the MS Graph API and supports both reading and sending emails in a single data source.

Overview

Email Trigger is a data source type in Integration Designer that allows FlowX.AI processes to be triggered automatically when emails arrive in a monitored mailbox. This enables use cases such as:

• Customer support automation: Automatically create support tickets when emails arrive
• Document processing: Trigger document workflows when emails with attachments are received
• Request handling: Start approval processes based on incoming email requests
• Notification workflows: Process automated alerts from monitoring systems

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How it works

The Email Trigger system follows a straightforward flow:

1. Configure Email Connection

   Set up an IMAP connection to your email server as a Data Source in Integration Designer.

2. Link to Message Start Event (Start Catch Message)

   Connect the Email Trigger to a Message Start Event node in your process definition.

3. Activate the Trigger

   Turn on monitoring from the Manage Triggers section in Runtime Settings.

4. Process Incoming Emails

   When emails arrive, FlowX.AI automatically creates process instances with the email data.

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Creating an email trigger data source

Prerequisites

Before configuring an Email Trigger, ensure you have:

• Access to Integration Designer with appropriate permissions
• IMAP server credentials (host, port, username, password)
• Knowledge of the mailbox folder to monitor (defaults to Inbox if not specified)

Step 1: Access Integration Designer

1. Navigate to Data Sources

   Navigate to FlowX Designer → Workspaces → Your workspace → Projects → Your project → Integrations → Data Sources

2. Add a new data source

   Click Add New Data Source

3. Select Email Trigger

   Select Email Trigger as the data source type

Step 2: Configure connection settings

Configure the IMAP connection with the following fields:

Protocol · string · required

The email protocol to use. Currently only IMAP is supported.

Server Host · string · required

The hostname or IP address of your IMAP server.

Examples:

• imap.gmail.com
• outlook.office365.com
• mail.yourcompany.com

This field accepts configuration parameters. Use ${configParam} syntax to reference environment-specific values.

Port · number · required

The port number for the IMAP connection. The default value updates automatically based on the SSL/TLS setting.

SSL/TLS	Default Port
ON	993
OFF	143

Username · string · required

The email account username or full email address used for authentication.

This field accepts configuration parameters for environment-specific credentials.

Password · string · required

The password or app-specific password for the email account.

For Gmail and other providers with 2FA enabled, you may need to generate an app-specific password.

Store sensitive credentials in configuration parameters and reference them here using ${configParam} syntax.

SSL/TLS · boolean

Turn on secure connection using SSL/TLS encryption. Recommended: ON.

The SSL/TLS setting determines the default port value. Change this setting before adjusting the port.

Step 3: Test the connection

Click the Test Connection button to verify your settings:

Result	Message	Action
✅ Success	”Established connection”	Proceed to save
❌ Error	”Failed to establish connection”	Check credentials and server settings

When you click Create, another authentication test is performed. If the test fails, you’ll be redirected to the Authorization tab with an error message, but the Email Trigger will still be created.

Step 4: Configure basic information

Name · string · required

A unique, descriptive name for the Email Trigger.

Validation rules:

• Required field
• Must be unique within the project
• Only letters, numbers, and these characters allowed: [], (), ., _, -
• Minimum 3 characters, maximum 50 characters

Description · string

Optional description explaining the purpose of this Email Trigger.

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Configuring email trigger settings

After creating the Email Trigger, configure monitoring and validation settings in the Settings tab.

Filtering criteria

Define which emails should trigger processes:

Email Address · string

The email address being monitored. This field is read-only and reflects the authenticated account.

Mailbox Folder · string · required

The mailbox folder to monitor for incoming emails.

Default: Inbox

Examples:

• Inbox
• Support
• Orders/New

This field accepts configuration parameters for environment-specific folder names.

Validations

Configure validation rules for incoming emails. If any validation fails, the email will not be processed and a warning will appear in the Failed Triggers section.

Allowed File Types · array

Restrict which attachment file types are accepted:

Type	Extensions
PDF	.pdf
DOCUMENT	.doc, .docx, .txt
IMAGE	.png, .jpg, .jpeg
EXCEL	.xls, .xlsx, .csv
ZIP	.zip

Leave empty to accept all file types.

Maximum File Size · number

Maximum allowed size per attachment file.

Default: 25 MB
Maximum: 25 MB

Maximum File Count · number

Maximum number of attachments allowed per email.

All fields in the Settings section accept configuration parameters, enabling environment-specific configurations.

Polling interval

The Email Trigger polls for new emails every 30 seconds by default. This interval can be configured at the environment level but is not user-configurable in the UI.

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Connecting to a Message Start Event

To use the Email Trigger, connect it to a Message Start Event node in your process definition.

Configuring the Message Start Event

1. Open your process definition

   Open your process definition in the Process Designer.

2. Add a Message Start Event node

   Add a Message Start Event node.

3. Configure the Process Trigger

   In the node configuration, locate the Process Trigger section:

Trigger Type · select · required

Select the trigger type:

• Internal Throw Message Event (default) - Traditional message-based triggering
• Email Trigger - Email-based triggering

Email Trigger · select · required

Select the Email Trigger data source to use. Only Email Triggers created in the current project are available.

Tooltip: “The email connection that will be triggered”

To start monitoring, you must activate the trigger from Manage Triggers in Runtime Settings.

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Email data schema

When an email triggers a process, the following data structure is available in your process variables:

{
  "emailMessage": {
    "subject": "Support Request #12345",
    "dateTime": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "sender": "[e-mail]",
    "replyTo": ["[e-mail]"],
    "body": "Email body content...",
    "fileAttachments": [
      {
        "filePath": "email-attachments/proc-123/invoice.pdf",
        "downloadPath": "/api/internal/files/uuid-456/download"
      }
    ],
    "headerParams": {
      "Message-ID": "<[e-mail]>",
      ...
    }
  }
}

Schema fields

Field	Type	Description
subject	string	Email subject line
dateTime	string (ISO 8601)	Timestamp when email was received
sender	string	Sender’s email address
replyTo	array of strings	Reply-To addresses from the email header. Use these when sending a reply via the Email Sender or Send Notification Action
body	string	Email body content (plain text)
attachments	array	List of attachment metadata objects
fileAttachments[].filePath	string	Storage path in Document Plugin
fileAttachments[].downloadPath	string	API path to download the file
headerParams.Message-ID	string	Unique email message identifier

Attachment handling

Email attachments are automatically:

1. Uploaded to the Document Plugin as temporary files
2. Copied to permanent storage linked to the process instance
3. Referenced in the fileAttachments array with download paths

Attachment processing happens asynchronously. The file copy to permanent storage may complete after the process instance starts. If your process needs to access attachments immediately, consider adding a wait step.

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Managing triggers at runtime

Accessing Manage Triggers

Navigate to Runtime Settings → Manage Email Triggers to view and control all configured Email Triggers.

Trigger list columns

Column	Description
State	Current status: Active or Inactive
Process Name	The process definition linked to this trigger
Trigger Type	Always “Email Trigger” for email-based triggers
Event Name	The Email Trigger data source name
Location	Project and branch information

Activation requirements

For an Email Trigger to appear in Manage Triggers:

1. ✅ Email Trigger must be created as a Data Source
2. ✅ Email Trigger must be added to a Message Start Event node
3. ✅ The process must be part of a build in the Active Policy

When the Active Policy changes, Email Triggers retain their previous state (Active/Inactive). If an Email Trigger is deleted from the latest build, it will be automatically deactivated.

Enhanced in FlowX.AI 5.6.0

All Email Trigger configuration changes and runtime actions (activation, deactivation, trigger events) are now recorded in the audit trail for compliance and debugging purposes.

Activating and deactivating triggers

Use the toggle in the State column to activate or deactivate monitoring:

• Active: The system monitors the mailbox and creates process instances for incoming emails
• Inactive: Monitoring is paused; no new process instances are created

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Testing with mock email content

Available starting with FlowX.AI 5.6.0

Test email-triggered processes using mock email data without configuring a live IMAP connection.

When running a process from the build list, you can provide mock email content to simulate an incoming email trigger. This is useful for:

• Testing process logic before connecting to a live mailbox
• Verifying attachment handling and validation rules
• Debugging email-triggered workflows in development

How to test with mock email

1. Open the start process dialog

   Navigate to your process definition and click Start Process. If the process has a Message Start Event configured with an Email Trigger, the dialog displays a mock email form instead of the standard start parameters.

2. Fill in the mock email fields

   Complete the form fields to simulate an incoming email:

   Field	Description
   Subject	The email subject line
   Sender	The sender email address
   Datetime	When the email was “received” (defaults to the current date and time)
   Body	The email body content
   Upload files	Attach files to simulate email attachments. Accepted types: PDF, DOCUMENT (.doc, .docx, .txt), IMAGE (.png, .jpg, .jpeg), EXCEL (.xls, .xlsx, .csv), ZIP (.zip), up to 25 MB
   Theme	Select the theme to use for the process instance

3. Start the process

   Click Start Process to create a process instance using the mock email data, just as if a real email had been received.

Use mock testing to validate your process handles edge cases — emails without attachments, emails with multiple Reply-To addresses, or emails with large body content.

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Handling failed triggers

When emails fail validation or processing errors occur, they appear in the Failed Triggers section.

Accessing Failed Triggers

Navigate to Runtime Settings → Failed Triggers to view failed email processing attempts.

Failed Triggers list

Column	Description
Timestamp	Date and time (localized)
Trigger Type	”Email Trigger”
Trigger Name	The Email Trigger data source name
Cause Type	Type of failure
Context	Additional info, e.g., “Sender: [e-mail]”

Cause types

File type not permitted

Message: “The file {filename} could not be uploaded because it is not on the list of permitted file types.”

Resolution: Update the Allowed File Types in the Email Trigger settings, or ask the sender to use an accepted format.

File size exceeded

Message: “{filename} is too large. Maximum allowed: 25 MB”

Resolution: The attachment exceeds the maximum file size limit. Ask the sender to reduce the file size or split into multiple emails.

File count exceeded

Message: “File limit exceeded. For this Email Trigger there is a limit of {limit} per email.”

Resolution: The email contains more attachments than allowed. Ask the sender to split attachments across multiple emails.

Unable to connect to email server

Message: “We couldn’t connect to your email server. This might be due to:

• Incorrect server settings
• No internet connection
• Firewall blocking the connection

Please check your connection and try again.”

Resolution: Verify the IMAP server settings in the Email Trigger Authorization tab and test the connection.

Failed trigger details page

Enhanced in FlowX.AI 5.5.0 — Failed triggers now have a dedicated details page with breadcrumb navigation and expanded information.

Click on a failed trigger row to open the dedicated details page, which displays:

Field	Description
Email Subject	Subject line of the failed email
Email Sender	Sender address
Timestamp	When the email was received
Cause Type	Failure classification
Error Details	Detailed error description, displayed in a code editor for easy reading
Build Status	Whether the associated build is WIP or Committed
Monitored Email Address	The email account being monitored
Monitored Inbox Folder	The mailbox folder being monitored
Process Definition	Link to navigate to the process definition (requires config rights)
Build	Build identifier
Project/Library	Source project or library
Build Created From	Branch name
Project/Library Version ID	Version identifier

Use the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the page to return to the failed triggers list.

If an email fails for multiple reasons, all failure causes are listed in the details view.

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Use cases

Customer support ticket creation

1. Configure Email Trigger

   Create an Email Trigger connected to your support email (e.g., [e-mail]).

2. Design the process

   Create a process that:

   • Extracts customer information from the email
   • Creates a ticket in your CRM
   • Assigns to the appropriate team
   • Sends an acknowledgment email
3. Handle attachments

   Configure validation to accept relevant file types (PDF, images) and route attachments to your document management system.

Document processing workflow

Email received with attachments
       ↓
Extract document metadata
       ↓
Classify document type (invoice, contract, etc.)
       ↓
Route to appropriate processing workflow
       ↓
Notify relevant stakeholders

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Best practices

Use Configuration Parameters

Store server credentials and environment-specific settings in configuration parameters for easy management across environments.

Set Appropriate Validations

Configure file type, size, and count limits to prevent processing of unwanted or malicious content.

Monitor Failed Triggers

Regularly review the Failed Triggers section to identify issues with email processing.

Handle Attachments Async

Remember that attachment processing is asynchronous. Design your process to handle potential delays in file availability.

Security Note: Email attachments are uploaded without virus scanning in the current implementation. Consider implementing additional security measures for sensitive environments.

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Troubleshooting

Email Trigger not appearing in Manage Triggers

Ensure all requirements are met:

1. Email Trigger is created as a Data Source
2. Email Trigger is linked to a Message Start Event
3. The process is included in an Active Policy build

Connection test fails

Common causes:

• Incorrect credentials: Verify username and password
• Wrong port: Use 993 for IMAP with SSL/TLS
• Firewall: Ensure outbound connections to the mail server are allowed
• 2FA enabled: Generate an app-specific password for the email account

Emails not triggering processes

Check:

1. Is the trigger Active in Manage Triggers?
2. Is the correct mailbox folder configured?
3. Do incoming emails pass validation rules?
4. Review Failed Triggers for error details

Attachments not available in process

Attachment processing is asynchronous. If you need immediate access:

1. Add a wait step or message catch event after the start node
2. Verify the email passed file validation rules
3. Check Document Plugin connectivity

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Related documentation

Email Sender

Configure SMTP connections to send and reply to emails from processes

Microsoft Outlook

Connect to Outlook via MS Graph API for reading and sending emails

Send Notification Action

Send emails and reply to received emails directly from process nodes

Integration Designer

Learn about other data source types and workflow creation

Message Start Event

Configure message-based process triggers

Document Plugin

Manage files and attachments in FlowX.AI

Configuration Parameters

Use environment variables for flexible configurations