> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://testdocs.clodura.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect and Configure Your Email Account in Clodura AI

> Step-by-step guide to connecting Gmail or Microsoft 365 to Clodura AI, configuring SMTP settings, signatures, and sending preferences.

Before you can send any outreach from Clodura AI, you need to connect an email account. Clodura uses your own SMTP credentials to send on your behalf — it acts as a powerful email client, not a bulk-sending relay. That means your sender reputation, domain health, and email provider limits all apply directly to your sending. This guide walks you through every step: from choosing your provider and generating an App Password, all the way to setting your daily sending limit and email signature.

## Getting Started

Navigate to **Settings → Email Setup** in the left sidebar. The setup flow has two sequential steps: **Email Server** (authentication) and **Email Preferences** (sending behavior). A **Signature** tab is also available for managing your email signature.

A green **Connected** status tag confirms your account is successfully linked. Once connected, Clodura automatically checks your domain's SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records and displays health indicators — all three should show green before you start sending at scale.

***

## Supported Providers

Clodura supports three connection modes, each covered in detail in the sections below:

* **GSuite / Gmail** — Gmail personal accounts and Google Workspace business accounts. Requires an App Password.
* **Office 365** — Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online. Supports OAuth (recommended) and legacy App Password authentication.
* **Others** — Any email provider with SMTP/IMAP support, including Zoho, Fastmail, and custom mail servers.

<Note>
  Each Clodura license supports **one email address for outreach at a time**. You can change the connected account as needed, but frequent changes are not recommended. To use multiple email addresses simultaneously, add additional licenses and configure each separately.
</Note>

***

## Gmail / Google Workspace Setup

Gmail requires an **App Password** — a special 16-character credential that grants Clodura access to your account without exposing your main Google password.

### Step 1: Enable IMAP in Gmail

IMAP must be active so Clodura can read replies and bounces from your inbox.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Gmail settings">
    Log in to the Gmail account you want to connect. Click the gear icon (⚙️) at the top right and select **See all settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab">
    Click the **Forwarding and POP/IMAP** tab in the settings bar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable IMAP">
    Under the "IMAP access" section, select **Enable IMAP**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your changes">
    Scroll to the bottom and click **Save Changes**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Step 2: Generate a Google App Password

<Warning>
  App Passwords require **2-Step Verification** to be enabled on your Google account. If you haven't done this yet, enable it at [myaccount.google.com/security](https://myaccount.google.com/security) before continuing.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your Google Account security settings">
    Go to [myaccount.google.com](https://myaccount.google.com/) and click **Security** in the left menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find App Passwords">
    Under "Signing in to Google," click **App Passwords**. You may be asked to re-enter your password.

    If you don't see this option, it is likely because 2-Step Verification is not yet enabled, you use a security key only, or your account is managed by a school or organization that has restricted this feature.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the App Password">
    At the bottom of the App Passwords page, select **Mail** from the "Select app" dropdown. From "Select device," choose **Other (Custom name)** and type **Clodura.AI**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate and copy your password">
    Click **Generate**. A 16-character code appears in the yellow bar — copy it immediately. This is your App Password. Click **Done**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Step 3: Connect Gmail in Clodura AI

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select GSuite">
    In **Settings → Email Setup**, click the **GSuite** radio button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your credentials">
    Fill in:

    * **Display Name** — the name recipients see in the "From" field.
    * **Email** — your full Gmail or Google Workspace address.
    * **App Password** — the 16-character code you just generated.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test and save">
    Click **Test And Save**. A green **GSuite Connected** status tag confirms success. Click **Next** to proceed to Email Preferences.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Microsoft 365 / Outlook Setup

Microsoft 365 offers two connection methods: OAuth (recommended) and Legacy Authentication with an App Password.

### Option A: Connect via Microsoft OAuth (Recommended)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Office 365">
    In **Settings → Email Setup**, click the **Office 365** radio button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Connect Email Account">
    Click the blue **Connect Email Account** button. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address when prompted.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authorize on Microsoft's login page">
    You are redirected to Microsoft's login page. Sign in and grant Clodura AI the requested permissions. Upon approval, the **Office Connected** status tag appears.
  </Step>
</Steps>

#### Admin Approval (When Required)

Some Microsoft 365 organizations require an administrator to approve third-party app access. If you see an admin approval prompt, follow these steps:

<Accordion title="Scenario 1: Request Approval button is visible">
  Click **Request Approval** in the dialog that appears. Your IT administrator will receive a review request. After they approve it, return to **Settings → Email Setup** and complete the connection. Administrators can review pending requests at [Microsoft's admin consent documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/review-admin-consent-requests).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Scenario 2: No Request Approval button">
  If the button is not visible, your organization's user consent workflow must be configured first. Your administrator needs to:

  1. **Enable the user consent workflow:** Follow [Microsoft's guide to configuring admin consent workflow](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/configure-admin-consent-workflow).
  2. **Configure user consent settings:** Follow the [user consent configuration guide](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/configure-user-consent?pivots=portal).
  3. **Add Clodura.AI as an Enterprise Application:** See [how to add an application](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/add-application-portal) and [how to assign users to it](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/add-application-portal-assign-users).

  Once all steps are complete and the administrator has approved the request, the connection succeeds and the **Connected** status tag appears.
</Accordion>

### Option B: Legacy Authentication with App Password

If your organization does not support OAuth or you need to use legacy authentication, you can connect using an App Password.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Additional Security Verification">
    Sign in to the [Additional Security Verification page](https://account.activedirectory.windowsazure.com/Proofup.aspx) and click **App passwords**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a new App Password">
    Click **Create**, enter **Clodura.AI** as the name, and click **Next**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy your App Password">
    Copy the generated password from the confirmation screen and click **Close**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Alternative: Use the Microsoft 365 portal">
    You can also generate App Passwords via the [My Account page](https://myaccount.microsoft.com/). Go to **Security info → Add method → App password**, name it **Clodura.AI**, and copy the generated value.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect in Clodura">
    In **Settings → Email Setup**, select **Office 365**, then click the **Legacy Authentication** link. Enter your email address, display name, and the App Password you just copied. Click **Test And Save**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  App Passwords are auto-generated and should be entered once. There is a limit of 40 App Passwords per Microsoft user. If you hit the limit, delete unused ones from your Security Info page before creating a new one.
</Info>

***

## Other Email Providers (Manual SMTP/IMAP)

For providers other than Gmail and Microsoft 365, use the **Others** option and enter your server details manually.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Others">
    In **Settings → Email Setup**, click the **Others** radio button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter incoming mail (IMAP) settings">
    * **IMAP Hostname** — your provider's IMAP server address.
    * **IMAP Port** — typically 993 for SSL.
    * **SSL/TLS** — select the security protocol your provider requires (SSL is the default).
    * If your provider uses POP3 instead of IMAP, check the **Is POP3?** checkbox and enter the POP3 hostname and port.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter outgoing mail (SMTP) settings">
    * **SMTP Hostname** — your provider's SMTP server address.
    * **SMTP Port** — typically 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL.
    * **SSL/TLS** — select the appropriate security protocol (TLS is the default for SMTP).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter credentials">
    * **Display Name** — the name shown in your emails' "From" field.
    * **Email** — your full email address.
    * **App Password** — an app-specific password, or your regular password if your provider supports it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test and save">
    Click **Test And Save**. Green "Connected" status tags for both IMAP and SMTP confirm a successful connection.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Email Preferences

After your email server is connected, Clodura transitions automatically to the **Email Preferences** step. These settings control how and when emails are sent.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set a send delay">
    The **Delay (in seconds)** slider controls the minimum gap between consecutive emails sent by Clodura. Options are 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. A higher delay — 30 or 60 seconds — is recommended for better deliverability, as it mimics natural human sending patterns.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your time zone">
    Choose your local time zone from the dropdown. This affects sequence scheduling and when your daily sending limit resets.

    <Info>
      If you update your time zone after creating sequences, the new zone applies to all contacts that have not yet been scheduled. Previously scheduled sends retain the old time zone.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your daily email sending limit">
    Enter the maximum number of emails Clodura can send from this account in any 24-hour period. The default is 200. Keep this under 200 emails per day to stay within the safe limits recommended by Gmail and Microsoft.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure additional options">
    * **Retry second email on bounce** — if checked, Clodura will attempt to resend a follow-up to an alternative email from the contact's profile if the first bounces.
    * **Default BCC** — enter an address to be silently copied on all outgoing emails.
    * **Reply-To** — designate an alternative address where replies are directed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select folders for bounce and reply tracking">
    Under folder selection, choose all folders in your mailbox where bounced emails and replies might arrive — including Inbox, Spam, and Junk — so Clodura can accurately track and report on them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your preferences">
    Click **Save** to finalize. The green Connected status tag confirms your account is fully active.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Email Signature

Click the **Signature** tab in the Email Setup page to create your outgoing email signature.

The signature editor includes a **rich-text content editor** (left pane) and a **live preview** (right pane) that shows exactly how the signature will appear to recipients. Use the editor toolbar to format text, set font styles and sizes, adjust alignment, add colors, insert links, and upload an image such as your company logo.

After composing your signature, click **Save Signature** to apply it to all future outreach emails.

***

## Frequently Asked Questions

<Accordion title="Can I use an alias email address for sending?">
  No. Clodura does not support alias email addresses. Attempting to configure one results in an "invalid credentials" error from Google or Microsoft, because IMAP and SMTP authentication is tied to the primary account credentials. All emails are sent from your main configured address.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I enable IMAP for Gmail?">
  Log in to Gmail, click the gear icon, go to **See all settings**, open the **Forwarding and POP/IMAP** tab, select **Enable IMAP**, and click **Save Changes**. IMAP must be active for Clodura to track replies and bounces correctly.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can I add multiple email addresses to one Clodura account?">
  Each Clodura license supports one connected email address at a time. If you need to run outreach from multiple addresses simultaneously, you need additional licenses with each configured to a different email account.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What should I do if I encounter an admin approval prompt for Office 365?">
  Click **Request Approval** in the dialog if the button is visible. Your IT administrator reviews the request and approves or denies it. If the button is absent, your administrator must first enable the user consent workflow in Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) — see the Admin Approval section above for the exact Microsoft documentation links.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Why are my bounces not showing up in Clodura's report?">
  Go to **Settings → Email Setup** and check the **Select Folders** configuration. Select every folder where bounced emails might be delivered — typically Inbox, Spam, and Junk. If bounce emails are landing in a folder Clodura isn't monitoring, they won't be reflected in your cadence reports.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="If I update my time zone, does it affect existing scheduled emails?">
  Only unscheduled contacts are affected by a time zone change. Contacts that have already been scheduled retain their original time zone. After changing your time zone in Email Setup, also update your machine's local time zone to stay consistent.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What is the daily email sending limit and can I increase it?">
  Clodura itself does not impose a sending limit — the limit you set in **Settings → Email Setup → Daily Email Sending Limit** is the ceiling your account will respect. The default is 200 emails per day. Staying under 200 is recommended, as Gmail and Microsoft impose their own provider-level limits that can result in account warnings or suspensions if exceeded.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How do I address spam-related issues with my connected email?">
  Start by checking your domain health. Confirm that SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records are all properly configured. Run a full domain health check at [MXToolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/emailhealth/). Correct any missing or misconfigured DNS records, then consider running an [Inbox Placement test](/docs/deliverability/inbox-placement) to see where your emails are landing. If you are using a new domain, make sure you have completed or are running an [Email Warmup](/docs/deliverability/warmup).
</Accordion>