Build a reliable help desk on SMTP and IMAP standards.

FOUNDATION

Define the support promise before configuring the inbox

Collect hostnames, ports, secure modes, username format, application password requirements, and the target IMAP folder from the mail provider. Determine whether SMTP and IMAP share credentials, whether the host allows outbound connections from Dokploy, and how processed mail should be marked.

WORKFLOW

Build the smallest reliable operating loop

Resolve DNS, establish TLS, authenticate each service independently, save encrypted credentials only after successful validation, record the connection boundary, fetch eligible unseen mail, parse MIME, store attachments privately, persist the source UID and Message-ID, then send replies with the correct References headers.

PITFALLS

Test the edge cases that break team trust

DNS failure is not an authentication failure. Port 465 and STARTTLS behave differently. Some providers require the full email as username or an app-specific password. IMAP UIDs are mailbox-specific. Deleting the database record without a tombstone lets the next scan recreate it.

CHECKLIST

Validate the customer and agent experience together

Send a new request from an external address, verify ticket creation and acknowledgement, assign it, open it from two agent accounts, add a private note, change recipients, paste an image, attach a file, reply, answer from the customer mailbox, resolve the ticket, delete a disposable test, and confirm a later sync does not recreate it. Record the expected owner and outcome for every step.