---
title: Email
description: Send verification and invite emails from your Dagr server.
---

# Email

By default Dagr does not send mail. It writes the message to the worker log (`EMAIL_PROVIDER=log`). Turn on SMTP or Lettermint when people should receive verification links and workspace invites in their inbox.

You do not need this for a local try. You can still sign up and use the app. The [verify email](/desktop/sign-in) banner stays until someone opens the link.

## What gets sent

| Message | When |
| --- | --- |
| Verify your email for Dagr | After **Create an account**, and when someone chooses **Resend email** |
| You are invited to {workspace} on Dagr | When an owner or admin uses **Invite people** for an address that is not on the server yet |

Both messages are plain text. The link inside uses `PUBLIC_BASE_URL` (invite accept and `/verify-email?token=…`). Set that to the public API origin people can open, not `localhost`, if the server is on the internet. The API serves those paths. After verify, the page opens the Dagr app (`dagr://`).

Password reset is not sent. That flow is not built yet.

## What must be running

1. **Redis**, so the API can queue the message.
2. **The worker**, so the queue is actually sent. See [Worker](/hosting/worker).

If the worker is down, signup still works. Mail waits in Redis until a worker starts. If Redis is down, nothing is queued.

The worker reads `EMAIL_PROVIDER` and the SMTP or Lettermint settings. The API does not send mail itself. Put the same values on both if they are separate processes.

Missing SMTP or Lettermint settings make the worker exit on start. Fix the variables, then start it again.

## Choose a provider

| `EMAIL_PROVIDER` | Use this when |
| --- | --- |
| `log` | Local development. Nothing leaves the machine. |
| `smtp` | You have an SMTP host (your mail server, or a transactional SMTP relay). |
| `lettermint` | You have a [Lettermint](https://lettermint.co) API token. |

Leave `DEPLOYMENT_MODE` as self-hosted. Email is not tied to Dagr Cloud billing.

## SMTP

Set these in `deploy/.env` (Compose) or in your host’s environment (Coolify, Northflank):

```bash
EMAIL_PROVIDER=smtp
EMAIL_FROM=Dagr <noreply@example.com>
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=your-smtp-user
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-smtp-password
SMTP_TLS=true
PUBLIC_BASE_URL=https://YOUR_PUBLIC_ORIGIN
```

`EMAIL_FROM` and `SMTP_HOST` are required. Port defaults to `587`. `SMTP_TLS=true` uses STARTTLS when the server offers it.

`EMAIL_FROM` may be a bare address (`noreply@example.com`) or a display name (`Dagr <noreply@example.com>`). Use a from address your provider allows. Many relays reject a from-domain they do not know.

Restart the worker after you change these values. Restart the API too if you changed `PUBLIC_BASE_URL`.

## Lettermint

```bash
EMAIL_PROVIDER=lettermint
EMAIL_FROM=Dagr <noreply@example.com>
LETTERMINT_API_TOKEN=your-api-token
PUBLIC_BASE_URL=https://YOUR_PUBLIC_ORIGIN
```

`EMAIL_FROM` and `LETTERMINT_API_TOKEN` are required. `LETTERMINT_BASE_URL` is optional; leave it unset unless Lettermint gave you a different API host.

Create a token in the Lettermint dashboard and use a from address they have approved.

## Apply the settings

**Compose on your machine.** Put the variables in `deploy/.env`, then:

```bash
make worker-run
```

Keep Redis up (`make compose-up` or `make compose-infra`).

**Coolify.** Add the same variables on the resource. You still need a worker process with those variables. See [Worker](/hosting/worker) and [Coolify](/hosting/coolify).

**Northflank.** Put the variables in the `dagr-runtime` secret group used by `dagr-worker` (and the API, for `PUBLIC_BASE_URL`). See [Northflank](/hosting/northflank).

## Check that it works

1. Confirm the worker log shows `email sender ready` with `provider` `smtp` or `lettermint`.
2. Create a new account, or choose **Resend email** on an unverified user.
3. Open the inbox for that address. The subject is **Verify your email for Dagr**.
4. Open the link. The app should show **Email verified**.

If you invite someone who does not have an account, they should get **You are invited to {workspace} on Dagr**.

## If nothing arrives

- Worker not running, or still on `EMAIL_PROVIDER=log` (look for `email:send` in the worker log).
- Worker started before you saved the new variables.
- `PUBLIC_BASE_URL` still points at `localhost`, so the mail arrives but the link only works on your computer.
- SMTP host, port, or credentials rejected (worker log shows `email: smtp …`).
- From address not allowed by the relay or by Lettermint.
- Message in spam.