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What are Email Triggers?

Email triggers turn your workflows into email-based automation services. When you set up an email trigger, Pinkfish generates a unique email address for your workflow. Any email sent to that address will automatically start your workflow, with the email content, attachments, and sender information passed as inputs. This enables you to create email-driven automations like:
  • Report Generation Services: Email a request and get back formatted reports
  • Document Processing: Send files via email for automated analysis or conversion
  • Customer Support Automation: Route and process support requests automatically
  • Data Collection: Gather information through structured email submissions

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Setting Up an Email Trigger

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1. Access the Trigger Menu

From your workflow editor, navigate to the triggers section and select “New Email Trigger.”

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2. Configure Your Email Trigger

When creating an email trigger, you’ll see several configuration options: Name: Give your trigger a descriptive name for easy identification (e.g., “Email 1”, “Report Generator”, etc.) Access Control: Choose who can trigger your workflow via email:
  • Anyone can send an email to trigger this automation: Open access - any email address can trigger your workflow
  • Only approved senders send an email to trigger this automation: Restricted access - only pre-approved email addresses can trigger your workflow
Approved Senders: If you choose restricted access, you can specify:
  • Individual Email Addresses: Add specific email addresses that are allowed to trigger the workflow
  • Approved Domains: Allow entire domains (e.g., @yourcompany.com) to trigger the workflow
Release Version: Choose which version of your workflow the trigger should run:
  • Latest: Always runs the most recent published version (recommended)
  • Specific Version: Lock the trigger to a particular workflow version

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3. Save and Get Your Email Address

After clicking “Save,” Pinkfish will generate a unique email address for your workflow. This address will look something like: 
d35c7152at5c7123f18g@pinkfish.email
Copy this address and use it to trigger your workflow by sending emails to it.

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How Email Triggers Work

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Email Input Structure

When an email triggers your workflow, the following data is automatically passed as inputs:
  • body: The plain text body of the email
  • htmlBody: The HTML body of the email (if available)
  • subject: The email subject line
  • from: The sender’s email address
  • fromObj: Detailed sender information including name and email
  • to: The trigger email address that received the message
  • toList: List of all recipients (useful for CC/BCC scenarios)
  • attachments: Array of file attachments with metadata
  • threadingHeaders: Email threading information for conversation tracking
  • triggerEmail: The specific trigger email address used
  • triggerField: Additional trigger metadata

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Attachment Handling

Email attachments are automatically processed and made available to your workflow:
  • File Content: Attachments are stored and accessible via secure URLs
  • Metadata: Each attachment includes filename, content type, size, and other properties
  • Multiple Formats: Support for documents, images, PDFs, and other file types
Note: To access attachments in your workflows, use a prompt like “Get email attachments” which will download your attachments to that step for use in your workflow.

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Monitoring Email Triggers

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Workflow Monitor

Track all email-triggered workflow runs in the Orchestration → Workflow Monitor:
  1. Navigate to the Workflow Monitor from the main navigation
  2. Filter by your specific workflow to see email-triggered runs
  3. View run status, duration, and results
  4. Access detailed logs and execution information

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Viewing Email Inputs

To inspect the data sent via email trigger:
  1. In the Workflow Editor: Click the lightning bolt (⚡) icon on the right side of the interface
  2. Select “Triggered Runs”: This shows runs initiated by triggers (not manual runs)
  3. Choose a Run: Select the specific email-triggered run you want to examine
  4. View Inputs: Click “View Inputs” to see all the email data including:
Workflow editor showing triggered runs interface with email inputs displayed including attachments, body, subject, and sender information
  • Email body and subject - Sender information - Attachments and their metadata - All other email-related fields
Email trigger configuration modal showing name, access control, approved senders, and release version options This input inspection is useful for:
  • Debugging: Understanding what data your workflow receives
  • Development: Testing different email formats and attachments
  • Optimization: Refining how your workflow processes email inputs

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Responding to Email Triggers

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Inbound vs. Outbound Email Processing

Email triggers handle inbound email processing—receiving and parsing emails to start workflows. Outbound email responses are a separate process that gives you flexibility in how you reply to trigger emails.

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Outbound Email Options

When your workflow needs to send email responses, you have several options:

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1. Your Own Email Service

Connect your existing email infrastructure for branded responses:
  • SendGrid, Mailgun, etc.: Use API connections to send through your transactional email service
  • Gmail Connector: Send through your Gmail account with full email management capabilities
  • Microsoft Outlook Connector: Send through your Outlook/Office 365 account with integrated calendar and task features
  • Custom SMTP: Connect any SMTP service through custom integrations
Benefits: Full control over sender domain, branding, and deliverability reputation

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2. Pinkfish Email Outbound Service

Use our built-in email service for quick prototyping and simple use cases: 
/email-outbound
to: sender@example.com
subject: Re: Your Request
body: Thank you for your email. We've processed your request.
Benefits:
  • No setup required—perfect for prototyping
  • Built-in rate limiting and delivery management
  • Automatic HTML/plain text formatting
See the complete Email Outbound Guide for detailed usage, parameters, and examples.

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3. Responding to Trigger Senders

Extract the sender information from the email trigger to respond directly: 
Extract the sender email from the trigger: {{from}}
Send response using /email-outbound:
to: {{from}}
subject: Re: {{subject}}
body: Your automated response here
This creates a complete email automation loop where inbound emails automatically generate responses.

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Branded Email Experience Setup

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Professional Email Forwarding

Many organizations set up a professional forwarding system for a fully branded experience:
  1. Create a branded email address (e.g., support@yourcompany.com)
  2. Set up email forwarding from your branded address to the Pinkfish trigger email
  3. Configure outbound responses to send from your branded domain using your email service
  4. Result: Customers email support@yourcompany.com and receive responses from the same branded address
Example Setup:
  • Inbound: support@yourcompany.com → forwards to → d35c7152at5c7123f18g@pinkfish.email
  • Outbound: Workflow uses Gmail/Outlook connector to respond from support@yourcompany.com
  • Customer Experience: Seamless interaction with your branded email address

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Benefits of Forwarding Setup:

  • Professional appearance: All communication appears to come from your domain
  • Brand consistency: Maintains your organization’s email branding
  • Deliverability: Responses come from your established email reputation
  • Flexibility: Easy to change automation without updating external references

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Email Threading and Conversations

Maintain email conversation threads by:
  • Using the threadingHeaders from the trigger input
  • Including proper In-Reply-To and References headers in responses
  • Matching subject line patterns (e.g., “Re: Original Subject”)
This ensures email responses appear as part of the original conversation in email clients.

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Best Practices

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Security Considerations

  • Use Approved Senders: For sensitive workflows, always restrict access to approved senders or domains
  • Validate Input: Always validate and sanitize email content in your workflow
  • Monitor Usage: Regularly check your workflow monitor for unexpected activity

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Email Response Best Practices

  • Use branded outbound: Set up forwarding and branded responses for professional communications
  • Prototype with Pinkfish outbound: Use /email-outbound for testing and simple automations
  • Maintain conversation threading: Preserve email thread context for better user experience
  • Handle attachments properly: Process and reference attachments in your responses appropriately