Ways to give an agent email
There are four common ways to put an artificial intelligence (AI) agent on email today. Each solves part of the problem. Here's how they compare with what Envolt Mail is designed to do.
This compares the usual shape of each approach, not any particular product. Products differ, and many can be extended. Envolt Mail's column shows its design, with what runs today on the status page.
| What matters | Shared inbox password | Mailbox API | Transactional email service | Agent inbox API | Envolt Mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recipients can tell an agent wrote it | Shared inbox password No, it looks like a person | Mailbox API Only if you add it | Transactional email service If you write it into templates | Agent inbox API Varies | Envolt Mail Always: label, disclosure, seal |
| Anyone can verify which agent sent it | Shared inbox password No | Mailbox API No | Transactional email service Domain only (DKIM) | Agent inbox API Domain only, usually | Envolt Mail Signed per agent (Agent Seal) |
| Agent needs a person's OK to send | Shared inbox password No, it holds the password | Mailbox API No, it holds the token | Transactional email service No, it holds the API key | Agent inbox API Usually not by default | Envolt Mail Yes, until it earns routine sends |
| Hidden instructions removed before the model reads | Shared inbox password No | Mailbox API No | Transactional email service Not applicable (outbound) | Agent inbox API Varies | Envolt Mail Yes, in the Airlock |
| Tamper-evident record of every action | Shared inbox password No | Mailbox API Provider logs | Transactional email service Delivery logs | Agent inbox API Varies | Envolt Mail Hash-chained, anchored ledger |
| Stays out of your people's mail path | Shared inbox password No, it is your people's inbox | Mailbox API Yes | Transactional email service Yes | Agent inbox API Yes | Envolt Mail Yes, by rule |
| Separate identities for a studio, a pen name and each project | Shared inbox password No | Mailbox API One per mailbox | Transactional email service By sender address | Agent inbox API One per inbox | Envolt Mail Persona rooms that never cross |
When something else is the better fit
- You only send receipts and password resets. A transactional email service is simpler. There's no agent to supervise.
- A person reads every message anyway. A shared inbox with a drafting assistant may be enough, as long as the assistant can't send.
- You need it working this week. Envolt Mail isn't available yet. See what runs today.
Building agents that need email?
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