IMAP Access

Every Lumbox inbox can be accessed via standard IMAP. Connect Apple Mail, Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, or any email client to read your agent's emails in real time.

How It Works

When you create an inbox, Lumbox automatically:

1. Generates IMAP credentials (username + password)
2. Provisions the mailbox on the mail server
3. Stores incoming emails in Maildir format for IMAP access

Your agents still use the REST API or MCP tools. IMAP gives humans a way to monitor, debug, and read agent emails from any email client.

Connection Settings

Every inbox has its own IMAP credentials. Find them in the dashboard by clicking the mail icon next to the inbox name.

Incoming (IMAP)

Outgoing (SMTP)

Get IMAP Credentials

Via Dashboard

1. Go to Inboxes and click on your inbox
2. Click the mail icon (envelope) in the top-right of the inbox panel
3. Your server, username, and password are shown with copy buttons
4. For older inboxes, click "Generate IMAP Password" to create credentials

Via API

IMAP credentials are returned when creating a new inbox:

curl -X POST https://api.lumbox.co/v1/inboxes \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "my-agent"}'

Response includes:

{
  "id": "inb_abc123",
  "address": "my-agent@lumbox.co",
  "imap_password": "randomPassword123",
  "imap_host": "imap.lumbox.co",
  "imap_port": 993
}

To regenerate the password for an existing inbox:

curl -X POST https://api.lumbox.co/v1/inboxes/:id/imap-password \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key"

Setup Guides

Apple Mail

1. Open System Settings > Internet Accounts > Add Account > Other Mail Account
2. Enter your email address and the IMAP password
3. When auto-discovery fails, manually set:
   • Account Type: IMAP
   • Incoming Mail Server: imap.lumbox.co
   • Outgoing Mail Server: imap.lumbox.co
   • User Name: your full email address
4. Click Sign In

Gmail (Fetch external mail)

1. Go to Gmail Settings > Accounts and Import > Check mail from other accounts
2. Enter your Lumbox email address
3. Select Import emails from my other account (POP3) — note: Gmail doesn't support adding external IMAP, use "Check mail" instead
4. Enter the IMAP server and credentials

Outlook

1. Go to File > Add Account
2. Choose Manual setup > IMAP
3. Enter the server settings from the table above
4. Use your full email as username

Thunderbird

1. Go to Account Settings > Account Actions > Add Mail Account
2. Enter your name, email, and password
3. Click Configure manually
4. Set incoming to IMAP, imap.lumbox.co, port 993, SSL/TLS
5. Username: your full email address

Multi-Domain Support

IMAP works across all your custom domains. The server is always imap.lumbox.co — your full email address is the username:

• agent@lumbox.co → Server: imap.lumbox.co, Username: agent@lumbox.co
• bot@yourdomain.com → Server: imap.lumbox.co, Username: bot@yourdomain.com
• signup@another.io → Server: imap.lumbox.co, Username: signup@another.io

Just like Gmail uses imap.gmail.com for all custom domains, Lumbox uses a single IMAP host.

FAQ

Why don't I see emails in my mail client?

• Check credentials: Make sure the password matches what's shown in the dashboard
• Check server: Verify imap.lumbox.co resolves correctly (dig imap.lumbox.co)
• Check firewall: Port 993 must be open on your server's firewall

Can I send emails from my mail client via IMAP?

IMAP is for reading only. Outbound email goes through Lumbox's sending infrastructure (AWS SES, Resend, etc.) via the API or dashboard. The SMTP settings shown are for future use.

Do agents need IMAP?

No. Agents should use the REST API (/v1/inboxes/:id/emails, /v1/inboxes/:id/wait, /v1/inboxes/:id/otp) or MCP tools. IMAP is for human monitoring and debugging.