Resolve issues where Cotonity-triggered email notifications are missing from inboxes, covering SMTP configuration, spam filtering, sending limits, and delivery verification.
Checking delivery status in the activity log
The first step is to determine whether Cotonity successfully handed the message to your email provider. In the Activity tab, locate the run that should have sent the notification and expand the email step. A green checkmark on the step indicates the message was accepted by the sending service — the issue is then on the recipient side (spam filters, incorrect address). A red error icon means the send failed within Cotonity; click the step to view the error details. Common send-side errors include 'Invalid recipient address', 'SMTP authentication failure', and 'Daily sending limit reached'.
Spam and deliverability issues
If the send succeeded but the email is not in the recipient's inbox, check the spam or junk folder first. Notification emails from automated systems are frequently filtered if the sending domain lacks proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. If you are using Cotonity's shared sending infrastructure, these records are pre-configured for the cotonity.com domain. If you have configured a custom sending domain under Settings > Email, verify that all three DNS records have been added and have propagated — use a tool like MXToolbox to check. Emails sent before DNS propagation completes may have landed in spam; those sent afterward should deliver normally.
Verifying recipient addresses and unsubscribes
An email that appears to send successfully but never arrives may be addressed to an invalid or typo'd email address. Cotonity performs basic format validation on email addresses at send time, but it cannot detect addresses that are syntactically valid but do not correspond to a real mailbox. Check the recipient address shown in the step's output panel. Also verify that the recipient has not previously unsubscribed from Cotonity notifications — unsubscribed addresses are silently suppressed to comply with anti-spam regulations. Suppressed addresses are listed under Settings > Email > Suppression list, where you can review and, if appropriate, remove an address that was added in error.
Sending limits and rate throttling
Each Cotonity plan includes a monthly email sending limit. If your account has reached its limit, outgoing notification steps will fail silently or return a 'Limit exceeded' error depending on your notification settings. Check your current usage at Settings > Usage > Email. If you are on a plan that permits it, you can connect your own SMTP provider (such as SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES) under Settings > Email > Custom SMTP to use your own sending quota instead of Cotonity's shared limit. Custom SMTP connections require an authenticated username and password or API key, which should be stored in the Credentials vault.