Updates

Email touches almost every workflow: onboarding, password resets, invoices, support, and long-tail alerts. Yet most teams still debug inboxes manually or maintain brittle test scripts. plop.email turns inbound email into structured data with a first-class API and UI.

#What plop.email does

• Routes inbound email into mailboxes and tags.
• Stores raw and normalised content for reliable access.
• Exposes a simple Messages API for automation.
• Supports mailbox + tag routing for teams and environments.

#Built for production and for tests

Plop works in both the product and the pipeline. You can route live notifications into a support mailbox, and you can also pull the latest test email in CI with a single API call.

#Why we built it

We needed a system that made email reliable for automated workflows without standing up a full mail stack. That meant clear routing rules, deterministic access, and zero guesswork when something fails.

If your team relies on email anywhere in your stack, plop.email helps you keep it boring, fast, and visible.

Plop uses a simple address pattern to keep your email flows deterministic. You can route multiple flows into the same mailbox and distinguish them by tag.

#The pattern

Use mailbox+tag@in.plop.email.

Examples:

• qa+signup@in.plop.email
• qa+login@in.plop.email
• billing+invoice@in.plop.email

All messages for qa+* land in the qa mailbox. Tags let you isolate flows without creating dozens of mailboxes.

#Why it matters

Tests need a consistent target. When each flow has its own tag, your API calls become stable and you avoid fuzzy matching on subject lines.

#Suggested usage

1. Pick a mailbox per environment (qa, staging, prod).
2. Use tags for each flow (signup, reset, invite).
3. Fetch the latest message by mailbox + tag in your tests.

That is it. No more inbox hunting.

The Messages API is designed for automation. It gives you predictable access to inbound email without scraping an inbox UI.

#Core endpoints

#Example: latest message

curl "https://api.plop.email/v1/messages/latest?mailbox=qa&tag=signup"

#Example: list with filters

curl "https://api.plop.email/v1/messages?mailbox=qa&tag=signup&limit=10"

#Recommended patterns

• Use latest for E2E tests and health checks.
• Use lists for dashboards or workflow automation.
• Store message ids in your workflow logs for traceability.

If you need a new filter or payload field, tell us. We design this API around real workflows, not theoretical mail clients.

Email often contains sensitive information. Plop is built around access controls, auditability, and minimal retention.

#Security principles

• Least-privilege access for accounts and API keys.
• Explicit mailbox permissions for teams.
• Clear audit trails for inbound messages and access.

#Retention controls

You decide how long to keep messages. Set retention windows per environment, and delete data when you no longer need it. For teams with compliance requirements, that means predictable cleanup without manual scripts.

#What we do not do

• We do not read message content for ad targeting.
• We do not sell personal data.
• We do not expose your inbox data to third parties without consent.

If you need a specific compliance review, contact us and we will share our security posture and architecture details.

Plop is focused on making inbox automation effortless. Here is what we are shipping next.

#Near term

• Webhook delivery retries with visibility into failures.
• Per-mailbox rate limits and usage alerts.
• Faster message search with saved filters.

#In progress

• Structured extraction presets for common email types.
• Message diffing for multi-step flows.
• Signed webhooks for tamper protection.

#Longer term

• Built-in inbox replay for staging environments.
• Cross-mailbox correlation for complex workflows.
• Team-level audit exports.

If you have a workflow that plop.email should support, tell us. We are building this product alongside teams who live in inboxes every day.