> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.recordengine.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email Intake

> Send documents to RecordEngine by email — attachments are automatically extracted and processed.

**Email Intake** lets anyone send a document to RecordEngine simply by emailing it as an attachment. The file lands in RecordEngine's inbox, gets processed by the AI exactly like a manually uploaded document, and the sender's email address is recorded for follow-up.

This is the fastest way to get documents into the system for users who aren't logging into RecordEngine directly — for example, a client emailing an invoice, or a colleague forwarding a scanned receipt from their phone.

***

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sender emails an attachment">
    Anyone with your intake address sends an email with one or more file attachments. Supported formats are the same as manual upload: PDF, JPG, PNG, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TXT, MP3, WAV.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attachment is detected and queued">
    The automation layer picks up the email within minutes, extracts the attachment, and submits it to RecordEngine via the API. The email body is saved as a companion text document.
  </Step>

  <Step title="AI processes the document">
    RecordEngine processes the attachment exactly as if it had been uploaded manually — AI extraction, confidence scoring, and Rules Engine rules all apply.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Document appears in the Inbox folder">
    The processed document appears under the **System** contact in the **Inbox** folder, ready for review.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sender's email is recorded">
    The sender's email address is stored in the document's **Notes** field automatically. This allows you to reply to the sender with confirmation or follow-up questions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Finding Your Intake Address

Each RecordEngine instance has a unique intake email address.

1. Go to **Settings** in the left sidebar
2. Scroll to the **Email Intake** section
3. Your intake address is displayed there — it looks like:

```
inbox+instancename-id@recordengine.ai
```

<img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/recordengineai/images/user-guide/email-intake-settings.png" alt="Settings page showing the Email Intake address" className="rounded-lg" />

<Info>
  Each instance has its own unique intake address. If you have multiple RecordEngine deployments (e.g. one per client), each has a different address and documents route to the correct instance automatically.
</Info>

***

## Testing Email Intake

To verify it's working:

1. Copy your intake address from Settings
2. Send a test email from any email client with a PDF invoice attached
3. Subject line: anything — for example *"Test intake"*
4. Wait 1–3 minutes
5. Check **System → Inbox** in RecordEngine — the document should appear and begin processing

If the document doesn't appear after 5 minutes, check the [Integration Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/integration-issues) guide.

***

## What Happens to the Email Body

If the email has a text body (not just an attachment), RecordEngine saves it as a separate `.txt` document in the Inbox folder alongside the attachment. This preserves any context the sender included — for example, instructions or a reference number mentioned in the email body.

***

## Multiple Attachments in One Email

If a single email contains multiple attachments, each attachment becomes a separate document in RecordEngine. They are processed independently and each receives its own AI extraction, confidence score, and status.

***

## Routing and Organisation

Documents received via email intake land in the **System → Inbox** folder by default. From there, your team can:

* **Move them manually** to the correct client contact and folder
* **Use the Rules Engine** to route them automatically based on extracted fields — for example, move all documents where `vendor contains "Acme"` to the Acme contact folder automatically

See [Rules Engine](/user-guide/rules-engine) for how to set up automatic routing rules.

***

## Supported Senders

There are no restrictions on who can send to your intake address — any email sender can submit documents. If you want to restrict intake to specific senders or add a passcode requirement, contact RecordEngine support — enhanced routing and filtering features are on the roadmap.

<Warning>
  Keep your intake address private — share it only with trusted senders. Anyone who has the address can submit documents to your RecordEngine instance.
</Warning>

***

## Audit Trail

Every document received via email intake is logged in the [Audit Log](/user-guide/audit-log) with:

* Source: `API` (email intake routes through the API)
* Filename of the attachment
* Timestamp of receipt
* The sender's email address (also in the document's Notes field)