Email Integration & Inbox

Connecting a mailbox lets Hivemind send and receive email on your behalf: automated pipeline messages, outreach sequences, and your own replies all go out through your real address, and candidate responses flow back into your Inbox automatically. This guide covers connecting Gmail or a custom mail server, and working with conversations once mail starts arriving.

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Without a connected mailbox, automated candidate emails, outreach email steps, and inbound reply tracking won't run. Connect one before your pipelines or campaigns go live.

1. Connect an email account

Open Settings → Email Services to reach the Email Accounts page.
Click Add Account.
Choose who the account is for: Personal (only you can see and use it) or Company (shared with your whole team).
Pick a provider:
- Google: for Gmail and Google Workspace. You're redirected to Google to sign in and approve access; one approval covers both sending and reading replies, so reply and bounce tracking work immediately.
- SMTP: for any other provider. In the Connect Email Account dialog, enter your Email Address and Password, your SMTP Server, and a Username, and choose whether to Use TLS Encryption. Turn on Inbox Sync (IMAP) and fill in the IMAP Server and Port (usually 993) so replies sync automatically. Hivemind verifies the connection step by step and confirms with Account connected successfully.

2. Manage your accounts

Each connected account appears as a card with status pills: Google accounts show Connected, while SMTP accounts show SMTP Verified (sending works) and IMAP Enabled (replies sync). You can connect multiple accounts and flip Set as default on the one Hivemind should use for automated emails. Use the card menu to Edit Settings or Remove an account, and Test Email Accounts at the top of the page to run a Verify Connection check anytime.

3. Sending and receiving

Outgoing mail (pipeline automations, outreach campaign steps, and replies you write) is sent through your connected account, so candidates see your address, not a generic one. Inbound works automatically: Gmail accounts sync replies in real time, and IMAP accounts are checked on a regular schedule. Hivemind matches each reply to the conversation it belongs to and files it in your Inbox.

4. Working in the Inbox

Your Inbox is a unified list of everything needing attention: new emails alongside candidate reviews, chat replies, and other tasks. Use the Filters button to narrow by Status, Read state, or Date range, filter by pipeline, or pick task types such as New Email, Message Reply, or Candidate Review. Unread items show a red dot.

New replies appear as New email from [sender]. Open one to read the full thread; if the sender matches a candidate, a View Profile button jumps to their candidate profile, and email history also appears on the profile itself. To respond, click Reply to [name], write your message, and hit Send; it goes out from the mailbox the conversation belongs to.

Each outgoing message carries a delivery status (Sent, Delivered, Opened, Clicked, Replied, or Bounced), and the Activity panel shows the full event timeline.

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In-app chat messages from candidates land in the same Inbox as Message Reply tasks, so you can answer email and chat from one place.

5. Bounce tracking

When a message can't be delivered, a Bounce item appears in your Inbox showing the failed recipient and the original subject. Opening it shows a Delivery failed banner with the details, so you can correct the address or try another channel before the candidate goes cold.

What's next

Launch your first sequence in Outreach Campaigns
Connect calendars and more in Account & Workspace Setup
Control who can manage email accounts in Team Members & Roles