Agent Email Setup

Purpose

Provide dedicated email accounts for AI agents with clear role separation and approval workflows. Prevents mixing of responsibilities (e.g., Ace shouldn't handle Contabo support tickets).

When to Use

Set up email for agent when:

• Agent needs external communications (Lourens, Ace)
• Role separation is important
• Audit trail needed for communications
• Professional identity required

Do NOT set up email for:

• Internal-only agents (Bob, Scout)
• Agents without external communication needs
• Temporary/task-specific agents

Architecture

Email Address Strategy

@supplystoreafrica.com domain:
- lourens@      → SysAdmin (infrastructure, support tickets)
- ace@          → Competitions (entries, prize notifications)
- facet@        → CAD (manufacturer communications) - if needed

Forwarding Rules

• All agent emails forward to: [email protected]
• CC on all sent emails: [email protected]
• Maintain separate sent folders per agent

Role Separation

Workflow

1. Sandbox Testing (ALWAYS FIRST)

# Create sandbox environment
python3 /root/.openclaw/workspace/sandbox_lourens_email.py

# Test configuration
cd /tmp/lourens_email_sandbox_*/ && python3 test_email_workflow.py

2. Production Setup

Step 1: Create Email Account

1. Log into hosting control panel
2. Create email account: [email protected]
3. Set strong password (store in Bitwarden)
4. Configure forwarding to [email protected]

Step 2: Configure IMAP/SMTP

{
  "imap_server": "mail.supplystoreafrica.com",
  "imap_port": 993,
  "smtp_server": "mail.supplystoreafrica.com", 
  "smtp_port": 587,
  "username": "[email protected]",
  "password": "{{BITWARDEN_PASSWORD}}"
}

Step 3: Agent Configuration

Add to agent's workspace:

# Create email config
mkdir -p /root/.openclaw/agents/{agent}/workspace/email/
cat > /root/.openclaw/agents/{agent}/workspace/email/config.json \x3C\x3C 'EOF'
{{
  "email": "{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com",
  "display_name": "{Agent Name} {Role}",
  "signature": "Best regards,\\
\\
{Agent Name}\\
{Role} Agent\\
Supply Store Africa\\
{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com",
  "forward_to": ["[email protected]"],
  "auto_cc": ["[email protected]"]
}}
EOF

Step 4: Update OpenClaw Configuration

# Add email tools to agent
openclaw config set agents.list[{index}].tools.allow+=email_send
openclaw config set agents.list[{index}].tools.allow+=email_check

3. Email Templates

Generic Template

TO: {recipient}
FROM: {Agent Name} {Role} \x3C{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com>
CC: Stef Ferreira \[email protected]>
SUBJECT: {subject}
DATE: {date}

{greeting},

{body}

{signature}

Contabo Support Template (Lourens)

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Lourens SysAdmin \[email protected]>
CC: Stef Ferreira \[email protected]>
SUBJECT: {ticket_subject}
DATE: {date}

Dear {support_agent},

{content}

Current system status:
- VPS: 161.97.110.234
- Ticket: {ticket_number}
- Issue: {issue_description}

We appreciate your assistance.

Best regards,

Lourens
SysAdmin Agent
Supply Store Africa
[email protected]

Competition Entry Template (Ace)

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Ace Competitions \[email protected]>
CC: Stef Ferreira \[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Entry: {competition_name}
DATE: {date}

Dear Competition Team,

Please accept my entry for {competition_name}.

{entry_details}

Thank you for this opportunity.

Best regards,

Ace
Competitions Agent
Supply Store Africa
[email protected]

4. Approval Workflow

ALL external emails require approval:

1. Draft created in /root/.openclaw/workspace/drafts/
2. Presented to Stef in chat interface
3. Wait for explicit "approved" or "send it"
4. Send only after approval
5. Log sent email

Approval triggers:

• "Approved"
• "Send it"
• "Go ahead"
• "Yes, send that"

NOT approved by:

• "Looks good" (ambiguous)
• "OK" (ambiguous)
• Silence (never assume)

5. Migration Process

When moving communications between agents:

1. Set up new agent email
2. Forward thread to new agent email
3. Send notification: "Future communications: [email protected]"
4. Update contact information with external party
5. Archive old agent's involvement

Example: Contabo migration from Ace to Lourens

1. Create [email protected]
2. Forward Contabo thread to Lourens
3. Email Contabo: "Future updates: [email protected]"
4. Ace focuses only on competitions

Testing Checklist

Sandbox Test

• Configuration files created
• Templates work correctly
• Draft generation tested
• Approval workflow simulated
• No syntax errors

Production Test

• Email account created
• IMAP/SMTP connectivity
• Send test email (to self)
• Receive test email
• Forwarding to [email protected] works
• CC on sent emails works

Integration Test

• Agent can access email
• Draft creation works
• Approval workflow functional
• Sent emails logged
• Error handling works

Error Handling

Common Issues

1. IMAP connection failed: Check credentials, firewall, port
2. SMTP rejected: Check authentication, port 587 vs 465
3. Email not forwarding: Check hosting panel settings
4. CC not working: Check email client configuration

Recovery Procedures

# Test IMAP
openssl s_client -connect mail.supplystoreafrica.com:993 -crlf

# Test SMTP
openssl s_client -connect mail.supplystoreafrica.com:587 -starttls smtp

# Check logs
tail -f /var/log/mail.log

Security

Credential Management

• Store passwords in Bitwarden
• Never hardcode in scripts
• Use environment variables
• Rotate passwords periodically

Access Control

• Agents only access their own email
• No cross-agent email access
• All emails CC'd to human oversight
• Sent items archived for audit

Monitoring

• Failed login attempts logged
• Unusual sending patterns flagged
• Regular access review
• Password rotation schedule

Maintenance

Daily

• Check sent items logged
• Verify forwarding working
• Monitor for failed sends

Weekly

• Review email logs
• Check storage quotas
• Update templates if needed

Monthly

• Password rotation
• Audit access logs
• Review security settings

Related Skills

• email-approval-workflow - Draft and approval process
• gmail-gog-setup - Alternative email configuration
• secure-secret-sharing - For credential sharing if needed
• agent-lourens - Lourens-specific configuration
• ace-competitions - Ace-specific configuration

Critical: Agent Knowledge Transfer Protocol

Issue Discovered (March 31, 2026): Facet reported "I have no skills, haven't learned anything yet"
Root Cause: Agents configured but had empty workspaces - no knowledge transfer

What MUST Be Transferred When Creating Agents

1. Identity - Who they are (IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md)
2. User Context - Who Stef is (USER.md)
3. System Knowledge - What we've built (MEMORY.md, AGENTS.md)
4. Skills & Learning - What they can do (skill-specific docs)
5. Memory & History - What we've learned (memory/ files)
6. Tool Access - read tool required to access workspace

Knowledge Transfer Procedure

# Run knowledge transfer script
python3 /root/.openclaw/workspace/setup_agent_knowledge.py --agent {agent_name}

# Verify transfer
ls -la /root/.openclaw/agents/{agent}/workspace/
cat /root/.openclaw/agents/{agent}/workspace/IDENTITY.md

Protocol Document

• AGENT_TRANSFORMATION_PROTOCOL.md - Complete transfer procedure
• setup_agent_knowledge.py - Automation script

Result: All agents (Lourens, Ace, Scout, Facet) now have complete knowledge and are proper assistants.

Lessons Learned

From Contabo Experience:

1. Role confusion: Ace shouldn't handle infrastructure emails
2. Email identity: Professional email addresses matter
3. Approval workflow: Essential for external communications
4. Migration planning: Need clear handover process

From Knowledge Transfer Issue:

1. Empty workspaces: Agents need complete knowledge transfer
2. Identity files: Must include IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md, USER.md
3. System context: MEMORY.md and AGENTS.md essential
4. Tool access: read tool required to access workspace files

Best Practices:

1. Always sandbox test first
2. Document configuration thoroughly
3. Maintain role separation
4. Human oversight on all external comms
5. Regular security reviews
6. Complete knowledge transfer for new agents