Email sender blocking and exceptions
Manage blocked email addresses and domains, allow selected exceptions and distinguish spam handling from future sender blocking.
What it is
Blacklist stores email addresses and domains that should be blocked. Whitelist provides selected exceptions to shared address and domain blocks. Account-specific lists and content keywords can still prevent sending, while email events can treat current spam separately from future sender blocking.
Who uses it and why
- Administrators with the Settings role maintain website address and domain lists.
- Operators investigate failed deliveries and distinguish unwanted current work from a sender that should be blocked in future.
- Users with Settings or Manager configure email-event actions.
Where to find it
Open Settings › Email › Blacklist or Settings › Email › Whitelist with the Settings role. Email-event actions are at Settings › Events › Email Events.
Powerfront manages account lists in Settings › Email › Email Accounts and inbound controls in Settings › Email › General Settings. Ask Powerfront to investigate content-keyword rules or shared blocks outside your website list.
How it works
For ticket and support email sending, INSIDE checks the primary recipient and rendered content in this order:
- An exact account-specific address block prevents sending.
- A configured content keyword in the subject or body prevents sending.
- A matching shared Whitelist entry permits the address past the shared address and domain check.
- Otherwise, a matching shared Blacklist entry blocks it.
A blocked ticket or support send can show Delivery failed: recipient email is blacklisted. The check also considers content, so ask Powerfront to investigate when the address itself is not listed.
For incoming email, Restrict multiple messages with same text can reject repeated text. The burst control can reject further incoming messages after the configured ten-minute threshold and add the sender to the website blacklist. Whitelisted senders are excluded from that burst block.
In Email Events, Mark as Spam marks and stops the ticket. Add to Blacklist separately blocks the sender's future email. Use both actions when both outcomes are intended.
Configure it
Add an entry in Blacklist or Whitelist. Enter Email/Domain and select Type. Email can match a complete address or the exact part before the at sign. Domain matches the domain part, including a specific subdomain when entered.
Ask Powerfront to change the account lists, duplicate-text restriction or burst threshold. When investigating delivery, a user with the Settings role can check both website lists; ask Powerfront to check the selected sending account.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restrict multiple messages with same text | Settings › Email › General Settings | website | On | Powerfront | Rejects an incoming email that duplicates the customer's latest available email text, with attachment comparisons where applicable. |
| Add Visitor to the Blacklist if the Visitor sends more than | Settings › Email › General Settings | website | 25 emails in 10 minutes | Powerfront | Applies the inbound burst check; at the threshold, further email can be rejected and a non-whitelisted sender can be added to the blacklist. |
| Sender Blocklist | Settings › Email › Email Accounts | channel | Not set: no addresses blocked by this account list | Powerfront | Supplies comma-separated account-specific blocked email addresses. |
| Blacklist | Settings › Email › Email Accounts | channel | Not set: no addresses blocked by this account list | Powerfront | Supplies an additional account-specific blocked email address list. |
Fields
| Field | Where | Required | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email/Domain | Settings › Email › Blacklist | Yes | Identifies a full email address, the exact part before the at sign, or a domain according to Type. |
| Type | Settings › Email › Blacklist | Yes | Selects Email or Domain matching. |
| Email/Domain | Settings › Email › Whitelist | Yes | Identifies an address, exact address prefix or domain allowed as a shared-list exception. |
| Type | Settings › Email › Whitelist | Yes | Selects Email or Domain matching for the exception. |
Permissions
| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Manage website Email Blacklist and Whitelist, and configure Email Events. |
| Manager | Configure Email Events. |
Limits and good to know
- A whitelist entry does not override account-specific blocks or content-keyword blocks in the sending check.
- A domain entry is an exact domain rule; do not assume wildcard or parent-domain matching.
- Do not rely on the blocklists as validation of every copied recipient. Review CC and BCC before sending.
- Mark as Spam alone does not add the sender to the blacklist.
- Removing a website entry does not remove an account-specific or shared block.
- The burst check uses available customer email history. Its threshold is not a guarantee that every mailbox arrival has been counted.
Depends on and works with
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Roles and permissionsConfigured by
Roles control list-management and event-screen access.
- Spam review and blockingConfigured by
Spam review can add unwanted senders to the email blacklist.
- Email account and mailbox setupConfigured by
Sending accounts carry their own blocked address lists.
- Email send cancellation and delivery failuresRelated
Correct a blocked address or content rule before retrying the failed email.
- Ticket sources and email event automationConfigured by
Email events can mark existing work as spam or add its sender to the blacklist.
Used by
- Spam review and blockingRelated
Check email sender blocking separately when correcting a spam classification.
- Email Autopilot for ticketsConfigured by
Email address lists and content restrictions can prevent an Autopilot reply from being sent.
- Email account and mailbox setupConfigured by
Account and shared email block rules can prevent delivery.
- Email replies and support conversationsConfigured by
Email block rules can prevent delivery to the main recipient.
- Email send cancellation and delivery failuresConfigured by
A blocked primary recipient or content rule can cause delivery to fail.
- Ticket sources and email event automationEnhances
Mark as Spam and Add to Blacklist have separate current-ticket and future-sender effects.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why is a whitelisted address still blocked?
An account-specific address rule or content keyword can take precedence. Ask Powerfront to check those rules and any shared entries.
Why does blocking a domain not block its subdomain?
Domain rules match the entered domain. Add the specific subdomain if it must also be blocked.
Why are repeated incoming messages missing?
The duplicate-text restriction or ten-minute burst control may have rejected them. Ask Powerfront to review the incoming messages and configured threshold.
Why did marking spam not stop future emails?
Mark as Spam affects the current ticket. Add Add to Blacklist to the email event when the sender should also be blocked.
Can I retry after removing a block?
A user with the Settings role can correct website list entries. Ask Powerfront to correct account-specific or shared rules. Check the message and recipients, then use the failed-delivery retry action. Other delivery errors can still prevent sending.