# Email sender blocking and exceptions

Manage blocked email addresses and domains, allow selected exceptions and distinguish spam handling from future sender blocking.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator*

**Settings › Email › Blacklist** · **Settings › Email › Whitelist** · **Settings › Email › General Settings** · **Settings › Email › Email Accounts** · **Settings › Events › Email Events**

## 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:

1. An exact account-specific address block prevents sending.
2. A configured content keyword in the subject or body prevents sending.
3. A matching shared **Whitelist** entry permits the address past the shared address and domain check.
4. 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, on request | 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, on request | 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, on request | Supplies comma-separated account-specific blocked email addresses. |
| Blacklist | Settings › Email › Email Accounts | channel | Not set: no addresses blocked by this account list | Powerfront, on request | 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

### This feature uses

- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): Roles control list-management and event-screen access.
- **Configured in** [Spam review and blocking](CHAT-020.md): Spam review can add unwanted senders to the email blacklist.
- **Configured in** [Email account and mailbox setup](CHN-024.md): Sending accounts carry their own blocked address lists.
- **Configured in** [Ticket sources and email event automation](CHN-032.md): Email events can mark existing work as spam or add its sender to the blacklist.
- **Related** [Email send cancellation and delivery failures](CHN-031.md): Correct a blocked address or content rule before retrying the failed email.

### Used by

- **Configures** [Email Autopilot for tickets](AI-012.md): Email address lists and content restrictions can prevent an Autopilot reply from being sent.
- **Configures** [Email account and mailbox setup](CHN-024.md): Account and shared email block rules can prevent delivery.
- **Configures** [Email replies and support conversations](CHN-027.md): Email block rules can prevent delivery to the main recipient.
- **Configures** [Email send cancellation and delivery failures](CHN-031.md): A blocked primary recipient or content rule can cause delivery to fail.
- **Enhances** [Ticket sources and email event automation](CHN-032.md): Mark as Spam and Add to Blacklist have separate current-ticket and future-sender effects.
- **Related** [Spam review and blocking](CHAT-020.md): Check email sender blocking separately when correcting a spam classification.

## 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.