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: stef.personal@gmail.com
CC on all sent emails: stef.personal@gmail.com
Maintain separate sent folders per agent

Role Separation

Agent	Email	Purpose	External Comms
Lourens	lourens@	Infrastructure, support tickets, system issues	✅ Required
Ace	ace@	Competition entries, prize notifications	✅ Required
Facet	facet@	Manufacturer inquiries, technical specs	⚠️ Optional
Bob	-	Internal coordination only	❌ Not needed
Scout	-	Research, no external comms	❌ Not needed

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

Log into hosting control panel
Create email account: agentname@supplystoreafrica.com
Set strong password (store in Bitwarden)
Configure forwarding to stef.personal@gmail.com

Step 2: Configure IMAP/SMTP

{
  "imap_server": "mail.supplystoreafrica.com",
  "imap_port": 993,
  "smtp_server": "mail.supplystoreafrica.com", 
  "smtp_port": 587,
  "username": "agentname@supplystoreafrica.com",
  "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 << 'EOF'
{{
  "email": "{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com",
  "display_name": "{Agent Name} {Role}",
  "signature": "Best regards,\\n\\n{Agent Name}\\n{Role} Agent\\nSupply Store Africa\\n{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com",
  "forward_to": ["stef.personal@gmail.com"],
  "auto_cc": ["stef.personal@gmail.com"]
}}
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} <{agent}@supplystoreafrica.com>
CC: Stef Ferreira <stef.personal@gmail.com>
SUBJECT: {subject}
DATE: {date}

{greeting},

{body}

{signature}

Contabo Support Template (Lourens)

TO: support@contabo.com
FROM: Lourens SysAdmin <lourens@supplystoreafrica.com>
CC: Stef Ferreira <stef.personal@gmail.com>
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
lourens@supplystoreafrica.com

Competition Entry Template (Ace)

TO: competitions@company.com
FROM: Ace Competitions <ace@supplystoreafrica.com>
CC: Stef Ferreira <stef.personal@gmail.com>
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
ace@supplystoreafrica.com

4. Approval Workflow

ALL external emails require approval:

Draft created in /root/.openclaw/workspace/drafts/
Presented to Stef in chat interface
Wait for explicit "approved" or "send it"
Send only after approval
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:

Set up new agent email
Forward thread to new agent email
Send notification: "Future communications: newagent@supplystoreafrica.com"
Update contact information with external party
Archive old agent's involvement

Example: Contabo migration from Ace to Lourens

Create lourens@supplystoreafrica.com
Forward Contabo thread to Lourens
Email Contabo: "Future updates: lourens@supplystoreafrica.com"
Ace focuses only on competitions

Testing Checklist

Sandbox Test

Production Test

Integration Test

Error Handling

Common Issues

IMAP connection failed: Check credentials, firewall, port
SMTP rejected: Check authentication, port 587 vs 465
Email not forwarding: Check hosting panel settings
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

Identity - Who they are (IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md)
User Context - Who Stef is (USER.md)
System Knowledge - What we've built (MEMORY.md, AGENTS.md)
Skills & Learning - What they can do (skill-specific docs)
Memory & History - What we've learned (memory/ files)
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:

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

From Knowledge Transfer Issue:

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

Best Practices:

Always sandbox test first
Document configuration thoroughly
Maintain role separation
Human oversight on all external comms
Regular security reviews
Complete knowledge transfer for new agents