USE CASE · RECEPTIONIST

Build an AI receptionist with its own inbox

e2a gives an AI receptionist a real email address so it can answer common inquiries, route messages to the right person, forward conversations, and keep human approval in the loop before sending sensitive replies.

Give your receptionist an inbox →See the runnable example ↗

THE WORKFLOW

What the agent does

  1. 01A visitor sends an inquiry to the organization's receptionist address.
  2. 02The agent identifies the request type and checks whether it can answer.
  3. 03It answers routine questions using approved context.
  4. 04It forwards or escalates specialized requests to a team address.
  5. 05It records the conversation and follows up in-thread.

WHY E2A

  • ✓A dedicated, real email identity for the agent
  • ✓Inbound delivery over MCP, WebSocket, REST, or webhook
  • ✓Reply, forward, and conversation-aware routing
  • ✓Labels and application-owned routing metadata
  • ✓Human approval before sensitive outbound mail

START BUILDING

The integration stays small

Receptionist runbook ↗
const result = await receptionist.run({
  conversationId: event.data.conversation_id,
  request: event.data.text,
});

if (result.forwardTo) {
  await client.messages.forward(agentEmail, messageId, {
    to: [{ email: result.forwardTo }],
  });
} else {
  await client.messages.reply(agentEmail, messageId, {
    text: result.reply,
  });
}

The agent owns the business logic. e2a handles the email identity, delivery, authentication evidence, and reply routing.

KEEP GOING

Connect the pieces

Quickstart →
Create an inbox and send your first message.
MCP server →
Give a local or hosted agent an inbox without an API key.
API reference →
Explore the stable /v1 operations.
Blog tutorials →
Follow framework-specific integration guides.

FAQ

What can an AI receptionist do with email?

An AI receptionist can answer routine inquiries, collect missing details, route messages, forward conversations to a human team, and follow up with the sender in the same email thread.

Can an AI receptionist forward a message to a human team?

Yes. An agent using e2a can forward an inbound message to a human or team address while retaining the original conversation context in the application.

How do I prevent an AI receptionist from sending an unsafe reply?

Enable e2a's per-agent human-in-the-loop approval gate so outbound messages are held for review before they leave the system.

Can the receptionist work behind a firewall?

Yes. WebSocket delivery, REST polling, and MCP do not require a public URL, so a local receptionist can receive mail while remaining behind a firewall.

Give your receptionist an inbox

Open-source, free to start, and ready for your first agent workflow.

Get started →