01
Detection
Start from provider change data
Consume the mailbox's incremental changes, retrieve new inbound messages, and correlate them using provider thread IDs plus RFC Message-ID, In-Reply-To, and References headers where available.
Email
ResearchEmail engineering guide
Turning inbound email replies into product events
A reply detector should use synchronized mailbox evidence and thread context, then let the product decide what the reply means instead of presenting a heuristic as certainty.
Research surface only. This guide documents architecture and evaluation criteria; it does not describe a released DewEngine connector.
02
Classification
Separate transport facts from business meaning
The connector can prove that a message arrived from a participant. Whether it is positive, negative, out-of-office, a bounce, or unrelated requires explicit rules or a reviewed classifier with confidence and evidence.
- Inbound message received
- Automated-response indicators
- Bounce or delivery-status message
- Human classification with confidence
03
Event design
Publish an idempotent reply event
Include account, message, thread, sender, recipients, provider timestamp, and the evidence used for correlation. Keep the raw content behind normal message permissions rather than copying it into every event consumer.
04
Workflow safety
Stop or branch automation deliberately
A verified inbound reply can pause follow-ups, assign a human, or update a record. Apply suppression before any next send and keep auto-generated replies draft-first unless the customer explicitly configures a safe rule.
- Duplicate-event protection
- Suppression update before send queue
- Human review for ambiguous intent
Questions
Before you build.
Can a mailbox API always tell whether a reply is positive?+
No. It can provide message and thread evidence. Sentiment or intent is an interpretation and should carry confidence, provenance, and a review path.
How are out-of-office messages handled?+
Detect common automated-response headers and patterns, but retain an unknown state because providers and organizations format automated responses differently.
Can I use DewEngine's email connectors today?+
Not yet. Gmail, Microsoft Graph, and IMAP/SMTP connectors are planned. This guide documents the intended architecture and the provider requirements a production release must satisfy.
Build with us
Does this match the workflow your users need?
DewEngine is in development. Real use cases decide what ships first.