Email Block

The Email block sends emails with full Handlebars template support, working seamlessly across Gmail, Outlook, Resend, and SendGrid.

Overview

Use the Email block when you need to:

Send transactional emails (invoices, receipts, notifications)
Create dynamic email content with templates
Attach files to emails
Schedule emails for later delivery
Support multiple email providers with a unified interface

Prerequisites

Provider	Connection Type	Requirements
Gmail	OAuth via Nango	`google-mail` provider configured
Outlook	OAuth via Nango	`microsoft-graph` provider configured
SendGrid	API Key via Nango	`sendgrid` provider configured
Resend	API Key	`RESEND_API_KEY` env var or `api_key` in config

Configuration

Step Definition

{
  "id": "send-invoice-email",
  "type": "email",
  "name": "Send Invoice Email",
  "config": {
    "action": "send",
    "provider": "gmail",
    "to": "{{input.customer_email}}",
    "subject": "Invoice #{{input.invoice_number}} Ready",
    "body": {
      "html": "<p>Hello {{input.customer_name}},</p><p>Your invoice is ready.</p>"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`action`	string	Yes	`send`, `sendTemplate`, or `schedule`
`provider`	string	Yes	`gmail`, `outlook`, `resend`, or `sendgrid`
`to`	string/array	Yes	Recipient email address(es)
`subject`	string	Yes	Email subject line
`body`	object	Yes*	Email content (`html` and/or `text`)
`from`	string	No	Sender address (provider-dependent)
`cc`	array	No	CC recipients
`bcc`	array	No	BCC recipients
`reply_to`	string	No	Reply-to address
`attachments`	array	No	File attachments
`template`	object	No	Server-side template config (SendGrid)
`send_at`	string	No	Schedule time (ISO 8601)

Available Actions

send

Send an email immediately.

{
  "id": "send-notification",
  "type": "email",
  "config": {
    "action": "send",
    "provider": "gmail",
    "to": "{{input.recipient_email}}",
    "cc": ["manager@company.com"],
    "subject": "Order Confirmation - #{{input.order_id}}",
    "body": {
      "html": "<h1>Thank you for your order!</h1><p>Order #{{input.order_id}} has been confirmed.</p>",
      "text": "Thank you for your order! Order #{{input.order_id}} has been confirmed."
    },
    "reply_to": "support@company.com"
  }
}

Output:

{
  "id": "msg_abc123",
  "threadId": "thread_xyz789",
  "labelIds": ["SENT"]
}

sendTemplate

Send using a server-side template (SendGrid only).

{
  "id": "send-welcome",
  "type": "email",
  "config": {
    "action": "sendTemplate",
    "provider": "sendgrid",
    "to": "{{input.user_email}}",
    "template": {
      "id": "d-abc123def456",
      "variables": {
        "first_name": "{{input.first_name}}",
        "company_name": "{{input.company}}",
        "login_url": "https://app.example.com/login"
      }
    }
  }
}

Parameters:

Field	Type	Description
`template.id`	string	SendGrid dynamic template ID
`template.variables`	object	Variables passed to template

schedule

Schedule an email for later delivery (Resend, SendGrid).

{
  "id": "schedule-reminder",
  "type": "email",
  "config": {
    "action": "schedule",
    "provider": "resend",
    "to": "{{input.user_email}}",
    "subject": "Reminder: {{input.reminder_title}}",
    "body": {
      "html": "<p>This is your scheduled reminder for: {{input.reminder_title}}</p>"
    },
    "send_at": "{{input.reminder_time}}"
  }
}

Note: Gmail and Outlook do not support native email scheduling. For these providers, use Trigger.dev scheduled tasks instead.

Handlebars Templates

The Email block uses Handlebars for dynamic content rendering. Templates are processed before sending.

Basic Variables

<p>Hello {{input.customer_name}},</p>
<p>Your invoice #{{input.invoice_number}} for ${{input.amount}} is ready.</p>

Conditionals

{{#if input.is_overdue}}
<p style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">
  This invoice is overdue. Please pay immediately.
</p>
{{else}}
<p>Payment is due by {{input.due_date}}.</p>
{{/if}}

Loops

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Item</th>
      <th>Quantity</th>
      <th>Price</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    {{#each input.line_items}}
    <tr>
      <td>{{this.description}}</td>
      <td>{{this.quantity}}</td>
      <td>${{this.unit_price}}</td>
    </tr>
    {{/each}}
  </tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>Total: ${{input.total}}</strong></p>

Nested Properties

<p>Company: {{input.customer.company_name}}</p>
<p>Contact: {{input.customer.contact.first_name}} {{input.customer.contact.last_name}}</p>
<p>Address: {{input.customer.address.street}}, {{input.customer.address.city}}</p>

Using Step Outputs

<p>Your order has been processed.</p>
<p>Transaction ID: {{steps.process-payment.output.transaction_id}}</p>
<p>Amount Charged: ${{steps.process-payment.output.amount}}</p>

Attachments

Attach files to emails using base64-encoded content.

{
  "id": "send-with-attachment",
  "type": "email",
  "config": {
    "action": "send",
    "provider": "gmail",
    "to": "{{input.recipient}}",
    "subject": "Monthly Report - {{input.month}}",
    "body": {
      "html": "<p>Please find the monthly report attached.</p>"
    },
    "attachments": [
      {
        "filename": "report-{{input.month}}.pdf",
        "content": "{{input.pdf_base64}}",
        "content_type": "application/pdf"
      },
      {
        "filename": "data.csv",
        "content": "{{steps.generate-csv.output.csv_base64}}",
        "content_type": "text/csv"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Attachment Fields:

Field	Type	Required	Description
`filename`	string	Yes	Name of the attached file
`content`	string	Yes	Base64-encoded file content
`content_type`	string	No	MIME type (default: `application/octet-stream`)

Provider-Specific Features

Gmail

Uses RFC 2822 message format
OAuth authentication via google-mail provider
Supports threading with in_reply_to and references
No native scheduling support

{
  "config": {
    "provider": "gmail",
    "in_reply_to": "{{input.original_message_id}}",
    "references": ["{{input.thread_message_id}}"],
    "headers": {
      "X-Custom-Header": "custom-value"
    }
  }
}

Outlook

Uses Microsoft Graph API
OAuth authentication via microsoft-graph provider
Supports priority levels
No native scheduling support

{
  "config": {
    "provider": "outlook",
    "priority": "1"
  }
}

Priority Values:

1 or 2 = High importance
3 = Normal importance (default)
4 or 5 = Low importance

SendGrid

Supports server-side dynamic templates
Native email scheduling
Open and click tracking
API key authentication via sendgrid provider

{
  "config": {
    "provider": "sendgrid",
    "tracking": {
      "opens": true,
      "clicks": true
    },
    "send_at": "2024-12-25T09:00:00Z"
  }
}

Resend

Simple, developer-friendly API
Native email scheduling
Direct API calls (no Nango)
Requires RESEND_API_KEY env var or api_key in config

{
  "config": {
    "provider": "resend",
    "api_key": "{{env.RESEND_API_KEY}}",
    "from": "notifications@yourdomain.com",
    "send_at": "2024-12-25T09:00:00Z"
  }
}

Note: Resend does not support server-side templates. Use inline Handlebars templates instead.

Template Variables Reference

Variable	Description
`{{input.field}}`	Workflow trigger input data
`{{steps.stepId.output.field}}`	Output from previous step
`{{variables.name}}`	Workflow-level variables
`{{env.VAR}}`	Environment variables
`{{template_variables.field}}`	Step-specific template variables

Providing Additional Variables

Use template_variables to pass extra data for template rendering:

{
  "config": {
    "action": "send",
    "provider": "gmail",
    "to": "{{input.email}}",
    "subject": "Welcome to {{company_name}}",
    "body": {
      "html": "<p>Welcome to {{company_name}}!</p><p>Your account: {{account_type}}</p>"
    },
    "template_variables": {
      "company_name": "Acme Corp",
      "account_type": "Premium"
    }
  }
}

Error Handling

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
`connectionId is required`	Missing OAuth connection	Ensure provider connection exists
`Failed to render template`	Invalid Handlebars syntax	Check template for syntax errors
`Unsupported email provider`	Invalid provider value	Use `gmail`, `outlook`, `resend`, or `sendgrid`
`template is required`	Missing template for sendTemplate	Provide template.id for sendTemplate action
`send_at is required`	Missing schedule time	Provide ISO 8601 datetime for schedule action
`Resend API error`	Invalid API key or request	Check RESEND_API_KEY and request payload

Provider-Specific Errors

Gmail:

{
  "error": {
    "code": 403,
    "message": "Request had insufficient authentication scopes"
  }
}

SendGrid:

{
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "The from address does not match a verified Sender Identity",
      "field": "from"
    }
  ]
}

Rate Limits

Provider	Limit	Notes
Gmail	100 emails/day (free), 2,000/day (Workspace)	Per user quota
Outlook	30 messages/minute	Per mailbox
SendGrid	Varies by plan	100/day (free), unlimited (paid)
Resend	100/day (free), 50,000/month (Pro)	Based on plan

Slack Block - Send Slack notifications
Action Steps - Other integration actions
Transform Steps - Data transformation

Example Workflows

Invoice Email Workflow

{
  "name": "Send Invoice on Payment Due",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "quickbooks",
    "events": ["invoice.created"]
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "get-customer",
      "type": "action",
      "action": "quickbooks.getCustomer",
      "config": {
        "customerId": "{{input.payload.CustomerRef.value}}"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "send-invoice-email",
      "type": "email",
      "config": {
        "action": "send",
        "provider": "gmail",
        "to": "{{steps.get-customer.output.PrimaryEmailAddr.Address}}",
        "subject": "Invoice #{{input.payload.DocNumber}} from Acme Corp",
        "body": {
          "html": "<h2>Invoice #{{input.payload.DocNumber}}</h2><p>Dear {{steps.get-customer.output.DisplayName}},</p><p>Please find your invoice for <strong>${{input.payload.TotalAmt}}</strong>.</p><p>Due Date: {{input.payload.DueDate}}</p><p><a href='{{input.payload.InvoiceLink}}'>View Invoice</a></p><p>Thank you for your business!</p>"
        },
        "reply_to": "billing@acme.com"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "notify-sales",
      "type": "slack",
      "config": {
        "action": "sendMessage",
        "channel": "#billing",
        "text": "Invoice #{{input.payload.DocNumber}} sent to {{steps.get-customer.output.DisplayName}}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Welcome Email with Attachment

{
  "name": "Send Welcome Email",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "hubspot",
    "events": ["contact.creation"]
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "generate-welcome-pdf",
      "type": "action",
      "action": "documents.generatePdf",
      "config": {
        "template": "welcome-guide",
        "data": {
          "name": "{{input.properties.firstname}}",
          "company": "{{input.properties.company}}"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "send-welcome",
      "type": "email",
      "config": {
        "action": "send",
        "provider": "sendgrid",
        "to": "{{input.properties.email}}",
        "from": "welcome@company.com",
        "subject": "Welcome to Company, {{input.properties.firstname}}!",
        "body": {
          "html": "<h1>Welcome, {{input.properties.firstname}}!</h1><p>We're excited to have you on board.</p><p>Please find your welcome guide attached.</p><p>If you have any questions, reply to this email.</p>"
        },
        "attachments": [
          {
            "filename": "welcome-guide.pdf",
            "content": "{{steps.generate-welcome-pdf.output.pdf_base64}}",
            "content_type": "application/pdf"
          }
        ],
        "tracking": {
          "opens": true,
          "clicks": true
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Scheduled Payment Reminder

{
  "name": "Schedule Payment Reminder",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "api"
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "calculate-reminder-time",
      "type": "transform",
      "config": {
        "operation": "map",
        "data": {
          "reminder_time": "{{input.due_date | dateAdd: -3, 'days'}}"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "schedule-reminder",
      "type": "email",
      "config": {
        "action": "schedule",
        "provider": "resend",
        "to": "{{input.customer_email}}",
        "from": "reminders@company.com",
        "subject": "Payment Reminder: Invoice #{{input.invoice_number}}",
        "body": {
          "html": "<p>Hello {{input.customer_name}},</p><p>This is a friendly reminder that invoice #{{input.invoice_number}} for ${{input.amount}} is due on {{input.due_date}}.</p><p><a href='{{input.payment_link}}'>Pay Now</a></p>"
        },
        "send_at": "{{steps.calculate-reminder-time.output.reminder_time}}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Email Block

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