Three ways in, one behaviour after
Gmail and Microsoft 365 connect with their own hosted sign-in, so no password reaches us. A mailbox on OVH, Infomaniak, Ionos, Gandi or a company server connects over IMAP, usually with nothing but the address and the password since the servers are detected. After that the tools are identical whichever route you took.
What it does on a work mailbox
The useful questions are about commitments and threads left hanging: what did we promise this client in writing, which messages from this week still wait on me, did anyone answer about the September order. Attachments come back as files, so a contract or an invoice is read rather than mentioned.
“What did we commit to with this client, in writing?”
“Which threads am I holding up?”
Drafts before sending
Creating a draft leaves the message in your own drafts folder, where you read it and press send yourself. On a professional address that is the right default while you calibrate how the assistant writes, because a wrong send is not a private mistake. Sending exists as an explicit action when you want it.
Why the password is sometimes refused
Almost always two-factor authentication on an IMAP connection: the host then expects an application-specific password generated in its own settings rather than your account password. It fails in a way that looks exactly like a wrong password. The Google and Microsoft sign-ins avoid the question entirely.
Several mailboxes in one question
Most people have more than one: a personal address, a company one, a shared support box. Each action names the mailbox it runs on, so a single question can cross them — and the agent asks which one when a request is ambiguous rather than picking.
Common questions
Can ChatGPT access my business email?
Yes, once the mailbox is connected. Gmail and Microsoft 365 use their own sign-in; a custom-domain mailbox connects over IMAP with the details you already use.
Does it work with a mailbox on OVH or Infomaniak?
Yes. Generic IMAP is a first-class provider rather than an afterthought, which is exactly the gap most email integrations leave.
Is my mailbox password stored?
It is held to maintain the connection and never returned to the agent, never visible in a tool argument and never in a response. With Google and Microsoft there is no password at all.
Will it send email without me?
Sending is an explicit action. A draft left in your own drafts folder is the safer default and is what it does when you ask it to prepare a reply.
Can my employer read my mailbox because they pay?
No. Company billing covers seats and gives no administrator access to a member’s mail, messages or calendars.
How Email works with Nilyo
Connection. Gmail and Microsoft 365/Outlook through their official sign-in (the “Unipile” name appears on the consent screen: Unipile SAS operates the connection). Any other mailbox through IMAP/SMTP: OVH, Zoho, iCloud, IONOS, Infomaniak, Fastmail, Yahoo, GMX and self-hosted servers.
What your agent can do. Folders and labels, listing and searching messages, reading with attachments, drafts, sending and true replies, moving and labelling, contacts on Gmail and Microsoft.
Pacing and safety. No local budget; provider limits apply. IMAP mailboxes are read live, so listings are paged (50 messages max per page).
- “How many emails today” uses the folder counts of the mailbox; “today” is a date filter, never a guess.
- On IMAP a message id changes after a move; Nilyo returns the new id so the agent keeps working on the right message.
All Email guides
Related guides
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