# Reply by email GitLab can be set up to allow users to comment on issues and merge requests by replying to notification emails. **Warning**: Do not enable Reply by email if you have **multiple GitLab application servers**. Due to an issue with the way incoming emails are read from the mail server, every incoming reply-by-email email will result in as many comments being created as you have application servers. [A fix is being worked on.](https://github.com/tpitale/mail_room/issues/46) ## Get a mailbox Reply by email requires an IMAP-enabled email account, with a provider or server that supports [email sub-addressing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address#Sub-addressing). Sub-addressing is a feature where any email to `user+some_arbitrary_tag@example.com` will end up in the mailbox for `user@example.com`, and is supported by providers such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Outlook.com and iCloud, as well as the Postfix mail server which you can run on-premises. If you want to use Gmail with Reply by email, make sure you have [IMAP access enabled](https://support.google.com/mail/troubleshooter/1668960?hl=en#ts=1665018) and [allow less secure apps to access the account](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6010255). To set up a basic Postfix mail server with IMAP access on Ubuntu, follow [these instructions](./postfix.md). ## Set it up ### Omnibus package installations 1. Find the `incoming_email` section in `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`, enable the feature, enter the email address including a placeholder for the `key` that references the item being replied to and fill in the details for your specific IMAP server and email account: ```ruby # Postfix mail server, assumes mailbox incoming@gitlab.example.com gitlab_rails['incoming_email_enabled'] = true gitlab_rails['incoming_email_address'] = "incoming+%{key}@gitlab.example.com" gitlab_rails['incoming_email_host'] = "gitlab.example.com" # IMAP server host gitlab_rails['incoming_email_port'] = 143 # IMAP server port gitlab_rails['incoming_email_ssl'] = false # Whether the IMAP server uses SSL gitlab_rails['incoming_email_email'] = "incoming" # Email account username. Usually the full email address. gitlab_rails['incoming_email_password'] = "[REDACTED]" # Email account password gitlab_rails['incoming_email_mailbox_name'] = "inbox" # The name of the mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox". ``` ```ruby # Gmail / Google Apps, assumes mailbox gitlab-incoming@gmail.com gitlab_rails['incoming_email_enabled'] = true gitlab_rails['incoming_email_address'] = "gitlab-incoming+%{key}@gmail.com" gitlab_rails['incoming_email_host'] = "imap.gmail.com" # IMAP server host gitlab_rails['incoming_email_port'] = 993 # IMAP server port gitlab_rails['incoming_email_ssl'] = true # Whether the IMAP server uses SSL gitlab_rails['incoming_email_email'] = "gitlab-incoming@gmail.com" # Email account username. Usually the full email address. gitlab_rails['incoming_email_password'] = "[REDACTED]" # Email account password gitlab_rails['incoming_email_mailbox_name'] = "inbox" # The name of the mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox". ``` As mentioned, the part after `+` in the address is ignored, and any email sent here will end up in the mailbox for `incoming@gitlab.example.com`/`gitlab-incoming@gmail.com`. 1. Reconfigure GitLab for the changes to take effect: ```sh sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure ``` 1. Verify that everything is configured correctly: ```sh sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:incoming_email:check ``` 1. Reply by email should now be working. ### Installations from source 1. Go to the GitLab installation directory: ```sh cd /home/git/gitlab ``` 1. Find the `incoming_email` section in `config/gitlab.yml`, enable the feature and enter the email address including a placeholder for the `key` that references the item being replied to: ```sh sudo editor config/gitlab.yml ``` ```yaml # Postfix mail server, assumes mailbox incoming@gitlab.example.com incoming_email: enabled: true address: "incoming+%{key}@gitlab.example.com" ``` ```yaml # Gmail / Google Apps, assumes mailbox gitlab-incoming@gmail.com incoming_email: enabled: true address: "gitlab-incoming+%{key}@gmail.com" ``` As mentioned, the part after `+` in the address is ignored, and any email sent here will end up in the mailbox for `incoming@gitlab.example.com`/`gitlab-incoming@gmail.com`. 2. Copy `config/mail_room.yml.example` to `config/mail_room.yml`: ```sh sudo cp config/mail_room.yml.example config/mail_room.yml ``` 3. Uncomment the configuration options in `config/mail_room.yml` and fill in the details for your specific IMAP server and email account: ```sh sudo editor config/mail_room.yml ``` ```yaml # Postfix mail server :mailboxes: - # IMAP server host :host: "gitlab.example.com" # IMAP server port :port: 143 # Whether the IMAP server uses SSL :ssl: false # Whether the IMAP server uses StartTLS :start_tls: false # Email account username. Usually the full email address. :email: "incoming" # Email account password :password: "[REDACTED]" # The name of the mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox". :name: "inbox" # Always "sidekiq". :delivery_method: sidekiq # Always true. :delete_after_delivery: true :delivery_options: # The URL to the Redis server used by Sidekiq. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "resque:gitlab". :namespace: resque:gitlab # Always "incoming_email". :queue: incoming_email # Always "EmailReceiverWorker" :worker: EmailReceiverWorker # Always "redis". :arbitration_method: redis :arbitration_options: # The URL to the Redis server. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "mail_room:gitlab". :namespace: mail_room:gitlab ``` ```yaml # Gmail / Google Apps :mailboxes: - # IMAP server host :host: "imap.gmail.com" # IMAP server port :port: 993 # Whether the IMAP server uses SSL :ssl: true # Whether the IMAP server uses StartTLS :start_tls: false # Email account username. Usually the full email address. :email: "gitlab-incoming@gmail.com" # Email account password :password: "[REDACTED]" # The name of the mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox". :name: "inbox" # Always "sidekiq". :delivery_method: sidekiq # Always true. :delete_after_delivery: true :delivery_options: # The URL to the Redis server used by Sidekiq. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "resque:gitlab". :namespace: resque:gitlab # Always "incoming_email". :queue: incoming_email # Always "EmailReceiverWorker" :worker: EmailReceiverWorker # Always "redis". :arbitration_method: redis :arbitration_options: # The URL to the Redis server. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "mail_room:gitlab". :namespace: mail_room:gitlab ``` 5. Edit the init script configuration at `/etc/default/gitlab` to enable `mail_room`: ```sh sudo mkdir -p /etc/default echo 'mail_room_enabled=true' | sudo tee -a /etc/default/gitlab ``` 6. Restart GitLab: ```sh sudo service gitlab restart ``` 7. Verify that everything is configured correctly: ```sh sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:incoming_email:check RAILS_ENV=production ``` 8. Reply by email should now be working. ### Development 1. Go to the GitLab installation directory. 1. Find the `incoming_email` section in `config/gitlab.yml`, enable the feature and enter the email address including a placeholder for the `key` that references the item being replied to: ```yaml # Gmail / Google Apps, assumes mailbox gitlab-incoming@gmail.com incoming_email: enabled: true address: "gitlab-incoming+%{key}@gmail.com" ``` As mentioned, the part after `+` is ignored, and this will end up in the mailbox for `gitlab-incoming@gmail.com`. 2. Copy `config/mail_room.yml.example` to `config/mail_room.yml`: ```sh sudo cp config/mail_room.yml.example config/mail_room.yml ``` 3. Uncomment the configuration options in `config/mail_room.yml` and fill in the details for your specific IMAP server and email account: ```yaml # Gmail / Google Apps, assumes mailbox gitlab-incoming@gmail.com :mailboxes: - # IMAP server host :host: "imap.gmail.com" # IMAP server port :port: 993 # Whether the IMAP server uses SSL :ssl: true # Whether the IMAP server uses StartTLS :start_tls: false # Email account username. Usually the full email address. :email: "gitlab-incoming@gmail.com" # Email account password :password: "[REDACTED]" # The name of the mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox". :name: "inbox" # Always "sidekiq". :delivery_method: sidekiq # Always true. :delete_after_delivery: true :delivery_options: # The URL to the Redis server used by Sidekiq. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "resque:gitlab". :namespace: resque:gitlab # Always "incoming_email". :queue: incoming_email # Always "EmailReceiverWorker" :worker: EmailReceiverWorker # Always "redis". :arbitration_method: redis :arbitration_options: # The URL to the Redis server. Should match the URL in config/resque.yml. :redis_url: redis://localhost:6379 # Always "mail_room:gitlab". :namespace: mail_room:gitlab ``` 4. Uncomment the `mail_room` line in your `Procfile`: ```yaml mail_room: bundle exec mail_room -q -c config/mail_room.yml ``` 6. Restart GitLab: ```sh bundle exec foreman start ``` 7. Verify that everything is configured correctly: ```sh bundle exec rake gitlab:incoming_email:check RAILS_ENV=development ``` 8. Reply by email should now be working.