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Quickstart

In this quickstart you create a simulated person, send them an email, and wait for their reply. It takes about five minutes.

The examples use the server c1.simmail.dev. Your organization may live on a different server. Your account page shows the exact addresses for each universe, so use those.

  1. Sign up.

    Create an account at www.simmail.dev. You get an organization and a first universe. Open your account page and find the universe under Universes. It shows:

    • API, for example https://c1.simmail.dev/api
    • Universe, the universe’s id
    • SMTP, SMTPS, IMAP and IMAPS host and ports
    • MCP, for AI agents

  2. Create an API key.

    Go to API keys and choose New key. Pick the universe and the Member role. Copy the key now; it is shown only once. It starts with smk_.

    Save the key and the server address in your shell:

    Terminal window
    export SIMMAIL_URL=https://c1.simmail.dev
    export SIMMAIL_API_KEY=smk_your_key

    Check that it works:

    Terminal window
    curl -s "$SIMMAIL_URL/api/me" -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIMMAIL_API_KEY"

    The answer names your key, its universe and its role.

  3. Create a login for your app.

    Your app needs a login to send over SMTP. On the account page choose Open next to the universe. In the universe’s dashboard go to Settings → Mail logins and add a login with an address and a password, for example [email protected].

    Each login name can be used once in your organization: if another of your universes already has it, you get “login name already in use”. Use an address that is yours, such as one at your own company’s domain.

  4. Create a person to write to.

    Make Dana, a homeowner who always answers:

    Terminal window
    curl -s -X POST "$SIMMAIL_URL/api/personas" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIMMAIL_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "Dana Reyes",
        "addresses": ["[email protected]"],
        "role": "homeowner",
        "wants": "to sell her house this spring for a fair price",
        "temperament": "responsive",
        "timing": { "reply_rate": 1 }
      }'

    reply_rate: 1 makes sure she answers cold mail. Without it, a responsive person answers 95% of first emails.

  5. Send an email over SMTP.

    Any SMTP client works. This one uses curl, which speaks SMTP too. Write the message to a file, with a Message-ID you choose so you can find the reply later:

    Terminal window
    cat > hello.eml <<'EOF'
    From: Sam at Acme <[email protected]>
    To: Dana Reyes <[email protected]>
    Subject: Your house on Clark Street
    Message-ID: <[email protected]>
    

    Hi Dana,
    

    Would you consider an offer of 165,000 for your house?
    

    Sam
    EOF
    

    curl --ssl-reqd --url smtp://c1.simmail.dev:2525 \
      --user '[email protected]:your-password' \
      --mail-from [email protected] \
      --mail-rcpt [email protected] \
      --upload-file hello.eml

    --ssl-reqd upgrades the connection with STARTTLS. If the universe’s connection details say its certificate is self-signed, add --insecure.

  6. Or send it with the API.

    The API sends exactly as SMTP would. It answers with the new message’s id:

    Terminal window
    curl -s -X POST "$SIMMAIL_URL/api/send" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIMMAIL_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "from": "[email protected]",
        "to": ["[email protected]"],
        "subject": "Your house on Clark Street",
        "text": "Hi Dana,\n\nWould you consider an offer of 165,000?\n\nSam"
      }'
    {
      "message_id": "<[email protected]>",
      "status": "sent"
    }

  7. Wait for the reply.

    People reply on a simulated clock, often hours later. fast=true has Dana write her due reply now:

    Terminal window
    curl -s -G "$SIMMAIL_URL/api/wait/reply" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIMMAIL_API_KEY" \
      --data-urlencode "[email protected]" \
      --data-urlencode "in_reply_to=<[email protected]>" \
      --data-urlencode "fast=true" \
      --data-urlencode "timeout=60s"

    You get her reply as JSON, with its text, subject, links and more. If you sent with the API, use the message_id it returned as in_reply_to.

If something goes wrong

Section titled “If something goes wrong”
AnswerWhat it means
401The key is missing or wrong. Send Authorization: Bearer smk_….
403 “your role (viewer) cannot do this”The key’s role is too low. Use a Member key.
404 “no persona at ?from=…”Nobody plays that address. Check the spelling, or create the persona.
408Nothing arrived before the timeout. The person may have chosen not to answer; the dashboard’s Activity says why.
409 “decided not to reply”The person chose not to answer. People do that.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”