matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/docs/configuring-playbook-bot-postmoogle.md

# Setting up Postmoogle email bridging (optional)

**Note**: email bridging can also happen via the [email2matrix](configuring-playbook-email2matrix.md) bridge supported by the playbook.

The playbook can install and configure [Postmoogle](https://github.com/etkecc/postmoogle) for you.

Postmoogle is a bot/bridge you can use to forward emails to Matrix rooms. It runs an SMTP email server and allows you to assign mailbox addresses to Matrix rooms.

See the project's [documentation](https://github.com/etkecc/postmoogle) to learn what it does and why it might be useful to you.

## Prerequisites

Open the following ports on your server to be able to receive incoming emails:

  - `25/tcp`: SMTP
  - `587/tcp`: Submission (TLS-encrypted SMTP)

If you don't open these ports, you will still be able to send emails, but not receive any.

These port numbers are configurable via the `matrix_bot_postmoogle_smtp_host_bind_port` and `matrix_bot_postmoogle_submission_host_bind_port` variables, but other email servers will try to deliver on these default (standard) ports, so changing them is of little use.


## Adjusting the playbook configuration

Add the following configuration to your `inventory/host_vars/matrix.example.com/vars.yml` file:

```yaml
matrix_bot_postmoogle_enabled: true

# Uncomment and adjust this part if you'd like to use a username different than the default
# matrix_bot_postmoogle_login: postmoogle

# Generate a strong password here. Consider generating it with `pwgen -s 64 1`
matrix_bot_postmoogle_password: PASSWORD_FOR_THE_BOT

# Uncomment to add one or more admins to this bridge:
#
# matrix_bot_postmoogle_admins:
#  - '@yourAdminAccount:{{ matrix_domain }}'
#
# .. unless you've made yourself an admin of all bots/bridges like this:
#
# matrix_admin: '@yourAdminAccount:{{ matrix_domain }}'
```

## Adjusting DNS records

You will also need to add several DNS records so that Postmoogle can send emails. See [Configuring DNS](configuring-dns.md) for details about DNS changes.

## Installing

After configuring the playbook, run the [installation](installing.md) command:

```sh
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --tags=setup-all,ensure-matrix-users-created,start
```

**Notes**:

- the `ensure-matrix-users-created` playbook tag makes the playbook automatically create the bot's user account

- if you change the bot password (`matrix_bot_postmoogle_password` in your `vars.yml` file) subsequently, the bot user's credentials on the homeserver won't be updated automatically. If you'd like to change the bot user's password, use a tool like [synapse-admin](configuring-playbook-synapse-admin.md) to change it, and then update `matrix_bot_postmoogle_password` to let the bot know its new password


## Usage

To use the bot, invite the `@postmoogle:example.com` bot user into a room you want to use as a mailbox.

Then send `!pm mailbox NAME` to expose this Matrix room as an inbox with the email address `NAME@matrix.example.com`. Emails sent to that email address will be forwarded to the room.

Send `!pm help` to the room to see the bot's help menu for additional commands.

You can also refer to the upstream [documentation](https://github.com/etkecc/postmoogle).

### Debug/Logs

As with all other services, you can find their logs in [systemd-journald](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd-journald.service.html) by running something like `journalctl -fu matrix-bot-postmoogle`

The default logging level for this bridge is `INFO`, but you can increase it to `DEBUG` with the following additional configuration:

```yaml
matrix_bot_postmoogle_loglevel: 'DEBUG'
```