---
checkId: check.notify.email.configured
plugin: stellaops.doctor.notify
severity: warn
tags: [notify, email, smtp, quick, configuration]
---
# Email Configuration

## What It Checks
Verifies that the email (SMTP) notification channel is properly configured. The check reads the `Notify:Channels:Email` configuration section and validates:

- **SMTP host** (`SmtpHost` or `Host`): must be set and non-empty.
- **SMTP port** (`SmtpPort` or `Port`): must be a valid number between 1 and 65535.
- **From address** (`FromAddress` or `From`): must be set so outbound emails have a valid sender.
- **Enabled flag** (`Enabled`): if explicitly set to `false`, reports a warning that the channel is configured but disabled.

The check only runs when the `Notify:Channels:Email` configuration section exists.

## Why It Matters
Email notifications deliver critical alerts for release gate failures, policy violations, and security findings. Without a properly configured SMTP host, no email notifications can be sent, leaving operators blind to events that require immediate action. A missing from-address causes emails to be rejected by receiving mail servers.

## Common Causes
- SMTP host not set in configuration
- Missing `Notify:Channels:Email:SmtpHost` setting
- SMTP port not specified or set to an invalid value
- From address not configured
- Email channel explicitly disabled in configuration

## How to Fix

### Docker Compose
Add environment variables to your service definition:

```yaml
environment:
  Notify__Channels__Email__SmtpHost: "smtp.example.com"
  Notify__Channels__Email__SmtpPort: "587"
  Notify__Channels__Email__FromAddress: "noreply@example.com"
  Notify__Channels__Email__UseSsl: "true"
```

### Bare Metal / systemd
Edit `appsettings.json`:

```json
{
  "Notify": {
    "Channels": {
      "Email": {
        "SmtpHost": "smtp.example.com",
        "SmtpPort": 587,
        "FromAddress": "noreply@example.com",
        "UseSsl": true
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Restart the service:
```bash
sudo systemctl restart stellaops-notify
```

### Kubernetes / Helm
Set values in your Helm `values.yaml`:

```yaml
notify:
  channels:
    email:
      smtpHost: "smtp.example.com"
      smtpPort: 587
      fromAddress: "noreply@example.com"
      useSsl: true
      credentialsSecret: "stellaops-smtp-credentials"
```

## Verification
```
stella doctor run --check check.notify.email.configured
```

## Related Checks
- `check.notify.email.connectivity` — tests whether the configured SMTP server is reachable
- `check.notify.queue.health` — verifies the notification delivery queue is healthy