> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.autonudge.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect email (Resend)

> Send email to your contacts from your own domain, through your own Resend account

On your own backend, email to your contacts goes out through your own Resend account, from a domain you own. Nudge's own address only sends your team's invites and alerts; it never writes to your contacts. So until Resend is connected, your workspace can't email anyone.

## What you need

* A **Resend account**. The free plan is enough to start.
* A **domain you control**, the one your emails will come from, like `acme.com`. You'll add a few DNS records to it, so you need access to wherever its DNS is managed.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Resend only sends from a domain you have verified with it. An address on a domain that isn't verified, or on a mailbox domain like gmail.com, can't send through Nudge. Verify the domain before you add a sender.

## Set it up

**1. Add and verify your domain in Resend**

In Resend, open **Domains** and add your domain. Resend lists the DNS records to create: add each one at your DNS provider, exactly as shown. Then press **Verify** in Resend. Most domains verify within minutes; some DNS providers take a few hours. Wait until Resend shows the domain as **Verified**.

**2. Create an API key**

In Resend, open **API Keys** and create a key with **Sending access**. If you like, limit it to the domain you just verified. Copy the key: Resend shows it once.

**3. Paste the key into Nudge**

In your workspace, open **Settings → Connections** and paste the key into the Resend row. Like every secret there, it's write-only: afterwards you see its last few characters, never the whole thing. See [Connections](https://docs.autonudge.dev/settings/connections.md).

**4. Add your sending address**

Open **Channels → Emails** and press **Add sender**. Use an address on the domain you verified, like `sales@acme.com` or a rep's own address. Add one per person who writes to contacts, and set **Belongs to** so each person's address is picked for them. See [Senders](https://docs.autonudge.dev/channels/email.md#senders).

The **Getting started** card on your Dashboard ticks off **Send email from your own domain** once the key and a sender are in.

## What to know

* **Replies don't come back into Nudge yet.** A contact who answers your email reaches the sender's real mailbox, so make sure the address you send from is one somebody reads. In a workspace we run for you, replies land in the [Inbox](https://docs.autonudge.dev/contacts/inbox.md); on your own backend they don't, for now.
* **Resend bills you** for what you send, under your own account. Nudge charges nothing for it.
* **Your sending reputation is yours.** Bounces and spam complaints count against your domain and your Resend account. Send to people who expect to hear from you.
* **Changing the key** is the same as setting it: paste the new one over the old. Revoking the key in Resend stops all email to contacts until you add a new one.

Next: [Bring your contacts in](https://docs.autonudge.dev/contacts/bring-contacts-in.md).


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