> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.lido.app/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # Lido Mailbox The Lido Mailbox is a Lido-hosted email address that triggers a workflow whenever a message arrives. Use it when you want incoming email to automatically kick off processing — without connecting your real Gmail or Outlook account. --- ## When to use the Lido Mailbox - You want vendors, partners, or internal teams to forward documents into a workflow. - You don't want to (or can't) connect a real Gmail/Outlook account to Lido. - You want a clean, dedicated address per workflow (e.g., `invoices-something@in.lido.app`) instead of mixing automation traffic into a personal inbox. - You use a service Lido doesn't have a direct integration with (Yahoo, iCloud, ProtonMail) and want incoming mail to trigger a workflow anyway — you can forward from any inbox to a Lido Mailbox. --- ## When NOT to use it - **You need to filter on the original recipient address** (e.g., `accounts-payable@yourcompany.com`). Forwarded email may lose the original `To:` field. Use **Outlook Trigger** with a connected real account instead. - **You need to *send* email from the Lido Mailbox.** Lido Mailbox is receive-only. To send, use **Send Gmail**, **Send Outlook**, or `SENDEMAIL` formula. - **You need to keep mail in a real inbox for human review.** A Lido Mailbox is a trigger endpoint, not a mailbox you log into. --- ## How it works 1. Add a **Lido Mailbox Trigger** to a workflow. 2. Lido generates a unique address like `inbox-abc123@in.lido.app`. 3. Anyone (or any system) that emails that address triggers a workflow run. 4. The triggering email — including subject, body, sender, and attachments — is available as workflow data: `{{$item.data.email}}`, `{{$item.data.subject}}`, `{{$item.data.from}}`, `{{$item.data.attachments}}`. The address is per-workflow. Each workflow you create has its own address; messages to one address don't trigger other workflows. --- ## Step-by-step: set up a Lido Mailbox workflow ### 1. Create the trigger Open the workflow editor → add **Lido Mailbox Trigger** as the first node. Lido generates the address; copy it. ### 2. Add downstream nodes Common pattern for processing email attachments: - **Lido Mailbox Trigger** → **Data Extractor** (Source Type: Email, with file attachment) → **Spreadsheet** (Add Row to Table) → **Send Gmail / Send Outlook** (notify). The Data Extractor node has built-in handling for emails — see "Data extraction from emails" below. ### 3. Test Email the Lido Mailbox address from any account. In the workflow editor, watch the run appear in real time. Inspect the data each node received. ### 4. Activate Once the test run looks right, activate the workflow. ### 5. (Optional) Set up forwarding If you want emails from a real inbox (e.g., `invoices@yourcompany.com`) to trigger the workflow, set up auto-forwarding from that real inbox to the Lido Mailbox address. Both Gmail and Outlook support forwarding rules. --- ## Data extraction from emails The Data Extractor node accepts emails as a source. Set: - **Source Type:** Email - **Source File / Email reference:** `{{$item.data.email}}` The extractor reads the email body and any attachments. To extract from attachments specifically (e.g., a PDF invoice attached to the email): - **Source Type:** File - **Source File reference:** `{{$item.data.attachments[0].url}}` (or loop over all attachments) If the email has multiple attachments, use a **Loop** node before the Data Extractor to process each attachment in turn. --- ## Page counting for emails | Source | Page count | | --- | --- | | Email body only | 1 page | | Email body + 1 PDF attachment (5 pages) | 6 pages | | Email body + 2 image attachments | 3 pages (1 + 1 + 1) | Failed extractions don't count toward your allowance. --- ## Address management Lido Mailbox addresses look like `inbox-{random}@in.lido.app`. They're durable — once created, the address stays the same for the life of the workflow, so anyone who has it can keep sending mail. If you need to **rotate the address** (e.g., the old one was leaked), delete the trigger node and add a new one. The new node generates a fresh address. Update wherever you'd published the old one. You can change the **display name** the address shows under (visible to senders' inboxes when they reply, etc.) in the trigger node's settings. --- ## Reply handling Replies to messages forwarded into a Lido Mailbox come back to the Lido Mailbox address — they don't reach the original sender. If you need replies to land somewhere usable: - **Set the workflow to send a confirmation email back to the sender** (using `{{$item.data.from}}` as the To: address). - **Don't use the Lido Mailbox for two-way conversations.** It's a trigger endpoint. --- ## Spam and abuse Lido applies basic spam filtering to incoming mail. Messages flagged as spam are dropped, not run through the workflow. If you suspect legitimate mail is being filtered: - Check that the sender domain isn't on common blocklists. - Test with a different sender. - Contact support with an example so the filter rules can be reviewed. To **stop unwanted mail** to a Lido Mailbox, the cleanest option is to delete the trigger and create a new one — the old address goes dark. --- ## Tips - **One workflow per address.** Don't try to use a single Lido Mailbox to drive five workflows; create five mailboxes. Easier to debug, easier to rotate. - **Use a meaningful workflow name.** Lido derives the display name from it. "Invoice Processing — AP Team" is much clearer to senders than "Workflow 4". - **Forward, don't BCC.** Forwarding preserves attachments cleanly; BCC sometimes strips or hides them. - **Add a Send confirmation step.** Senders appreciate a "We got your invoice; processing now" reply, especially during onboarding. - **Filter at the workflow level.** If only some messages should be processed, use a Switch or Filter node early in the workflow to drop the rest. --- ## Common mistakes - **Sharing the Lido Mailbox publicly.** Anyone with the address can email it; treat the address like a webhook URL. - **Expecting threading.** Email threads aren't preserved across runs. Each new email is a separate workflow run. - **Assuming attachments come in the body.** Attachments are referenced separately at `{{$item.data.attachments}}`, not embedded in `{{$item.data.body}}`. - **Forwarding from Gmail with "include original message" off.** Some forwarding settings strip the body. Test before relying on it. - **No fallback for spam.** A vendor's invoice gets caught by spam filtering and the workflow never runs. Build a "did the workflow run today?" check elsewhere if SLA matters. --- ## Related articles - Triggers: how workflows start - Connect Gmail or Outlook (when you need a real inbox connection) - Extract data from PDFs and documents - Build your first workflow - Send extracted data to email or Slack