# Transactional email. Password resets, order confirmations and account updates, sent from your application. Build with Bird MCP, send with the API or SMTP, and see what happened to each message. [Read customer stories](/customers) [Explore Enterprise](/enterprise) - [Airwallex](/customers/airwallex) - [Glovo](/customers/glovo) - [Zillow](/customers/zillow) - Uber - [Binance](/customers/binance) - Adobe - Meta - PayPal - Pinterest - Square - [Al Jazeera](/customers/aljazeera) - [Aramex](/customers/aramex) - [Bazaar Technologies](/customers/bazaar) - [ComparaOnline](/customers/compara) - [Emma](/customers/emma) ## From prompt to delivered. Send email from your app or agent. Follow it through delivery. Full read and write access through MCP and CLI. **MCP**: `Bird MCP` Connect this hosted MCP endpoint with an [MCP client](/docs/ai/mcp-server#connect-a-client), then complete OAuth sign-in to your Bird workspace. Example prompt: Send a welcome email to delivered@messagebird.dev from onboarding@messagebird.dev, then check it arrived. ```text https://mcp.bird.com ``` Examples: [MCP](/email-api/features/transactional-email.mcp.md) · [CLI](/email-api/features/transactional-email.cli.md) · [TypeScript](/email-api/features/transactional-email.ts.md) · [Python](/email-api/features/transactional-email.py.md) · [Go](/email-api/features/transactional-email.go.md) · [PHP](/email-api/features/transactional-email.php.md) · [cURL](/email-api/features/transactional-email.curl.md) ## They take an action. You keep them informed. Help a customer get back into their account, confirm a purchase or follow a delivery. Your application sends the email when the action happens, with the details that person needs next. [Send from your application](/docs/guides/email/sending-email) [Connect with SMTP](/email-api/features/smtp) [Looking for newsletters and campaigns?](/email-api/features/email-marketing) ## Your design. Their order. Their details. Build a reusable template, then pass the customer’s name, order reference and links when you send. Keep the design in Bird or send HTML from your application, including emails built with React Email. [Email templates](/email-api/features/templates) [Template parameters](/docs/guides/email/templates) [Send your HTML](/docs/guides/email/sending-email) ## Your domain. Your reputation. Verify your sending identity. Manage reputation as your volume grows. [Domain setup](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains)[DKIM, SPF & DMARC](/docs/guides/email/dkim-spf-dmarc)[Dedicated IPs](/docs/guides/email/dedicated-ips-and-pools)[Suppressions](/docs/guides/email/suppressions) ## Less debugging. More building. Test requests, trace delivery, and recover from errors with clear feedback at every step. ### Test the failure paths. Trigger real delivery events without sending to a real inbox. ### Errors you can act on. The field, the reason, and the next step. For you and your agents. ### Handle delivery events. Verify webhook signatures with the SDK, then act on delivery events. ### Retry with confidence. Retry with the same key and body to retrieve the original response. [Email sandbox](/docs/guides/email/testing-sandbox)[API errors](/docs/guides/errors)[Webhooks](/docs/guides/webhooks)[Idempotency](/docs/guides/idempotency) ## Did the email arrive? Find the answer. Search the email log by recipient or message ID. Open the message to see its delivery history, including deferrals and bounces, then use signed webhooks to bring those updates back into your application. [Email analytics](/email-api/features/analytics) [Delivery webhooks](/docs/guides/email/events) [Inbox placement](/email-api/features/inbox-insights) ## Transactional email, explained. ### What is transactional email? Transactional email is a message a customer expects after an action: a password reset, purchase receipt, booking confirmation or account update. Your application sends it to the person involved. Newsletters, promotions and audience campaigns belong in Email marketing. ### Can I use SMTP instead of the API? Yes. Bird SMTP and the Email API use the same sending infrastructure, domain verification, suppression handling and reporting. Choose the submission method your application supports. ### Does delivered mean the email reached the inbox? Delivered means the receiving mail server accepted the message. Inbox Insights measures inbox and spam placement separately through seed accounts and a measurement panel. ## Scale without losing control. Organize teams in workspaces, control API access, and trace changes through audit logs. [PowerMTA](/email-api/features/power-mta)[Momentum](/email-api/features/momentum)[Workspaces](/docs/guides/workspaces)[Team roles](/docs/guides/users-teams-roles)[API authentication](/docs/guides/authentication)[Audit logs](/docs/knowledge-base/account-security/audit-log)[Explore Enterprise](/email-api/enterprise) ## Go further. With Email. Everything from your first send to delivery at scale. - [Transactional email](/email-api/features/transactional-email) — Send receipts, confirmations and notifications. - [Email marketing](/email-api/features/email-marketing) — Create broadcasts, newsletters and promotions. - [Email API](/email-api) — Build email into your app or agent. - [Email automation](/email-api/features/email-automation) — Connect customer events to relevant messages. - [Email templates](/email-api/features/templates) — Create reusable, personalized emails. - [Contacts & audiences](/email-api/features/audiences) — Organize contacts and maintain audiences. - [SMTP relay](/email-api/features/smtp) — Connect your existing mail stack. - [Inbound email](/email-api/features/inbound) — Receive replies and attachments. - [Email deliverability](/email-api/features/deliverability) — Authenticate senders and manage reputation. - [Email analytics](/email-api/features/analytics) — Trace delivery, engagement and failures. - [Inbox Insights](/email-api/features/inbox-insights) — Measure inbox placement and run seed tests. - [Competitive Insights](/email-api/features/competitive-insights) — Explore competitor campaigns and sending patterns. [Email quickstart](/email-api/getting-started)[Email pricing](/email-api/pricing)[Compare providers](/email-api/compare)[Email FAQs](/email-api/faqs)[Email resource library](/email-api/resources) ## Start with one. Build across channels. Bring your next customer conversation into the same workspace. - [Email](/email-api) — Send, receive, and track email. - [SMS](/sms-api) — Send updates. Keep replies connected. - [WhatsApp](/whatsapp-api) — Rich messages and conversations. - [Apple Messages](/apple-messages-api) — Help customers in Messages. - [Voice](/voice-api) — Connect calls and guide conversations. - [Verify](/verify-api) — Confirm access with a code. - [Lookup](/lookup-api) — Check contact details before sending. - [Mailbox](/mailbox-api) — Give your application an inbox. - [eSIM](/esim-api) — Build mobile connectivity into your product. - [Realtime](/realtime-api) — Keep your applications in sync. ## Your next idea. Ready to connect. [Get Started](/dashboard/signup?returnTo=%2Fdashboard%2Fw%2Femail)[Contact Sales](/demo?product=email&source_page=%2Femail-api%2Ffeatures%2Ftransactional-email)