Setup guide
Connect your mailbox to Capable (IMAP)
If your email isn’t on Google or Microsoft, you can connect it over IMAP — Fastmail, iCloud, Yahoo, Zoho, or a company mail server. Capable then turns your Inbox and Sent mail into accounts, contacts, and activity. It takes about two minutes; the one real step is generating an app-specific password.
What connecting does
Capable reads your mailbox — your Inbox and Sent folders — to recognise the companies and people you email, and keeps a searchable copy of your correspondence inside the app. Reading Sent is what lets Capable tell which companies you have actually reached out to.
IMAP is mail-only — it doesn’t include your calendar, so meeting import and the meeting recorder aren’t part of an IMAP connection.
Before you start
- You need a Capable account — sign in with Google or Microsoft first. IMAP is a mailbox you attach to your account, not a way to log in.
- On Gmail or Outlook? You won’t use IMAP for those — Gmail and Outlook connect through the one-click “Sign in with Google/Microsoft” button (Capable reads them via the official API, with no password, and it also brings in your calendar). If you enter a Gmail or Outlook address on the IMAP form, Capable points you back to that button.
- Have your mailbox’s email address handy. Capable fills in the server settings for common providers automatically.
Step 1 — Generate an app-specific password
Most mail providers block your normal login password over IMAP for security. Instead you generate a dedicated app-specific password — a throwaway password just for Capable that you can revoke anytime, and that can’t be used to sign into your account. We recommend one even where it’s optional.
iCloud Mail
Apple requires an app-specific password. Go to appleid.apple.com → Sign-In & Security → App-Specific Passwords → “Generate an app-specific password”. Your username is your Apple ID email. appleid.apple.com
Yahoo Mail
Yahoo requires an app password. Go to Yahoo Account Security → “Generate app password” → choose “Other App”, name it “Capable”, and copy the password.
AOL Mail
AOL requires an app password. Go to AOL Account Security → “Generate app password”, name it “Capable”, and copy the password.
Fastmail
Recommended (not required). Settings → Privacy & Security → App passwords → “New app password”, set the access to Mail (IMAP), and copy it.
Zoho Mail
Recommended if you have two-factor on. Settings → Security → App Passwords → “Generate New Password” for IMAP, and copy it.
Gmail / Outlook
These don’t connect over IMAP in Capable — use the one-click “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Microsoft” button instead (no password, and it also brings in your calendar). Entering a Gmail or Outlook address on the IMAP form will point you there.
Copy the generated password — you’ll paste it into Capable next. (Providers usually show it only once.)
Step 2 — Connect in Capable
- In Capable, open Settings → You → Email & calendar.
- Find the “Connect a mailbox (IMAP)” card and enter your email address. Capable fills in your mail server automatically.
- Paste the app-specific password from Step 1 (not your normal login password).
- Click Connect mailbox. Capable verifies the connection, finds your Sent folder, and starts importing — you’ll watch your accounts and contacts appear.
If the auto-filled server is wrong, open “Server settings (advanced)” on the card and correct the host, port, or security. Reference values are below.
Server settings reference
Capable fills these in for you; they’re here in case you need to check or correct them.
| Provider | IMAP host | Port | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fastmail | imap.fastmail.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| iCloud Mail | imap.mail.me.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Yahoo Mail | imap.mail.yahoo.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| AOL Mail | imap.aol.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Zoho Mail | imap.zoho.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| GMX | imap.gmx.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Gmail | imap.gmail.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | outlook.office365.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Other / company server | imap.yourdomain.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
What happens to your mail (and your password)
- Your mailbox password is stored encrypted at rest, used only to read your mail, and never shown back to you.
- Email content is stored encrypted and access-controlled to your workspace, and is never sent to an AI model on our servers — your own Claude or ChatGPT reads it in your session.
- You can disconnect anytime from the same card, which deletes the stored credential. You should also revoke the app-specific password in your mail provider’s settings.
Full details are in our Privacy Policy (section 4.1b, “Connected IMAP mailbox data”).
Troubleshooting
“Couldn’t sign in.” Almost always the password — make sure you used an app-specific password (Step 1), not your normal login password, and that IMAP access is enabled in your mail provider’s settings.
“We couldn’t find your Sent folder.” Reconnect and open advanced settings to point Capable at the right folder — this is what lets “emails you sent” count toward matching companies.
Can’t reach the server. Check the host and port in advanced settings against the table above, and confirm your provider allows IMAP over TLS (it should — plaintext connections aren’t supported).