Replyz / AI agent email address
Should your AI agent use your email, or its own?
Agents need email to sign up for services, receive verification codes and handle replies. There are three ways to give them an address. They expose very different things.
The three options
| What the agent can see | What it can send | Good for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your inbox (Gmail or Outlook through MCP or IMAP) | Everything in your mailbox | Anything, as you | Working on your own email |
| An alias or plus-address on your inbox | Still your mailbox, unless you filter it | As you | Sorting mail, not isolating the agent |
| An inbox of its own (Replyz) | Only mail sent to its address | To you, and replies in threads someone started; you approve | Sign-ups, codes, errands, supplier email |
When should the agent use your inbox?
When the task is your email: triage, summaries, drafting replies in your voice, searching your history. Then a Gmail or Outlook MCP server is the right tool. Scope it carefully, because the agent can read everything and send as you. See Gmail MCP server vs an agent inbox.
When should the agent have its own address?
- Signing up for services. Accounts the agent creates stay under its address, not yours.
- Reading verification codes. The agent waits for the email and pulls out the code without seeing anything else.
- Errands and suppliers. Bookings, invoices, support threads: the agent handles them and asks you before it replies.
- Several agents. One address per agent or task keeps their mail apart.
How does an agent get its own address with Replyz?
Agents on your machine run the CLI or skill:
npx -y @replyz/cli signup --name my-agent npx -y @replyz/cli inbox create --name signups
It gets an address like signups-4f2a@youreplyz.com and a claim link for you. Agents in an app connect to the MCP server. Setup for each agent: all agents. Why this matters beyond sign-ups: AI agent identity.
Frequently asked questions
Should my AI agent use my email address?
Only if the job is about your own mail, such as triaging your inbox or drafting replies as you. For sign-ups, verification codes and errands, give the agent an address of its own so it can't read or send your personal mail.
Is an email alias enough for an AI agent?
An alias or plus-address gives the agent a different address, but the mail still lands in your inbox, and the agent still needs access to that inbox to read it.
What does an agent inbox give the agent?
An address it controls, an inbox only it reads, and tools to wait for an email and pull out the code or link. With Replyz, sending is limited to you and to replies in threads someone started, and you approve what goes out.
Can the agent sign up for an inbox by itself?
With Replyz, yes: an agent on your machine runs the CLI or skill, gets an inbox and a claim link, and you claim the account with one click.