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The IMAP connector enables Omni to index and search content from any IMAP-compatible email account, including messages, attachments, and threaded conversations.

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Overview

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What Gets Indexed

SourceContent
EmailsSubject, body, sender, recipients, and dates
AttachmentsText-based file attachments
ThreadsGrouped email conversations via message threading

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How It Works

  1. You provide IMAP server credentials (host, port, username, password)
  2. The connector syncs emails from configured folders
  3. Folder allow/deny lists control which mailbox folders are indexed
  4. Email threads are grouped for efficient search
The connector uses read-only access — it only reads email via IMAP. Omni cannot send, modify, or delete any emails.
This is a general-purpose email connector that works with any IMAP-compatible provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, self-hosted mail servers, etc.).

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Prerequisites

Before setting up the IMAP connector, ensure you have:
  • IMAP server access credentials (username and password)
  • For Gmail/Outlook: an app-specific password is recommended
  • Omni deployment with the IMAP connector service running

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Setup

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Step 1: Gather IMAP Server Details

Common IMAP settings for popular providers:
ProviderHostPortEncryption
Gmailimap.gmail.com993TLS
Outlook/Office 365outlook.office365.com993TLS
Yahooimap.mail.yahoo.com993TLS
For Gmail, you’ll need to create an App Password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.

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Step 2: Connect in Omni

  1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations in Omni
  2. Find IMAP Email and click Connect
  3. Enter connection details:
    • Display name (optional): A label for this account
    • Host: IMAP server hostname
    • Port: Server port (default 993 for TLS)
    • Encryption: TLS (recommended), STARTTLS, or None
    • Username: Your email address
    • Password: Your password or app-specific password
  4. Optionally configure advanced settings:
    • Folder allowlist: Only sync specific folders (comma-separated)
    • Folder denylist: Skip specific folders (comma-separated)
    • Max message size: Limit for individual messages (0 = unlimited)
  5. Click Connect
  6. Click Sync Now to start the initial sync
Using “None” for encryption sends credentials in plaintext. Only use this for trusted local networks.
Your IMAP connector is now configured. Initial indexing may take a while depending on the number of emails in your mailbox.

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Managing the Integration

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Viewing Sync Status

Navigate to Settings → Integrations to view the sync status for each source directly on the list, including last sync time, number of indexed items, and any errors. Click Configure on a source for more details.

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Sync Modes

The IMAP connector supports two sync modes:
ModeDescription
FullSyncs all emails from configured folders (used for initial sync)
IncrementalSyncs only new emails since last sync (used for updates)
After the initial full sync, the connector automatically performs incremental syncs to capture new emails.

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Default Excluded Folders

By default, the following folders are excluded from indexing: Trash, Spam, Junk, Junk Email, Deleted Items, Deleted Messages, [Gmail]/Trash, and [Gmail]/Spam. You can override this behavior by configuring the folder denylist in the connector settings.

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Removing the Integration

  1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations
  2. Click Configure against the IMAP source
  3. Click Delete Permanently

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Troubleshooting

The credentials may be incorrect, or your provider may require an app-specific password.Solution:
  1. Verify your username and password are correct
  2. For Gmail, create an App Password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
  3. For Outlook, check if your organization requires app-specific passwords
  4. Update the credentials in Omni via Settings → Integrations → IMAP Email
The server may be unreachable or the connection settings may be incorrect.Solution: Verify the host, port, and encryption settings match your provider. Refer to the common IMAP settings table in Step 1.
Mailboxes with many emails can take a long time to sync initially.Solution: Consider using the folder allowlist to limit the scope of the sync, or set a max message size to skip very large emails.

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Security Considerations

  • Read-only access: The connector only reads email via IMAP
  • TLS encryption: Always use TLS or STARTTLS for production deployments
  • App passwords: Use app-specific passwords instead of your main account password
  • Encrypted storage: Credentials are encrypted at rest in Omni

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What’s Next

Search Your Data

Learn how to search across your emails

AI Assistant

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Add More Connectors

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