# email-connect transactional SMTP + ingest token

Date: 2026-08-12  
Workplan: EMAIL-WP-0004-T03 · CCR-2026-0010  
Catalog: `email-connect-transactional` (**active** — OpenBao path live, ESO delivering on railiance01)

Pointer playbook for the IONOS STARTTLS credentials and shared caller bearer
used by the `email-connect` transactional invitation/verification receiver on
railiance01. ops-warden issues SSH certs only — SMTP passwords and API tokens
are OpenBao → Kubernetes Secret actions owned by `railiance-platform` and the
`email-connect` package.

---

## Owners

| Concern | Owner repo | Authoritative doc |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OpenBao path, ESO policy/role, ClusterSecretStore | `railiance-platform` | `docs/workload-kv-access-lanes.md` — email-connect section |
| K8s package, NetworkPolicy, probes, rollback | `email-connect` | `deploy/k8s/railiance/README.md` |
| user-engine caller wiring (same ingest token) | `net-kingdom` / user-engine | NK-WP-0024 |

---

## Do not ask ops-warden

```bash
warden route show openbao-api-key --json
warden route show email-connect-transactional --json
```

`EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD` and `EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN` must not appear
in Git, State Hub, workplans, logs, or chat.

---

## Custody shape (proposed)

```text
platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional
```

Properties:

- `EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN`
- `EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME`
- `EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD`

Delivery: ExternalSecret `email-connect/email-connect-runtime`
(ClusterSecretStore `openbao-email-connect`, ESO policy
`external-secrets-email-connect`) → Secret `email-connect-runtime`.

Non-secret host/port/sender/portal URL: ConfigMap `email-connect-config`.

---

## Worker checklist

### 1. Confirm need

- [ ] Consumer is the transactional receiver in namespace `email-connect`
- [ ] Need is SMTP send or shared ingest token — not Binky IMAP mailbox scan
      (`binky-company-email-imap` is a different lane)
- [ ] CCR-2026-0010 is approved before live provision

### 2. Platform path

- [ ] Path provisioned under `platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional`
- [ ] ESO role `external-secrets-email-connect` applied
- [ ] ClusterSecretStore `openbao-email-connect` namespace-limited

### 3. Deployment wiring

- [ ] `kubectl apply -k deploy/k8s/railiance` (email-connect repo)
- [ ] ExternalSecret SecretSynced; Deployment Ready
- [ ] user-engine holds the **same** ingest token; no SMTP fields there

### 4. Smoke

- [ ] `/healthz` from a user-engine pod succeeds
- [ ] A pod outside user-engine cannot reach TCP 8080
- [ ] Record non-secret evidence only (timestamps, request ids, Ready status)

---

## Related lanes

| Catalog id | Relationship |
| --- | --- |
| `binky-company-email-imap` | Mailbox **read** for evidence scans — not this send path |
| `openbao-api-key` | Generic pointer when no concrete lane exists |