Configure the Gitea mailer over SMTP

Gitea sends account confirmations, password resets and issue or pull request notifications through the `[mailer]` section of `app.ini`. Set `PROTOCOL` yourself: left empty, Gitea guesses from the port and treats anything other than 25, 465 or 587 (such as 2587) as `smtps`. Set `FROM` too: it defaults to `USER`, and with `USER = unitpost` Gitea refuses to start with `Invalid mailer.FROM (unitpost)`.

1. 1

   Create a send-only key

   In Unitpost, open Settings → SMTP and create a send-only key. FROM must be an address on a verified domain.

2. 2

   Edit app.ini

   Gitea only sends credentials over TLS, so use smtp+starttls on 587 or smtps on 465.

   ini

   [mailer]
   ENABLED = true
   PROTOCOL = smtp+starttls
   SMTP_ADDR = smtp.unitpost.com
   SMTP_PORT = 587
   USER = unitpost
   PASSWD = pk_live_...
   FROM = gitea@yourdomain.com

   For port 465, set PROTOCOL = smtps and SMTP_PORT = 465. Gitea's docs recommend implicit TLS where the server supports it.

3. 3

   Restart Gitea

   Gitea reads app.ini at startup, so restart the service or container after editing it.

4. 4

   Send a testing email

   Sign in as an admin and open Site Administration → Configuration → Summary. Under Mailer Configuration, enter your address next to Send Testing Email and click Send.

5. 5

   If it fails

   unable to infer unspecified mailer.PROTOCOL in the log means PROTOCOL is empty on a nonstandard port. 535 5.7.8 means USER isn't unitpost. 550 5.7.1 means FROM isn't on a verified domain.