Metabase SMTP settings for subscriptions and alerts

Self-hosted Metabase emails dashboard subscriptions, alerts and user invites through the SMTP server under **Admin → Settings → Email**. Its **SMTP Security** labels are easy to misread: **SSL** is implicit TLS for port 465, while **TLS** and **STARTTLS** both upgrade a plain connection on 587, and only **STARTTLS** refuses to continue without the upgrade. The sender defaults to `notifications@metabase.com`, so change **From address** before you test.

1. 1

   Create a send-only key

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

2. 2

   Fill in the email settings

   SMTP Host	smtp.unitpost.com
   SMTP Port	587
   SMTP Security	STARTTLS
   SMTP Username	unitpost
   SMTP Password	Your Unitpost API key
   From Name	Metabase
   From address	metabase@yourdomain.com

   For port 465, choose SSL. On save, Metabase tests the connection; if it fails, it retries with the other security options and warns you when one of those worked instead.

3. 3

   Or set environment variables

   Environment variables take precedence over the admin form. Metabase reads them at startup, so restart it after setting them.

   Env

   MB_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST=smtp.unitpost.com
   MB_EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=587
   MB_EMAIL_SMTP_SECURITY=starttls
   MB_EMAIL_SMTP_USERNAME=unitpost
   MB_EMAIL_SMTP_PASSWORD=pk_live_...
   MB_EMAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=metabase@yourdomain.com
   MB_EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Metabase

4. 4

   Send a test email

   Click Send test email on the email settings page. Metabase sends it to your own account's address with the subject Metabase Test Email; check it in Unitpost Emails.

5. 5

   If it fails

   535 5.7.8 means the username isn't unitpost. 550 5.7.1 means From address isn't on a verified domain, which includes the notifications@metabase.com default.