> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkupapi.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Autoconfig Provider

> Detect the provider and IMAP/SMTP settings for an email address

## Overview

Given an email address, returns the recommended connection method and the IMAP/SMTP server settings — so you can route the user to the right flow (Gmail/Microsoft OAuth vs IMAP/SMTP) and pre-fill the server fields. Resolution: a curated provider table, then an MX lookup (Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 on custom domains), then the Mozilla ISPDB (covers most ISPs), then a manual fallback.

<Note>This endpoint is **free** (0 credits) and read-only.</Note>

## Request

<ParamField header="x-api-key" type="string" required>Your API key.</ParamField>

<ParamField query="email" type="string" required>
  The mailbox address to look up, e.g. `you@company.com`.
</ParamField>

## Response

<ResponseField name="success" type="boolean">Whether the lookup succeeded.</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="data" type="object">
  <Expandable title="data properties">
    <ResponseField name="email" type="string">The address that was looked up.</ResponseField>
    <ResponseField name="domain" type="string">Its domain.</ResponseField>
    <ResponseField name="provider_bucket" type="string">`"google"`, `"outlook"` or `"other"`.</ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="recommended_method" type="string">
      The `provider` to pass to [`/v2/login`](/api-reference/v2/email/connect): `"gmail_oauth"`, `"m365_oauth"` or `"smtp_generic"`.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="oauth_available" type="boolean">
      `true` for Google/Microsoft — prefer OAuth over an app password.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="imap" type="object">
      Suggested IMAP settings (`host`, `port`, `security`), or `null` when unknown.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="smtp" type="object">
      Suggested SMTP settings (`host`, `port`, `security`), or `null` when unknown.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="source" type="string">
      How it was resolved: `"domain_table"`, `"mx"`, `"ispdb"` or `"unknown"`.
    </ResponseField>
  </Expandable>
</ResponseField>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json 200 (Google Workspace) theme={null}
  {
    "success": true,
    "data": {
      "email": "you@company.com",
      "domain": "company.com",
      "provider_bucket": "google",
      "recommended_method": "gmail_oauth",
      "oauth_available": true,
      "imap": { "host": "imap.gmail.com", "port": 993, "security": "ssl" },
      "smtp": { "host": "smtp.gmail.com", "port": 587, "security": "starttls" },
      "source": "mx"
    },
    "metadata": { "action": "email_autoconfig", "credits_consumed": 0, "timestamp": "2026-09-14T12:00:00Z" }
  }
  ```

  ```json 200 (IMAP provider) theme={null}
  {
    "success": true,
    "data": {
      "email": "you@orange.fr",
      "domain": "orange.fr",
      "provider_bucket": "other",
      "recommended_method": "smtp_generic",
      "oauth_available": false,
      "imap": { "host": "imap.orange.fr", "port": 993, "security": "ssl" },
      "smtp": { "host": "smtp.orange.fr", "port": 465, "security": "ssl" },
      "source": "ispdb"
    },
    "metadata": { "action": "email_autoconfig", "credits_consumed": 0, "timestamp": "2026-09-14T12:00:00Z" }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>

<Note>When the domain is unknown, `imap` and `smtp` are `null` and `source` is `"unknown"` — the user fills the server settings by hand.</Note>