Email not working
Skill: email-repair · Risk: high · Steps: 15
Diagnoses and repairs email client issues including account configuration, authentication/credential failures, index corruption, database errors, SMTP/IMAP connectivity failures, and permission problems.
What it does, step by step
Step 1. Reads the mail account’s server settings and compares them against known-good provider configurations to spot mismatches.
read-only · check_mail_account_config
Step 2. Asks which email provider the affected account uses when no configuration was found.
asks the user, conditional · wait_for_user_ack
Step 3. Asks for the outgoing mail server hostname when the provider is a company or unlisted service.
asks the user, conditional · request_user_input
Step 4. Tests whether the outgoing mail server is reachable and accepting connections.
read-only · check_smtp_connectivity
Step 5. Checks whether the mail server’s security certificate has genuinely expired.
read-only · check_certificate_expiry
Step 6. Checks whether the email client is frozen or overusing resources and redirects to process troubleshooting if so.
read-only · get_top_consumers
Step 7. Checks and, if needed, repairs the mail app’s file permissions, flagging privacy-setting blocks separately.
read-only, conditional · check_mail_permissions
Step 8. Asks the user to describe the specific symptom so the right repair can be chosen.
asks the user, conditional · wait_for_user_ack
Step 9. Checks whether outdated cached login credentials exist for the mail servers.
deletes data, asks permission, preview first, conditional · get_cached_credentials_count, repair_keychain, purge_cached_credentials
Step 11. Rebuilds the mail index to fix slowness, wrong counts, or missing messages without deleting mail.
makes a change, asks permission, preview first, conditional · rebuild_mail_index
Step 12. Repairs the Outlook data file to resolve crashes or corruption, prompting the user to close Outlook first.
makes a change, asks permission, preview first, conditional · repair_outlook_database
Step 13. Asks the user to relaunch email and confirm whether the issue is resolved after the first fix.
asks the user, conditional · wait_for_user_ack
Step 14. Resets the mail app’s preferences as a last resort while preserving accounts and backing up settings.
deletes data, asks permission, preview first, conditional · reset_app_preferences
Step 15. Asks the user to confirm whether email works after resetting preferences.
asks the user, conditional · wait_for_user_ack
Step 16. Summarizes the steps taken, their results, and any recommendation to escalate to IT. no tools
Tools it may use
check_mail_account_config, check_smtp_connectivity, check_certificate_expiry, get_top_consumers, check_mail_permissions, get_cached_credentials_count, repair_keychain, purge_cached_credentials, rebuild_mail_index, repair_outlook_database, reset_app_preferences, wait_for_user_ack, request_user_input