Account Setup

Before adding accounts to Cypht, ensure you have completed the essential setup steps. Account setup requires a fully functional Cypht installation.
Complete These First
  • Installation: Cypht must be deployed on your web server with proper PHP configuration

Need help? Go to Installation Guide

Cypht supports multiple account types, allowing you to centralize various communication channels in one interface.
JMAP/IMAP/SMTP/ Servers
JMAP, IMAP and SMTP server setup screen

Standard email accounts including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and custom domain emails. Supports SSL/TLS encryption and various authentication methods.

RSS/Atom Feeds
Add an RSS / Atom feed screen

News feeds, blogs, and content streams displayed as message threads. Perfect for staying updated with your favorite sources.

Exchange Web Services
Exchange Web Services account screen

Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 accounts with full calendar and contact synchronization capabilities.

Configure your email accounts with the proper server settings and authentication credentials.

Navigate to Settings → Servers in the top navigation bar. Click "Add Account" to begin the configuration process.

Enter the essential details for your email account:

  • Account Name: A descriptive name for identification (e.g., "Work Email", "Personal Gmail")
  • Email Address: Your complete email address
  • Display Name: Name that appears in sent messages
  • Reply-to Address: Optional alternative reply address

Configure the incoming and outgoing mail servers:

IMAP (Incoming)
  • Server: imap.gmail.com (example)
  • Port: 993 (SSL) or 143 (STARTTLS)
  • Encryption: SSL/TLS recommended
  • Username: Your full email address
  • Password: Your account password
SMTP (Outgoing)
  • Server: smtp.gmail.com (example)
  • Port: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
  • Encryption: STARTTLS recommended
  • Authentication: Required
  • Username: Same as IMAP
Auto-Discovery

Cypht can automatically detect server settings for many popular email providers. Simply enter your email address and password, then click "Auto-Configure" if available.

Modern email services often require additional security measures for third-party applications.

Many providers (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo) require app-specific passwords instead of your regular password:

Google/Gmail

Enable 2-Step Verification, then generate an App Password in your Google Account settings or set up Gmail OAuth.

Microsoft/Outlook

Use App Passwords, or set up OAuth2 for Outlook & Office 365.

Corporate Email

Contact your IT administrator for proper server settings and authentication requirements.

Security Note

Never share your app-specific passwords. They provide direct access to your email account. Revoke them immediately if suspicious activity is detected.

OAuth2 lets your users connect their Gmail account without ever typing their Google password, and without app passwords. Cypht receives a token it can refresh, which can be revoked at any time from the Google account. The setup happens in the Google Cloud Console: create a project, configure the consent screen, generate an OAuth client, then copy the two resulting values into your Cypht .env file.
What you need

A Google account allowed to manage the project, and access to the .env file at the root of your Cypht installation.

  • Visit the Google Cloud Console.
  • Sign in with the Google account that manages your application.
  • If you do not have a project yet, choose Create Project and give it a name.
  • If a project already exists, select it from the project list.

The project selector sits in the top bar of the console:

Google Cloud Console with the project selector

The consent screen is what your users see when they authorize Cypht to read their mailbox. Navigate to APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen, then provide:

  • The application type External or Internal, depending on your needs.
  • The application name displayed to users.
  • Support and administrative contact email addresses.
  • Your authorized domains (for example yourdomain.com, or localhost for development).
  • A privacy policy URL if you have one.

Save your changes and continue, then add the accounts allowed to use the application while it is in test mode:

  1. In the same OAuth consent screen, open the Test users tab.
  2. Select Add users.
  3. Enter the email addresses allowed to use the application during testing.
  4. Confirm to display the list of authorized test accounts.
Test mode blocks everyone else

While the application stays in test mode, any email address not listed as a test user is refused at sign-in.

The consent screen and its test users tab:

Google OAuth consent screen configuration
  1. Return to APIs & Services and choose Credentials.
  2. Select Create credentials > OAuth client ID.
  3. Set the application type to Web application.
  4. Name the client, for example "Cypht – Gmail Authentication".
  5. Define the authorized redirect URIs, then click Create.

The application type (1), the client name (2) and the authorized redirect URI (3):

Google Cloud Console Create OAuth client ID form showing application type, client name and redirect URI

The redirect URI is the address of your Cypht instance. Adjust the host and path to your installation:

# Development
http://localhost/my_cypht/?page=home

# Production
https://yourdomain.com/?page=home
The redirect URI must match exactly

Scheme, host, port and path are compared character for character. A trailing slash or an http/https mismatch is enough for Google to refuse the authorization.

Once the client is created, Google displays the two values Cypht needs:

  • Client ID (1) this becomes your GMAIL_CLIENT_ID.
  • Client secret (2) this becomes your GMAIL_CLIENT_SECRET.

Open the .env file at the root of your Cypht project and fill in both variables:

GMAIL_CLIENT_ID=<client-id>
GMAIL_CLIENT_SECRET=<client-secret>

Both values are shown right after the client is created:

Google OAuth client ID and client secret displayed after creation

Your configuration is now complete: users can add their Gmail account from Cypht and authorize it through Google.

Outlook.com and Office 365 accounts authenticate through the same Microsoft identity platform, so a single application registration in the Azure portal covers both. You register an application, note its client ID, create a client secret, then copy both values into your Cypht .env file.
What you need

A Microsoft account allowed to register applications in the Azure portal, and access to the .env file at the root of your Cypht installation.

  1. Go to the Azure portal and sign in with the Outlook account associated with your app.
  2. In the search bar at the top, type App registrations and select the matching service.
  3. If you already have an application, select it from the list.
  4. Otherwise click + New registration, name your application, set the supported account types and the redirect URIs if needed, then click Register.

The app registrations service in the Azure portal:

Azure portal app registrations page
  • Once the application is registered or selected, you land on its Overview page.
  • The Application (client) ID is displayed there. Note it down: it becomes OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID or OFFICE365_CLIENT_ID.

The client ID on the application overview page:

Azure application overview page showing the client ID
  1. In the left menu of your application page, under Manage, select Certificates & secrets.
  2. In the Client secrets section, click + New client secret.
  3. Add a description and choose a validity period 1 or 2 years, for example.
  4. Click Add.
Copy the secret immediately

The value is only displayed once, right after creation. Leave the page without copying it and you will have to generate a new secret. Avoid the "Never expires" option for security reasons.

The Certificates & secrets screen where the secret is created:

Azure Certificates and secrets page with the new client secret form

You now have both values: the client ID (1) from the overview page, and the client secret (2) you just created.

Open the .env file at the root of your Cypht project and fill in the pair matching your provider:

# Outlook.com
OUTLOOK_CLIENT_ID=<client-id>
OUTLOOK_CLIENT_SECRET=<client-secret>

# Office 365
OFFICE365_CLIENT_ID=<client-id>
OFFICE365_CLIENT_SECRET=<client-secret>

The client secret value, displayed once after creation:

Azure client secret value shown after creation

Your configuration is now complete: users can add their Outlook or Office 365 account from Cypht and authorize it through Microsoft.

Generating a full .env

The configuration generator builds a complete .env for you, OAuth variables included.

Transform your favorite content sources into readable message threads within Cypht.
  1. Click Settings → Accounts → Add Account
  2. Select "RSS/Atom Feed" as account type
  3. Enter the Feed URL (e.g., https://example.com/feed.xml)
  4. Choose a Display Name for the feed
  5. Set Update Frequency (hourly, daily, manual)
  6. Click Test Connection to verify the feed
  7. Save and the feed will appear in your folder list
Popular Feed Sources

News sites, blogs, GitHub repositories, project management tools, and notification services often provide RSS feeds for staying updated with latest content.

Fine-tune your account configuration for optimal performance and functionality.
  • Folder Prefix: Specify IMAP folder prefix (INBOX., etc.) for server compatibility
  • Connection Limits: Set maximum concurrent connections to prevent server overload
  • Message Limits: Configure how many messages to sync per folder
  • Signature Management: Create and manage email signatures per account
  • Notification Settings: Configure desktop or email notifications for new messages
Resolve common account setup issues with these solutions.
Connection Failed

Check server settings, firewall rules, and ensure SSL/TLS ports are open. Verify credentials and try app-specific passwords.

See Issues
Authentication Error

Enable two-factor authentication and generate app passwords. Verify that the username matches the email address format.

See Issues
Sync Issues

Increase connection limits, check server quotas, and verify folder permissions. Use manual refresh if needed.

See Issues
Security Blocks

Review account security settings, allow less secure app access if needed, or use OAuth2 authentication.

See Issues
Folder Configuration

Check system folder mappings (Inbox, Sent) and IMAP folder prefixes (like INBOX.) for server compatibility.

See Issues
SSL/TLS Certificate Issues

Ensure certificates are up to date and properly configured. For self-signed certificates, add them to trusted certificates.

See Issues