Setup
OTP inboxes (IMAP)
Add the inboxes AETHER reads your email codes from, then pick one on the tasks that need it.
Most signups and every login end with a code sent by email. An inbox is the login for a mailbox AETHER signs into to read that code. One inbox can serve many tasks.
An inbox is separate from the addresses you generate with. Those come from the profile groups you pick under Profiles * on the gen task. A task that needs a code and has no inbox cannot finish, however many times it retries.
Add an inbox#
Open Settings → IMAP
The Add an inbox form has two fields. Your Inboxes list is underneath.Type the mailbox address and its password
For Gmail, use a 16-character App Password instead of your normal login. You get one from Google Account → Security → App passwords.Set the server settings if needed
AETHER fills in the host, port and security from the domain of the address. It knows addresses at gmail.com, googlemail.com, outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com, office365.com, icloud.com, me.com, mac.com, yahoo.com, ymail.com, gmx.com, gmx.net, gmx.de, web.de, mail.com, zoho.com, yandex.com, aol.com, proton.me and protonmail.com. A known address shows its server, for example✓ imap.gmail.com · port 993 · SSL/TLS. Proton addresses point at127.0.0.1port 1143 with STARTTLS. For any other domain, including a work address on Office 365, AETHER guessesimap.<domain>on port 993 and showsGuessed imap.<domain> · port 993 — open Advanced settings if that is wrong.Only if the guess is wrong, open Advanced settings and correct Host, Security and Port.Click Add inbox
If you leave the label blank, the inbox is named after the address. An inbox with an empty password is refused.
The inbox appears in your Inboxes list. You can now pick it on a task. A gen task has OTP source, an Add sms task has OTP inbox *, and an Enter raffle task has OTP inbox (optional).
Test an inbox#
Each inbox in the list has a Test button. While it runs, the result reads testing….
- On an IMAP mailbox, Test connects, signs in and opens the INBOX folder. A pass reads
✓ connected — signed in as you@example.com · 12 messages in INBOX. - On an IMAP mailbox, a failure shows
✗and the server's own error.
The message count does not tell you whether the inbox is healthy. Test does not look for verification mail, because a new inbox that works has none yet.
On an AYCD inbox, Test checks the API key, not mail. A pass reads ✓ key valid. Its hover note says the check does not prove that the group exists. A failure can read, for example:
| AYCD result | What it means |
|---|---|
✗ key rejected (401) — wrong or revoked key | The key is wrong or was revoked. |
✗ authenticated but API access is DISABLED on this AYCD plan (403) — it is a paid add-on | The key works, but your AYCD plan does not include API access. |
✗ rate limited by AYCD (429) — try again shortly | Wait a moment, then test again. |
✗ AYCD returned <status> | AYCD answered with another error status. |
✗ AYCD unreachable: <error> | The request to AYCD failed before an answer came back. |
Delete an inbox#
Deleting an inbox takes effect immediately. Any task still using it is left with no inbox. AETHER tells you how many tasks need an OTP inbox reassigned. Reassign one before you start them, or they cannot read their codes for login or gen.
Inbox types#
Choose the type in Type, under Advanced settings.
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| IMAP mailbox | A real mailbox AETHER signs into. It reads signup and login codes. |
| AYCD Inbox API | Takes your AYCD Inbox API key, a group (default walmart-otp) and an optional template ID. It reads codes for Amazon gen, Premium Bandai gen and Add sms. |
- Target gen reads its code over IMAP only. It ignores an AYCD inbox set on the task and uses an IMAP mailbox saved under Settings → IMAP instead.
- Riot gen reads its code over IMAP only. It refuses to start with an AYCD inbox.
Flows that need an inbox#
These flows cannot finish without an inbox. Add sms checks when you create the task. Target, Amazon, Premium Bandai and Riot check when the task starts, and stop there.
| Flow | Why it needs an inbox |
|---|---|
| Add sms (Walmart CA, Walmart US) | Signs each account in with an email code before it adds the number. In OTP inbox *, pick the mailbox that receives those accounts' codes. You also need an account group and an SMS provider. Without an inbox, the form shows Add-SMS logs in with an email OTP — attach an OTP inbox under Settings. |
| Target gen | Reads a code challenge on most accounts it creates, over IMAP. It needs an IMAP mailbox saved under Settings → IMAP, but you do not have to pick it on the task. A task with no inbox, or with an AYCD inbox, uses the first IMAP mailbox in your list. Its log then says no mailbox picked for this task — using you@example.com to answer Target's emailed code. With no IMAP mailbox saved, the task stops with Target needs an IMAP inbox. |
| Amazon gen | Reads the signup code by email. An IMAP mailbox or an AYCD inbox works. Without one, the task stops on NO OTP INBOX ATTACHED, and nothing is spent. |
| Premium Bandai gen | Reads the email verification code. An IMAP mailbox or an AYCD inbox works. Without one, the task stops with No OTP source — gen can’t read the email verification code. |
| Riot gen | Reads the verification code Riot emails, over IMAP only. Pick an IMAP mailbox in OTP source on the task. Unlike Target, Riot does not fall back to a saved mailbox. Without one, the task stops with Riot gen needs an IMAP inbox to read the verification code — attach one under Settings → IMAP and set it on this task. With an AYCD inbox, it stops with Riot gen reads the verification code over IMAP — AYCD is not supported for Riot. |
Walmart CA gen does not need an inbox. Its signup sends no email code, so the gen form hides OTP source. See Walmart CA.
Connection limits#
IMAP servers limit how many connections one account can hold open at once. For Gmail it is roughly 15.
Past the limit, the server stops answering with "too many simultaneous connections". Tasks time out and end on NO OTP RECEIVED. The codes sit unread in the mailbox while every task reports that none arrived, so it looks like the retailer's fault.
AETHER keeps one shared connection per inbox, so dozens of logins running at once use a single connection. That connection checks the spam folder as well as INBOX, because verification mail often lands there. Gen tasks count against the same limit, so it can still run out.
- If a run reports no OTP while codes are clearly arriving, check the connection limit before you blame the retailer.
- Split a large run across several inboxes instead of pointing every task at one mailbox.
- Start fewer tasks at once. See Start All & pacing.
Next, set up SMS providers for the add-SMS mode, or see Task modes for what else each mode requires.