Grok Bot can work from an address such as agent@yourdomain.com without receiving access to your personal inbox, according to Shipmail’s Grok Bot guide. The workflow connects a separate Shipmail mailbox to Grok, limits what the agent can do, and uses a signed webhook to start an automation when email arrives.
The mailbox is hosted by Shipmail and remains separate from xAI’s built-in @mail.grokbot.com inbox. Shipmail says xAI has not announced custom-domain support for that native inbox.
Marked as last updated October 10, 2026, the guide covers sending from a recognizable business domain and starting work in response to incoming messages. The setup below follows Shipmail’s documentation. It is not an independently tested workflow or an xAI-authored integration guide.
The Built-In Inbox Still Uses xAI’s Domain
According to 9to5Mac’s October 9 coverage, xAI began rolling out email addresses that Grok Bot could use to sign up for services, contact businesses, and schedule time with people. Users could begin claiming an address by asking the bot or tagging @bot on X.
Those addresses end in @mail.grokbot.com. Choosing an available name for that address is different from attaching a domain that a business owns.
With Shipmail, a mailbox such as agent@yourcompany.com lives in Shipmail, while Grok Bot accesses it through a connector. Replies return to that mailbox and do not become part of the xAI-hosted inbox.
Shipmail has documented another route to email access; it does not rename or migrate the built-in Grok Bot inbox. Its statement that xAI has not announced own-domain support is the vendor’s account of the rollout, not a permanent limit on what xAI might offer later.
Connect a Separate Mailbox Through Shipmail
You need a custom-domain mailbox available in Shipmail before following this workflow. Adding the Grok connector does not replace mailbox setup.
Shipmail’s MCP connection documentation describes a hosted server that gives agents structured tools for reading, drafting, sending, and managing email. MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is the interface through which Grok can request those actions.
For Grok Bot, Shipmail documents this sequence:
- Create a dedicated mailbox. Use an address such as
agent@yourdomain.comorsupport-bot@yourcompany.com, rather than connecting the inbox you use for personal correspondence. - Open Connectors on
grok.com. Choose New Connector, then Custom. - Enter the hosted MCP endpoint:
https://shipmail.to/api/mcp. - Authenticate on Shipmail’s sign-in page. Use the dedicated mailbox’s address and password, rather than your broader Shipmail account login.
- Choose the connection’s permissions. For a cautious starting point, select Read and draft.
According to Shipmail, signing in with a mailbox’s credentials restricts the connection to that mailbox. The service enforces this restriction; it does not depend on an instruction asking the model to avoid other mailboxes.
Grok and Grok Bot use the same connector on the Grok account, so Shipmail says a second connection is unnecessary. After connecting, give the bot a bounded task, such as reviewing the dedicated mailbox, drafting replies to straightforward questions, and summarizing messages that need human attention.
Enter the credentials in Shipmail’s authorization flow. The documented process does not require pasting the mailbox password into a conversation with Grok Bot.
Choose Permissions That Match the Job
Shipmail offers four permission choices in the documented sign-in flow:
- Read and draft
- Mail assistant
- Full access
- Custom
Read and draft provides the clearest documented starting boundary. Shipmail says it lets Grok Bot read messages and write drafts, while a person presses send. It is suitable for checking how the agent handles real correspondence before granting sending authority.
The guide names the other modes but does not spell out every permission included in each. Inspect the authorization screen before assuming that Mail assistant, for example, has a particular set of restrictions.
Mailbox scope and action permissions solve different problems. Signing in as agent@yourdomain.com limits which mailbox the connection reaches. Selecting Read and draft limits what the agent can do there. A dedicated mailbox alone is not a reason to grant unrestricted actions.
The connector’s tools cover email replies, scheduled sends, calendar events, booking pages, newsletters, mailbox management, and inbox rules. A workflow that classifies incoming support requests does not need every administrative capability on that list, so choose permissions accordingly.
To remove access, Shipmail instructs users to open Developer, then Connections, and revoke the Grok connection. Because Grok and Grok Bot share that connection, the guide says both lose access together. Revocation affects the shared integration, not just one bot task.
Use a Signed Webhook to Start Work on Incoming Mail
Connecting the mailbox supplies tools. Starting an automation when a message arrives requires a separate trigger.
Shipmail’s documented webhook workflow connects its message.received event to a Grok automation. The event carries the sender, subject, and message ID; the automation then uses the Shipmail connector to open the email.
Configure the Grok Automation
On grok.com, open Automations and create an automation with a Webhook trigger. Keep the Shipmail connector enabled for that automation.
Give it instructions that explain both the incoming event and the permitted task. For example:
When this webhook fires, use the message ID in the event to open
the email in agent@yourdomain.com with the Shipmail connector.
Draft a reply if it is a straightforward question. Otherwise,
summarize the message for me. Do not send a reply.
These illustrative instructions do not replace the connector’s permission controls. Pair them with Read and draft if you want sending to remain unavailable through the documented connection.
Save the automation, then copy its endpoint and signing secret. Shipmail’s guide says Grok displays the secret only once, so capture it securely during setup.
Configure the Shipmail Webhook
In Shipmail, open Developer, then Webhooks, and create a webhook with these settings:
- Endpoint: the URL copied from the Grok automation.
- Event:
message.received. - Mailbox: only the dedicated Grok Bot mailbox.
- Standard Webhooks signing secret: the secret copied from Grok, which begins with
whsec_.
The mailbox selection sets a separate boundary from the connector login. Restricting the connector controls what the agent can access; restricting the webhook controls which mailbox’s incoming messages initiate this workflow.
Use Grok’s signing secret in the specified field so the event is signed with the secret expected by the receiving automation. Sending an unsigned request to its URL does not serve that purpose.
Test Both Delivery and Execution
Sources
- Shipmail’s Grok Bot guideshipmail.to
- 9to5Mac’s October 9 coverage9to5mac.com
- MCP connection documentationshipmail.to
- custom-domain walkthroughshipmail.to
