EMail Parrot sits between your group and the world. Every email sent to a list address is received by EMail Parrot, processed through security screening, and rebuilt as a clean outbound message. The sender’s real address is replaced with their pseudonym. Tracking pixels, dangerous attachments, and spoofed senders are stripped or blocked. The rebuilt message is then delivered to the intended recipients.
Think of it as a telephone switchboard. The switchboard does not care what is said in the calls - it only routes them. How it routes depends entirely on how the lines are wired. In EMail Parrot, the “wiring” is determined by your list configuration: which lists exist, who is on them, which sublists are set up, and whether the list is open or closed to outside contact.
Three Configuration Surfaces
Getting the most out of EMail Parrot involves decisions at three levels - not just inside EMail Parrot itself.
1. EMail Parrot settings. List creation, member setup, sublist configuration, open vs. closed, screening levels, moderation. This is the admin dashboard.
2. Your existing email client. Your members’ Gmail, Outlook, or other email accounts can be configured to work alongside EMail Parrot. For example, a caregiver can set up a filter to route all EMail Parrot-relayed mail to a dedicated folder. A family protecting an elderly member can configure that member’s inbox to only accept mail arriving through EMail Parrot’s relay domain, rejecting everything else.
3. Addressing conventions. The way members compose and save outbound email determines what EMail Parrot does with it. Sending to the full list address reaches everyone. Sending with the + prefix pattern routes a message to a specific outside party. Saving contacts in VPE format ensures replies always route back through the relay. These are habits and practices, not settings.
The setup guides cover all three surfaces for each configuration pattern.
The Four Address Types
Every EMail Parrot address follows one of four patterns. Learning to recognize them tells you immediately who will receive the email and what EMail Parrot will do with it.
| Type | Format | Who receives it |
|---|---|---|
| Full list | listname@domain | All members of the list |
| Sublist | sublist.listname@domain | Members assigned to that sublist only |
| Direct message | ~pseudonym.listname@domain | The single member with that pseudonym |
| VPE external | +recipient=at=domain.com+listname@domain | An outside party, routed through the list |
The tilde (~) prefix signals a direct message to one member. The plus (+) prefix signals an outbound message to an outside party via VPE. Everything else routes to the list or sublist named in the address.
For the full addressing reference including reply routing and the address book feature, see EMail Parrot addressing reference.
Open vs. Closed
Every list is either closed or open (VPE enabled). This single setting determines whether outside parties can be part of any conversation.
A closed list routes email only among members. No one outside the list can send into it or receive from it. This is the right choice for any group that communicates internally and has no need to involve outside parties.
An open list (VPE enabled) extends the relay’s protection to outside contact. Members can initiate contact with outside parties using the + addressing format. Outside parties who receive a message from a member can reply, and their reply routes back through EMail Parrot to the list. Outside parties can also email the list address directly. In all cases, no member’s personal address is ever visible to the outside party.
Sublists within an open list can themselves be restricted (prefix the sublist name with ^), which prevents outside parties from reaching that sublist even though the parent list is open. This lets a business have some internal-only channels alongside their customer-facing ones.
What Happens to Every Email
Every email that arrives at an EMail Parrot list address goes through this sequence before delivery:
- Sender verified as a list member (or quarantined if not)
- Virus scanning (ClamAV and AWS SES)
- Spoofing detection (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Malicious attachment removal
- Tracking pixel and external resource removal
- Dangerous link detection
- Size check
- Sender anonymization - real address replaced with pseudonym
- Delivery to recipients
If any step fails or triggers a rule, the email is quarantined and admins are notified. Admins can review, release, or delete quarantined email from the dashboard.
Ready to configure your list? Choose your setup pattern.