SendGrid

Use SendGrid when you want Drip Drop to send email through a dedicated email delivery platform instead of a personal mailbox. SendGrid can handle outbound sending, event webhooks, engagement tracking, and inbound parse for replies.

Note
SendGrid is different from Gmail and Outlook. It is an email service provider for application sending, not a mailbox login flow.
  • You want high-volume or application-style email sending rather than sending from a mailbox account.
  • You want provider-side delivery, bounce, open, click, unsubscribe, and related webhook events in Drip Drop.
  • You want reply handling through a dedicated inbound parse domain instead of an inbox subscription or IMAP mailbox connection.
  • Confirm you have SendGrid account access and permission to create API keys and edit webhook settings.
  • Decide whether you need only Outbound Sending, or also Event Webhooks, Track Opens/Track Clicks, and Inbound Parse.
  • If you want inbound replies, plan the parse hostname/domain you want SendGrid to receive mail for.
    Note
    Create or choose a safe test contact before turning the provider loose on production traffic.
  1. Open Dashboard → Admin → Integrations.
  2. Click New Integration and choose SendGrid.
  3. Enter the SendGrid API key.
  4. Save the provider, then open the Webhook Settings area if you want events or inbound replies.
  5. The provider should now appear on the Integrations list.

The SendGrid Provider Form can expose Webhook Configuration, Tracking Toggles, Signed Webhook Controls, and Inbound Parse Settings after the API key is in place.

The current SendGrid integration expects different API permissions depending on what you enable.

Mail Send: Full access for outbound email sending.
Event Webhooks: Read access for verification and full access if Drip Drop should auto-configure the event webhook.
Inbound Parse: Full access if Drip Drop should configure or update inbound parse settings.

SendGrid references: API key permissions.

  • Once saved, SendGrid can be selected anywhere Drip Drop needs an email-capable sender.
  • SendGrid is best when you want delivery infrastructure and provider event reporting rather than a mailbox-style sender connection.
  • This provider handles outbound sends separately from reply handling; sending can work even if inbound parse is not enabled.

Event Webhooks send delivery and engagement events from SendGrid back to Drip Drop. This is separate from inbound parse.

  • Drip Drop can receive delivered, deferred, dropped, bounced, spam-report, unsubscribe, group unsubscribe, and group resubscribe style events from SendGrid.
  • Open Events only appear when Track Opens is enabled.
  • Click Events only appear when Track Clicks is enabled.
  • Depending on API key permissions, Drip Drop can auto-configure the webhook URL or you may need to copy the URL into SendGrid manually.

Track Opens and Track Clicks are SendGrid-side event controls that determine whether SendGrid sends open and click webhook events back to Drip Drop.

  • If Track Opens is off, Drip Drop should not expect SendGrid open events.
  • If Track Clicks is off, Drip Drop should not expect SendGrid click events.
  • Drip Drop may also expose internal link/open tracking settings; keep those separate from SendGrid event tracking when explaining results to admins.

The SendGrid provider supports Signed Event Webhooks. When enabled, Drip Drop can store the SendGrid verification key and use it to validate Signed Event Webhook requests.

  • If auto-configuration is successful, Drip Drop can fetch and save the public verification key for the webhook.
  • If the webhook was set up manually, verification may stay in a Manual or Not-Yet-Verified state until events arrive or the provider configuration is completed.
  • Verification State and Last Verified timestamps should be described from the admin perspective, not as backend implementation detail.

Inbound Parse handles reply emails separately from Event Webhooks. Instead of mailbox polling or OAuth subscriptions, SendGrid accepts inbound mail on a configured hostname and forwards it to Drip Drop.

  • Enable Inbound Parse in the provider form if you want SendGrid-hosted reply handling.
  • Set the Inbound Parse Domain/Hostname to the reply domain Drip Drop should use.
  • Drip Drop can attempt auto-configuration when the API key allows it, but some accounts may still require manual setup in SendGrid plus DNS or MX changes for the parse hostname.
  • For reply matching, Drip Drop first tries the In-Reply-To tracking header and then falls back to the most recent outbound message to the sender if needed.
  1. Open SendGrid Event Webhook settings if Drip Drop cannot auto-configure the event webhook.
  2. Enable the event types Drip Drop needs, including Opens and Clicks if you want engagement events.
  3. If signed webhooks are required, enable Signed Delivery and keep the verification key available to Drip Drop.
  4. Open SendGrid Inbound Parse settings if you need reply handling.
  5. Configure the Parse Hostname, Destination URL, and any required DNS or MX records for that hostname.

Helpful SendGrid references: Event Webhook docs, Signed Event Webhook docs, and Inbound Parse docs.

  • After webhook traffic starts arriving, Drip Drop can attach delivery and engagement events to outbound messages.
  • Verification State may depend on whether the webhook was auto-configured or manually created.
  • Inbound replies can appear even though they come through the parse domain rather than the normal event webhook.
API key and permissions
  • If saving works but webhook configuration fails, check whether the API key has the correct Event Webhooks or Inbound Parse permissions.
  • If sending fails, confirm Mail Send has full access and the API key is still valid.
Webhook and verification problems
  • If the webhook cannot be verified, compare the URL in SendGrid with the URL shown in Drip Drop.
  • If signed webhook validation fails, confirm the verification key was saved and that SendGrid is actually sending signed requests.
  • If verification looks manual or delayed, send a test event and check again after SendGrid has delivered traffic.
Tracking problems
  • If opens are missing, confirm Track Opens is enabled in the provider settings and that you are expecting SendGrid event tracking rather than only internal tracking.
  • If clicks are missing, confirm Track Clicks is enabled and that messages are using links that SendGrid can track.
Inbound parse problems
  • If replies never appear, verify the Parse Hostname is configured in SendGrid and that the required MX or DNS routing is in place for that hostname.
  • If Inbound Parse is enabled in Drip Drop but not configured in SendGrid, complete the manual provider-side setup.
  • If replies arrive but do not match the expected outbound message, test again with a fresh send so the tracking headers are present.
  • See Integrations for the shared provider setup flow and provider management basics.
  • Compare Gmail or Outlook if you need a mailbox-style email sender instead of an ESP.