Auto-Responders
Auto-responders send a reply for you when you can't. MailPrism gives you two independent responders — one for vacations, one for after hours — and you can run either, both, or neither. Find them under Settings → Auto-responder.
| Responder | Triggers on | Schedule style |
|---|---|---|
| Vacation | You being away between two dates | A date range |
| After-hours | Mail arriving outside your working hours | Set hours on set days |
If both responders would fire on the same email, the Vacation responder wins — so you won't send a "we're closed for the evening" reply while you're actually on holiday.
Vacation responder
Turn this on when you're away. It replies to incoming mail between your start and end dates, then goes quiet again.
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Start date / End date | The window when the responder is active |
| Subject line | The reply subject (use {original_subject} to echo theirs) |
| Response message | The body of the reply (use {sender_name} for the sender's name) |
| Workflow | Send immediately, or Create draft for review |
| Response delay | A short wait before replying — 30 sec to 5 min (1 min recommended) |
| Who receives responses | Everyone, My contacts only, or a Whitelist |
When you choose Whitelist, you add specific email addresses that should always get a reply — useful for important contacts when everyone else is filtered out.
The short delay lets Gmail finish classifying the email first — so the responder can correctly skip a newsletter or promo that hasn't been sorted yet. Leave it at the recommended setting unless you have a reason to change it.
After-hours responder
This one replies to mail that lands outside your working hours, then waits for the next business day.
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Business hours | A start time and end time (e.g. 09:00–17:00) |
| Work days | The days those hours apply (e.g. Mon–Fri) |
| Timezone | So your hours track your local clock |
| Subject line | The reply subject ({original_subject} echoes theirs) |
| Response message | The body (use {business_hours} to show your schedule) |
| Workflow | Send immediately, or Create draft for review |
| Response delay | A short wait before replying — 15 sec to 2 min (30 sec recommended) |
| Who receives responses | Everyone, My contacts only, or a Whitelist |
Replies go out only for mail that arrives outside the hours and days you mark as working time.
Draft vs. send
Both responders share the Workflow choice:
- Send immediately — the reply goes out on its own.
- Create draft for review — MailPrism writes the reply and leaves it as a draft, so you can check it before anything is sent.
If you're nervous about automatic replies, set the workflow to draft for a day. You'll see exactly what would have gone out, with zero risk of an unwanted send.
Built-in safety
Auto-responders are deliberately cautious so they never turn into a spam machine or an auto-reply loop. These protections are always on:
- No-reply addresses are skipped — MailPrism won't reply to
no-reply@…senders. - Mailing lists are skipped — anything carrying an unsubscribe header is left alone.
- Automated and system mail is skipped — newsletters, promotions, notifications, transactional receipts, spam, and cold outreach don't get a reply, so you avoid loops.
- Rate limits — at most one auto-reply per sender per day, plus a daily cap across all senders.
The safety filters and rate limits protect your reputation as a sender. They apply to every auto-reply regardless of your Who receives responses setting — except for addresses you add to a Whitelist, which always receive a reply.
Related
- Scheduling & recurrence — the date-range and time-based schedules that power these responders behind the scenes.
- Response tracking overview — what MailPrism does with replies once you're back.