# Mailwake documentation

Mailwake watches the IMAP folders you choose and tells you when new mail arrives. An outpost is the Mailwake service running on your server or NAS. It monitors mailboxes and delivers notifications; the iOS App lets you receive notifications, read messages and manage mailboxes on your phone. Choose the guide for how you want to use Mailwake.

## Use an outpost

Run the outpost on your server or NAS, manage mailboxes in the web console, and receive notifications through Bark, Pushover or a webhook. The outpost console and script API are free. Keep your usual email client for reading and replying.

1. [Deploy an outpost](deploy.md) and create your administrator account. Set up [HTTPS](https.md) for remote access.
2. [Connect a mailbox](mailboxes.md), then [choose folders to watch](folders.md).
3. [Configure a notification channel](notifications.md) and send a test.
4. Send a **new** message into that folder and follow [your first notification](first-notification.md).

Existing messages form the initial baseline. Monitoring starts with new messages after subscription. Finish with a [backup](backup.md); see the [HTTP API reference](api.md) for automation.

## Use the App

Connect the App to your own outpost or to an outpost whose owner has invited you. If your outpost is ready, start with the connection guide. To set up your own, [deploy an outpost](deploy.md) first.

1. [Connect the App](connect-app.md): obtain an invitation, scan it and grant the permissions you need.
2. Follow the connection guide to [enable native notifications](connect-app.md#enable-native-notifications), choose the receiving phone, save and send a test.
3. Read the [App guide](app.md) to view notifications, read messages and manage authorized mailboxes.

Ordinary native email notifications, folder discovery and management changes in the App require Pro. Message-body reading is free; the owner separately grants content access.

## Get help

Use [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) to check mailbox monitoring, notification delivery, App connections and permissions. Check the outpost and App connection state separately from the selected notification target.

## Open source and contributing

The outpost is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only. The [source repository](https://github.com/mingzaily/mailwake) contains source, releases and English contributor documentation. Start with [Contributing](https://github.com/mingzaily/mailwake/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for builds and tests, or the [technical index](https://github.com/mingzaily/mailwake/blob/main/docs/README.md) for implementation details. The iOS App and official services use proprietary licenses.

All user guides are available here in the same nine languages as the website. Use the language selector to switch versions.