Connecting your email account

JobDex sends emails through your existing Gmail or Outlook account — I didn't want to run a mail server or ask you to trust me with your credentials. Instead, it uses OAuth, which means you log in directly with Google or Microsoft and grant specific permissions. Your password never touches JobDex.

There's one setup step that takes a bit of effort: creating OAuth credentials through Google or Microsoft's developer console. I know that sounds intimidating — I spent a while figuring out how to make this simpler and unfortunately this is the simplest it gets without me paying for Google's app verification (which I'm working on). The steps below walk you through it exactly.

Setting up Gmail

1. Go to Google Cloud Console Open console.cloud.google.com in your browser. Sign in with the Google account you want to use for sending emails.
2. Create a new project Click the project dropdown at the top of the page (it might say "Select a project" if this is your first time). Click "New Project." Name it anything — "JobDex" works. Click "Create."

1. Enable the Gmail API In the search bar at the top, search for "Gmail API." Click it in the results, then click "Enable."

1. Set up the OAuth consent screen In the left sidebar, go to "APIs & Services" → "OAuth consent screen." Choose "External" for User Type and click "Create." Fill in the App Name ("JobDex" is fine), your email for the support email, and your email again for the developer contact. Everything else can be left blank. Click "Save and Continue" through the Scopes and Test Users screens without changing anything. On the Summary screen, click "Back to Dashboard."

I know this feels like a lot of clicking through Google's console. The good news is you only do this once.

1. Add yourself as a test user Still on the OAuth consent screen, scroll down to "Test Users" and click "Add Users." Enter the Gmail address you'll be sending from. Save.
2. Create OAuth credentials In the left sidebar, go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials." Click "Create Credentials" → "OAuth client ID." Set Application type to Desktop app, name it anything, and click "Create." A popup will show your Client ID and Client Secret. Copy both — you'll need them in the next step.

1. Enter credentials in JobDex Open JobDex and go to Settings → Email Integration. Click "Configure Gmail Credentials." Paste your Client ID and Client Secret into the fields and save.

1. Connect your account Click "Connect Gmail Account." Your browser will open with a Google sign-in screen. Sign in with the same account you added as a test user in Step 5. You may see a warning saying "Google hasn't verified this app" — click "Advanced" then "Go to JobDex (unsafe)." This is normal for apps in testing mode. Grant the requested permissions. Your browser will redirect and JobDex will confirm the connection.

Until the app is fully verified by Google — which costs money and takes weeks of review that I'm working through — it runs in "testing mode." That's why you need to add yourself as a test user. It's a Google limitation, not a security issue. Add your own email and you're good.

Setting up Outlook

The Outlook setup follows a similar pattern through Microsoft Azure.

1. Go to Azure Portal Open portal.azure.com and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Register a new application Search for "App registrations" in the top search bar and select it. Click "New registration." Name it "JobDex," set Supported account types to "Accounts in any organizational directory and personal Microsoft accounts," and set the Redirect URI to Public client/native with the value http://localhost:8080. Click "Register."

1. Copy your Application (Client) ID On the app overview page, copy the Application (client) ID. This is your Client ID.
2. Create a client secret In the left sidebar, click "Certificates & secrets." Click "New client secret." Add a description (anything) and set an expiry (24 months is fine). Click "Add." Copy the Value immediately — it won't be shown again.

1. Add API permissions In the left sidebar, click "API permissions." Click "Add a permission" → "Microsoft Graph" → "Delegated permissions." Search for and add: Mail.Send, Mail.ReadWrite, offline_access. Click "Grant admin consent" if the button is available — that's fine if it's not, depending on your account type.
2. Enter credentials in JobDex Open JobDex and go to Settings → Email Integration. Click "Configure Outlook Credentials." Enter your Client ID and Client Secret and save.
3. Connect your account Click "Connect Outlook Account." Your browser will open with a Microsoft sign-in. Sign in and grant permissions. JobDex will confirm the connection.

Once your account is connected, JobDex will sync your recent email threads so it can show you email history per contact. This happens in the background and may take a minute on first sync.

Microsoft's Azure portal is honestly more confusing than Google's console, but once you get through it, the connection is solid. If you get stuck on any step, open an issue and I'll help you through it.