Inbound Email Action Not Logging Emails Despite Successful IMAP Connection

[Damayanti Sarod]

Hello Community,

-We’ve set up an Inbound Email Action in our ServiceNow instance to create an HR Case when an email is sent to a specific external email address.
-Here’s what we’ve configured so far:

-We created an Email Account in ServiceNow with type: IMAP, pointing to the external email. The Test Connection is successful.

-In the Inbound Email Action, we have a condition:
recipient contains <external_email_address>

-The action is designed to trigger the creation of an HR case when emails are received at this external address.

Issue:
When a user sends an email to the external email address, the email does not appear in the Email Logs . As a result, the inbound action is not triggered.

Any help or suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks,

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Damayanti Sarod 

Are email priorities are active, and does it work for other records as well, like incidents?

[jens_t]

When inbound emails don’t show up in the ServiceNow Email Logs, the issue is usually before the inbound action rules are evaluated. Here are some checks you can run:

1. Email Account Setup

   • Make sure the email account record is marked Active.

   • Confirm that Use for Incoming Email is enabled.

   • Verify that the mailbox actually contains the test emails (log in directly to the account and check the inbox/folder ServiceNow is polling).

2. Email Receiving Configuration

   • Go to System Properties > Email and ensure that inbound email processing is enabled.

   • Check if the POP/IMAP Polling Schedule job is active and running.

3. Testing and Logging

   • After sending a test email, refresh the Email Logs (sys_email table) to confirm if the message reached ServiceNow.

   • If no logs appear, the issue is with the mailbox connection or schedule, not your inbound action.

   • Once logs appear, confirm that your inbound email action conditions (recipient contains <address>) match exactly.

If the email never makes it into the logs, the inbound action won’t fire. Start with mailbox ingestion, then move on to testing your rule logic once messages are flowing.

[jens_t]

When inbound emails don’t show up in the ServiceNow Email Logs, the issue is usually before the inbound action rules are evaluated. Here are some checks you can run:

Email Account Setup

Make sure the email account record is marked Active.

Confirm that Use for Incoming Email is enabled.

Verify that the mailbox contains the test emails (log in directly to the account and check the inbox/folder ServiceNow is polling).

Email Receiving Configuration

Go to System Properties > Email and ensure that inbound email processing is enabled.

Check if the POP/IMAP Polling Schedule job is active and running.

Testing and Logging

After sending a test email, refresh the Email Logs (sys_email table) to confirm if the message reached ServiceNow.

If no logs appear, the issue is with the mailbox connection or schedule, not your inbound action.

Once logs appear, confirm that your inbound email action conditions (recipient contains <address>) match exactly.

If the email never makes it into the logs, the inbound action won’t fire. Start with mailbox ingestion, then move on to testing your rule logic once messages are flowing.

[maxstnr]

Having the same exact problem, came up just this week. We have a support case open at the moment for it but did you find anything on your instance?