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docs: document IAM permissions for SES email transport #782

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30 changes: 30 additions & 0 deletions content/configuration/email.md
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Expand Up @@ -51,6 +51,36 @@ Based on the `EMAIL_TRANSPORT` used, you must also provide additional variables.
| `EMAIL_SES_CREDENTIALS__SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` | Your AWS SES secret key. | |
| `EMAIL_SES_REGION` | Your AWS SES region. | |

#### IAM Permissions

Directus sends mail through Amazon SES using the AWS SES v2 API (via Nodemailer). The IAM user or role for your SES credentials needs permission to call `ses:SendRawEmail`.

A minimal policy looks like:

```json
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "ses:SendRawEmail",
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:ses:REGION:ACCOUNT_ID:identity/YOUR_VERIFIED_IDENTITY"
]
}
]
}
```

Replace `REGION`, `ACCOUNT_ID`, and `YOUR_VERIFIED_IDENTITY` with your SES region, AWS account ID, and the verified email address or domain used in [`EMAIL_FROM`](#email-templates).

When `EMAIL_VERIFY_SETUP` is `true` (the default), `/server/health` calls Nodemailer's `verify()` method. That check attempts a test send from `invalid@invalid`. For the health check to succeed with a least-privilege policy, either:

- also allow `ses:SendRawEmail` on `arn:aws:ses:REGION:ACCOUNT_ID:identity/invalid@invalid` (SES should then reject the address; Nodemailer treats `MessageRejected` / `InvalidParameterValue` as a successful verification), or
- set `EMAIL_VERIFY_SETUP=false` to skip the email health check.

Without one of those options, health checks can fail with an opaque internal error even when normal sends from `EMAIL_FROM` work.

## Email Templates

Templates can be used to add custom templates for your emails, or to override the system emails used for things like resetting a password or inviting a user.
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