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Why are outbound auto-sent emails collapsed in the thread timeline?

When Plain sends an email automatically, for example through a workflow action, it appears collapsed in the thread timeline. Instead of the full email body, Plain shows the line "This email was sent automatically" and a Show message button. Click it to expand and read the content.

Auto-sent messages are often boilerplate: acknowledgements, confirmations or routing replies that team members rarely need to re-read. Collapsing them keeps the timeline focused on customer messages and team member replies.

Which emails are collapsed

  • Emails sent by Plain's system, typically triggered by workflow actions, are collapsed. They show "This email was sent automatically" with a Show message button.
  • Emails sent by machine users, such as API integrations or bots configured in your workspace, are shown fully expanded.
  • Emails sent manually by a team member are always fully visible.

Can I expand all messages by default?

No. There is no workspace-level or user-level setting to expand system emails automatically. To read a collapsed message, click Show message on that timeline entry.