Template System

Outpost uses Markdown templates for all outgoing emails — team invitations, ticket notifications, SLA breach alerts, and more. Templates support variable interpolation and are sent via Resend.

How Templates Work

Templates live in the templates/ directory at the repository root. Each template is a Markdown file with YAML frontmatter that defines metadata (name, subject line, sender address) and a body that supports {{variable}} interpolation.

When an email needs to be sent, Outpost loads the appropriate template, replaces all {{variable}} placeholders with real values, renders the Markdown to HTML, and delivers it through the Resend API.

Template Format

Every template follows this structure:

templates/invite.md markdown

---
name: Team Member Invite
subject: "You've been invited to join {{org.name}}"
from: "{{org.name}} <{{org.email}}>"
---

Hi {{member.name}},

You've been invited to join **{{org.name}}** on Outpost.

{{member.invitedBy}} has added you as a **{{member.role}}**.
Click the link below to accept your invitation:

[Accept Invitation]({{invite.url}})

This invitation will expire in {{invite.expiresIn}}.

Frontmatter Fields

Field	Description	Required
name	Human-readable template name (shown in the dashboard)	Yes
subject	Email subject line (supports `{{variables}}`)	Yes
from	Sender display name and address (supports `{{variables}}`)	Yes

Variable Interpolation

Variables use double-brace syntax: {{namespace.field}}. The available variables depend on the context in which the template is rendered.

Common Variable Namespaces

Namespace	Fields	Available In
org	`name`, `email`	All templates
member	`name`, `email`, `role`, `invitedBy`	invite, welcome
invite	`url`, `expiresIn`	invite
ticket	`displayId`, `title`, `url`, `status`	ticket-created, ticket-resolved, escalation
customer	`name`, `email`	ticket-created, ticket-resolved
sla	`target`, `elapsed`, `priority`	sla-breach

Built-in Templates

Outpost ships with these templates out of the box:

File	Name	Purpose
invite.md	Team Member Invite	Sent when inviting a new team member
welcome.md	Welcome	Sent when a member accepts their invitation
ticket-created.md	Ticket Created	Acknowledgment to the customer when a ticket is opened
ticket-resolved.md	Ticket Resolved	Notification when a ticket is marked resolved
escalation.md	Escalation	Internal alert when a ticket is escalated
sla-breach.md	SLA Breach	Alert when an SLA target is about to be or has been breached
digest.md	Digest	Periodic summary of open tickets and activity

Editing Templates in the Dashboard

Templates can be edited directly from the Outpost dashboard under Settings → Templates. The dashboard provides a live preview with sample data so you can see how the rendered email will look before saving. Changes made in the dashboard override the file-based defaults.

Resend Email Integration

Outpost uses Resend for email delivery. To enable email sending:

Create a Resend account and generate an API key
Set RESEND_API_KEY in your .env file
Optionally set EMAIL_FROM to customize the sender address
Verify your sending domain in the Resend dashboard

Note: If RESEND_API_KEY is not set, Outpost will log email contents to the console instead of sending them. This is useful during local development.

Creating Custom Templates

To create a new template:

Create a new .md file in the templates/ directory
Add the required YAML frontmatter (name, subject, from)
Write the email body in Markdown with {{variable}} placeholders
Register the template in your sending code by referencing the filename (without extension)

templates/custom-alert.md markdown

---
name: Custom Alert
subject: "[{{org.name}}] {{alert.title}}"
from: "{{org.name}} Alerts <{{org.email}}>"
---

**{{alert.title}}**

{{alert.message}}

[View Details]({{alert.url}})

— {{org.name}}

The Markdown body supports all standard Markdown features: bold, italic, links, lists, headings, and code blocks. The rendered HTML is automatically wrapped in a responsive email layout.

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