Mailgun Setup Checklist for Sparkforge

This checklist covers the moving pieces required to wire Mailgun into Sparkforge for sending and replies. Walk through each section in order — most deliverability issues trace back to a step skipped here.

1. Confirm your Mailgun plan

The minimum plan for full functionality is Foundation 50k. The Flex pay-as-you-grow plan does not include inbound replies, which breaks two-way conversations in Sparkforge.

2. Configure your sending subdomain in Mailgun

1. Create a subdomain off your root domain — for example, reply.yourdomain.com.
2. Add the DNS records Mailgun provides into your domain registrar.
3. Wait for propagation, then verify the records in Mailgun.
4. Under Sending > Domains, confirm the green checkmark on your subdomain.
5. Under Sending > Domain Settings, enable Click Tracking and Open Tracking. Enable Unsubscribes if you want one-click opt-out.
6. Set the Tracking Protocol to HTTPS so the SSL cert applies to your subdomain — your tracked links keep working even if your root domain SSL has issues.
7. Under Receiving, confirm a Catch-All Route is configured to the Sparkforge webhook. This route auto-creates once the API key and subdomain are connected on the Sparkforge side.

3. Connect Mailgun in Sparkforge

1. From Agency View > Settings > Mailgun, attach the API key and subdomain to the correct sub-account.
2. Switch into the sub-account, open Settings > Email Services (SMTP / Mailgun), and confirm the subdomain is selected as the Default Provider.
3. BCC Emails: only fill this in if you want every outgoing email also delivered to an external address.
4. Forwarding Address: only fill this if you want every incoming reply also delivered to an external address.
5. Forward to Assigned User: same logic, but routed to whoever is assigned to the contact or campaign.

Important. If you BCC or forward replies to an outside inbox and someone responds from that inbox, the reply route breaks for that thread. New replies will not appear in Sparkforge Conversations. Keep all replies inside Sparkforge to preserve threading.

4. Set From Name and From Email correctly

Sparkforge looks for the From Name and From Email in this order and stops at the first value it finds.

1. Contacts > Bulk Request > Send Email > From Name and From Email (if set).
2. Workflow Email step or Campaign Configuration > From Name and From Email.
3. Workflow Settings > From Name and From Email.
4. Assigned User: in Campaigns it pulls from Campaign Configuration > Assigned User; otherwise it pulls from the contact's Assigned User.
5. Company Name and Company Email as the final fallback.

If email still isn't sending

Deliverability has dozens of variables outside this checklist — domain age, sender reputation, content scoring, inbox provider rules. If you've worked through every step and still see issues, get an email deliverability specialist involved.