Saavo

Configure Resend

Configure Resend, a sending domain, and an API key so Saavo can send registration verification, password resets, and other system emails in production.

Saavo uses Resend by default for system emails such as registration verification, password resets, and account security alerts. During local development, email content appears only in the terminal. The project calls Resend to send real email after deployment to Cloudflare.

Before you begin, prepare:

  • A domain already connected to Cloudflare DNS.
  • A Resend account you can use long-term.
  • A support email address that can receive user replies.

If your domain is not connected to Cloudflare yet, complete Configure domains first. Resend verification does not depend on whether your website has a Custom Domain. It only needs the domain to be managed by Cloudflare.

Choose two email addresses

This guide continues with webpagetopdf.dev and configures outgoing and incoming email separately:

AddressPurposeDoes it need a real mailbox?
send@mail.webpagetopdf.devSender address shown in system emailsNo separate mailbox is needed
support@webpagetopdf.devReceives user replies and serves as the website's support addressMust be able to receive email

Resend verifies the mail.webpagetopdf.dev subdomain. After verification, you can send from addresses such as send@mail.webpagetopdf.dev and account@mail.webpagetopdf.dev without creating those mailboxes first.

The support address is different. Saavo puts supportEmail in Reply-To, so replies go to that address and it must be able to receive them. You can use Cloudflare Email Routing to forward support@webpagetopdf.dev to your regular mailbox.

Sending and receiving can use different services

Resend sends system email from mail.webpagetopdf.dev, while Cloudflare Email Routing receives user replies at support@webpagetopdf.dev. They use different names, so they do not overwrite each other or require two sets of MX records on the root domain.

Sign up for Resend

Create an account

Open the Resend sign-up page. You can register with Google, GitHub, or an email address and password. Choose a sign-in method you can manage long-term and follow the prompts to verify your email address.

Create a Resend account

Do not share one account among team members. After signing up, invite members to the same Resend Team so you can revoke their permissions individually later.

Open the dashboard

After signing in, you arrive at Send your first email. In the sidebar, Domains lets you verify sending domains, and API keys lets you create the keys your project needs.

Resend dashboard homepage

The test address on the homepage can confirm that your account can call the API, but it does not replace verification of a production domain. Complete the following setup before Saavo can send email to real users.

Verify the sending domain

Open domain management

Open Domains in the sidebar. On first use, the page shows No domains yet. Click Add domain in the center or upper-right corner.

Open Resend domain management

Enter the subdomain

Under Name, enter:

mail.webpagetopdf.dev

Add a sending subdomain in Resend

Enter a domain, not an email address such as send@mail.webpagetopdf.dev. Do not add https:// or a path.

Unless you have specific regional or compliance requirements, you can keep the defaults under Advanced options. Resend generates DNS records based on the current settings. Use the values actually shown on your page rather than copying records from the screenshots.

Check the domain and click Add domain.

Choose automatic DNS configuration

After adding the domain, Resend opens DNS Records. Since this guide uses a domain managed by Cloudflare, click Auto configure.

Choose automatic Resend DNS configuration

If automatic configuration is unavailable, or you do not want to authorize Resend to write DNS records, choose Manual setup. Add each record under Cloudflare DNS → Records, using the listed type, name, and value.

Authorize DNS changes

Cloudflare lists the records Resend will add. Confirm that the domain is mail.webpagetopdf.dev and all records are DNS only, then click Authorize.

Authorize Resend to add Cloudflare DNS records

This is a one-time authorization to write only the records listed on the current page. It does not let Resend change the entire domain freely in the future. Record contents are blurred in the screenshot. You must use the values generated on your own page.

Wait for Resend to check DNS

After authorization, you return to the domain details page. Pending status with progress at Checking DNS means the records have been submitted and Resend is waiting for DNS to take effect.

Wait for Resend to check Cloudflare DNS

Do not repeatedly delete the domain or authorize access again. You can first confirm that the records appear under Cloudflare DNS → Records, then wait for Resend to continue checking.

Confirm successful verification

Return to Domains. When mail.webpagetopdf.dev shows Verified, your current Resend account can send email from this subdomain.

Resend domain verification succeeded

Domain verification does not complete Saavo's setup. You still need to create an API key and add the sender address and key to the project.

Add DNS records manually when needed

After choosing Manual setup, open both Resend's domain details and Cloudflare's DNS → Records. Add each MX, TXT, or CNAME record from Resend's list:

  • The type, name, content, and priority must match the Resend page.
  • You can leave TTL set to Auto.
  • Keep records that support proxying set to DNS only.
  • Cloudflare's Name field usually takes the portion relative to the root domain. Check the final full domain shown in the input.
  • If a record with the same name already exists, identify the service it belongs to first. Do not delete it immediately or combine the contents of two SPF records yourself.

After saving all records, return to Resend and start verification again.

Check for a duplicated root domain

Cloudflare appends the root domain to some input fields. Check the final name before saving so mail.webpagetopdf.dev does not become mail.webpagetopdf.dev.webpagetopdf.dev. Automatic configuration usually avoids this issue.

Create an API key

Open API Keys

Open API keys in Resend's sidebar and click Create API key.

Open Resend API Keys

Restrict key permissions

Use a name that identifies the key's purpose, such as email sender or webpagetopdf-production. Set Permission to Sending access, select the verified mail.webpagetopdf.dev under Domain, and click Add.

Create a sending-only Resend API key

Saavo does not need Full access to send email. Restricting the key to a specific domain prevents this project from sending through other domains you may add to the same Resend account later.

Save the key immediately

Resend displays the full API key after creation. Copy it and save it in a password manager or the .env.production file you will configure later.

Copy and save the Resend API key

The full key appears only once. Confirm that you have saved it before clicking Done. Do not put it in browser code, screenshots, chat history, or a Git repository.

Revoke exposed keys immediately

If an API key has appeared in a public repository, screenshot, or chat history, return to Resend immediately to revoke it and create a new one. Removing it from a file does not stop someone who already has the key from using it.

Configure Saavo

First confirm that the project uses Resend as its email service. The default template already has this configuration:

config/deploy.ts
emailProvider: {
    type: 'resend',
},

The sender name, sender address, and support address are in config/base.ts:

config/base.ts
fromEmailAddress: {
    name: 'Webpage to PDF',
    email: 'send@mail.webpagetopdf.dev',
},
supportEmail: 'support@webpagetopdf.dev',

fromEmailAddress.email must belong to the exact domain you verified. If you verified mail.webpagetopdf.dev, you cannot use send@webpagetopdf.dev as the sender.

Before the initial deployment

Run:

npm run deploy:init

The deployment process asks for these values in order:

Email sender address
Support email address
Resend API key

Enter:

send@mail.webpagetopdf.dev
support@webpagetopdf.dev
The Resend API Key you just created

The script updates both email addresses in config/base.ts and saves the API key to .env.production. The interactive process does not change fromEmailAddress.name. Before deploying to production, open config/base.ts and confirm that it uses your current product name.

After the project has been deployed

First update the sender name, sender address, and support address in config/base.ts, then add the key to .env.production:

RESEND_API_KEY="Your Resend API Key"

Then run:

npm run doctor
npm run deploy:update

Do not add the secret only through the Cloudflare Dashboard. Subsequent Saavo deployments still use .env.production as the source of truth. Changing only the remote environment leaves the local record out of sync with the deployment.

Local development does not send real email

npm run dev prints [DEV EMAIL PREVIEW] in the terminal without calling Resend. You can leave RESEND_API_KEY empty in the local .env. Store the production key only in .env.production.

Send a real email

After deployment, verify the complete flow in production:

  1. Register with an address that can receive email, or request a password reset.
  2. Check the inbox and spam folder.
  3. Open Emails in Resend and confirm that the message appears.
  4. Open the message details and check its sending status.
  5. Confirm that From is send@mail.webpagetopdf.dev and Reply-To is support@webpagetopdf.dev.
  6. Reply directly to the test message and confirm that the support mailbox receives it.

Verified only means Resend accepts the sending domain. It does not prove that the project settings, production key, and support mailbox are correct. Email setup is complete only after the entire flow passes.

Common issues