managing-postmark

name	managing-postmark
description	Use when working with Postmark — postmark transactional email service management including server configuration, message streams, delivery statistics, bounce tracking, template management, and sender signature verification. Covers delivery rates, latency metrics, and suppression list monitoring.
connection_type	postmark
preload	false

Postmark Management Skill

Monitor and manage Postmark transactional email delivery.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always discover servers and message streams before querying delivery stats.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash
PM_API="https://api.postmarkapp.com"
ACCT_HDR="X-Postmark-Account-Token: ${POSTMARK_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
SRV_HDR="X-Postmark-Server-Token: ${POSTMARK_SERVER_TOKEN}"

echo "=== Servers ==="
curl -s -H "$ACCT_HDR" "$PM_API/servers?count=50&offset=0" | \
  jq -r '.Servers[] | "\(.Name) | ID: \(.ID) | Color: \(.Color) | SMTP: \(.SmtpApiActivated)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Message Streams ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/message-streams" | \
  jq -r '.MessageStreams[] | "\(.ID) | Name: \(.Name) | Type: \(.MessageStreamType)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Sender Signatures ==="
curl -s -H "$ACCT_HDR" "$PM_API/senders?count=50&offset=0" | \
  jq -r '.SenderSignatures[] | "\(.EmailAddress) | Confirmed: \(.Confirmed) | SPF: \(.SPFVerified) | DKIM: \(.DKIMVerified)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Templates ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/templates?count=50&offset=0" | \
  jq -r '"Total Templates: \(.TotalCount)"'

Phase 1 outputs: Servers, message streams, sender verification, template count

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Delivery Stats (30 days) ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/stats/outbound?fromdate=$(date -v-30d +%Y-%m-%d 2>/dev/null || date -d '30 days ago' +%Y-%m-%d)&todate=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)" | \
  jq -r '"Sent: \(.Sent)\nBounced: \(.Bounced) (\(.BounceRate)%)\nSpam Complaints: \(.SpamComplaints) (\(.SpamComplaintsRate)%)\nTracked Opens: \(.Opens)\nUnique Opens: \(.UniqueOpens)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Bounce Summary ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/bounces?count=10&offset=0" | \
  jq -r '.Bounces[:5] | .[] | "\(.Email) | Type: \(.Type) | \(.Name) | \(.BouncedAt)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Bounce Types ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/deliverystats" | \
  jq -r '.Bounces[] | "\(.Type): \(.Count)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Suppression List ==="
curl -s -H "$SRV_HDR" "$PM_API/message-streams/outbound/suppressions/dump" | \
  jq -r '"Suppressed addresses: \(.Suppressions | length)"'

Output Format

POSTMARK STATUS
===============
Server: {name}
Streams: {count} ({types})
Senders: {verified}/{total} verified
30-Day: Sent={count} Bounced={count} ({rate}%)
Spam Complaints: {count} ({rate}%)
Open Rate: {percent}%
Suppressions: {count}
Issues: {list_of_warnings}

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Account vs Server token: Account token manages servers; server token manages messages
• Message streams: Transactional and broadcast are separate streams — stats differ
• Suppression management: Postmark auto-suppresses hard bounces and spam complaints
• Rate limits: 50 API calls per second — implement backoff for bulk operations