FAQ

Can Sydbar send email without me?

Only if you turn on agent email for a business, and then only for the kinds of email you hand to agents, inside guardrails you set: an undo window, a sending line, daily caps, and never to a new address or a machine. It's off until you turn it on. Otherwise every email needs you to press Send, and replies with an invoice need you to tick "I approve this exact reply" first.

Do I need a Google account?

No. You sign in with email and password. Connect Gmail only if the business's mail is on Gmail and you want calendar, Meet transcripts and archive sync. iCloud, Yahoo and most other mail connect with an app password. Microsoft mailboxes (Outlook, Hotmail, Microsoft 365) can't connect yet.

Does new mail come in automatically?

Yes. When you connect, Sydbar brings in your latest conversations that matter (you pick how many), then checks each connected mailbox for new mail about every five minutes. Press Refresh in the inbox to check right away. Newsletters and notifications stay in your mailbox; see What comes in.

Does archiving in Sydbar change Gmail?

With Gmail connected through Google, yes, and Sydbar says so. With an app password, or without permission to change mail, it stays in Sydbar and the row says "Sydbar only". Sample conversations never touch Gmail.

Does Sydbar delete anything for good?

Not your mail. Trash is Gmail's Trash, which Gmail empties after 30 days.

Sydbar's own copy goes for good only when you ask: Settings → Business → Delete removes a business and everything in it (conversations, clients, invoices, booking pages, client portal links, context and connections), and Settings → Account → Delete account removes your account with every business only you belong to. Both ask you to type the name to confirm, revoke Sydbar's access to your mailbox, and never touch the mail in it. Settings → Data → Remove demo data removes the sample clients you tick, and sample invoices with no client or a demo flag on a sample client. Delete on a client page removes that one client. The mailbox connection stays, and an invoice on a live client stays with that client.

Can one person run several businesses?

Yes, as many as you like. Each is sealed from the others, and All inboxes shows them side by side.

Does Sydbar mark invoices paid?

No. When a client says they've paid, Sydbar shows "Looks paid" with their sentence. You confirm it.

Will it cancel my subscriptions?

No. It reminds you before the renewal. Cancelling stays with you.

We don't use Google Meet. Can we still draft scopes?

Yes. Paste a transcript from Zoom, Otter, Fireflies or your notes, or upload a .txt, .md or .vtt file.

Do clients need an account for the portal?

No. They open the private link, accept with their name, and can send notes.

Will Sydbar overwrite our README?

No. If the repo already has a README, the scope goes into SCOPE.md. Sydbar only writes when you choose Set up or Update.

Who pays for the AI?

Your own Anthropic or OpenAI key, billed by your provider, unless your workspace includes Sydbar's credits. See AI in Sydbar.

Can my AI agent use Sydbar?

Yes, over MCP. It can read, prepare and draft replies for you to approve. It sends only with a key you allowed to send, through the business's agent email rules, and it never approves or pays anything. See Connect an AI agent.