---
title: Directus Integration
sidebarTitle: Directus
icon: "siDirectus"
description: Configure Directus CMS via environment variables to send system and transactional emails through Reloop SMTP.
---
> For the complete documentation index, see [llms-docs.txt](/llms-docs.txt) or the site index [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Full docs corpus: [llms-full-docs.txt](/llms-full-docs.txt). Prefer markdown URLs (append `.md`) for agent consumption. Product skill: [skill.md](/skill.md).


[Directus](https://directus.io) is a highly flexible, open-source data platform and headless CMS. By default, Directus does not send system emails (like password resets, user invitations, or activity notifications) unless an email transport is configured.

Connecting Directus with Reloop takes less than two minutes and is configured entirely through your `.env` configuration file.

---

## Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
1. A verified sending domain in your [Reloop Dashboard](https://app.reloop.sh).
2. A Reloop API Key (starts with `rl_`).

---

## Step 1: Configure SMTP in `.env`

Open the `.env` file in the root of your Directus project and locate the email configuration variables. Add or update the values to match the Reloop SMTP credentials below:

```env
# Email General Settings
EMAIL_FROM="notifications@yourdomain.com"
EMAIL_TRANSPORT="smtp"

# Reloop SMTP Configuration
EMAIL_SMTP_HOST="smtp.reloop.sh"
EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=587
EMAIL_SMTP_USER="YOUR_RELOOP_API_KEY"
EMAIL_SMTP_PASSWORD="YOUR_RELOOP_API_KEY"
EMAIL_SMTP_SECURE="false"
EMAIL_SMTP_IGNORE_TLS="false"
```

> [!IMPORTANT]
> - Ensure `EMAIL_FROM` matches a verified email address from your Reloop sending domain.
> - `EMAIL_SMTP_SECURE` must be set to `false`. Reloop uses port `587` with standard `STARTTLS` encryption (which is initiated automatically after connection). Setting this to `true` forces SSL on connection (SMLTPS on port 465) and will fail.

---

## Step 2: Restart Directus

To apply the configuration changes, restart your Directus service.

If you are running Directus locally or via Node:

```bash
npx directus start
```

If you are using Docker/Docker Compose:

```bash
docker compose restart directus
```

---

## Step 3: Test Email Delivery

1. Log in to the Directus Admin Panel.
2. Go to **Settings** → **User Directory** and invite a new user.
3. Check the inbox of the invited user to confirm receipt of the invite email.
4. Verify the delivery metrics and logs inside the **Reloop Dashboard**.