This article assumes you have already added a Sender to MCA Pilot. If you haven't, start with Connect Your Email to MCA Pilot and then return here.
Enable AI Processing on a Sender so MCA Pilot can read declines, offers, and required stipulations from your inbox automatically.
Enable AI Processing
On the bottom left of the MCA Pilot sidebar, click your name or initials, then select View profile. This opens your user profile page, not the workspace-wide Settings page.
Switch to the Senders tab. Hover over the Sender you want to set up and click Edit. Near the bottom, check the box labeled AI Processing, then click Confirm to save.
Enter IMAP Credentials
After enabling AI Processing, new IMAP fields appear. These are separate from your SMTP settings. Enter the following:
Field | What to enter | Example |
IMAP username | Your full email address | |
IMAP Host | Your provider's IMAP server | imap.gmail.com |
IMAP Port | Provider port | 993 |
IMAP Requires SSL/TLS | Connection type | TRUE (checked) |
After entering the fields, click Confirm to save. Then hover over the same Sender and click Update password. A pop-up asks for both SMTP and IMAP passwords. You must update both at the same time; you cannot update one without the other.
In most cases, the same password works for both SMTP and IMAP, so paste it into both fields.
Provider-Specific Password Rules
Each provider has exact password requirements. Using the wrong credential is the most common cause of connection failures.
Google Workspace / Gmail
Use a Google app password, not your regular Gmail login password.
In your Google Account, go to Security > 2-Step Verification and turn it on.
Scroll to the bottom and open App passwords.
Name the password MCA Pilot so you can identify it later.
Click Create and copy the 16-character password to your clipboard. Do not copy an extra space at the end.
Paste the app password into both the SMTP and IMAP password fields in MCA Pilot.
Google automatically deletes app passwords when you change your Gmail password. If you recently changed your Gmail password, generate a new app password and update the sender again.
If you use your Gmail login password instead of an app password, it may work at first, but Google will eventually reject the connection and return the error: Invalid login: 534-5.7.9 Application-specific password required
IMAP settings for Gmail:
IMAP username: your full email address
IMAP password: Google app password (16 characters, no extra spaces)
IMAP host:
imap.gmail.comIMAP port:
993IMAP requires SSL/TLS:
TRUE(checked)
Microsoft Outlook
Use your regular Outlook login password.
IMAP username: your full email address
IMAP password: your Outlook login password
IMAP host:
outlook.office365.comIMAP port:
993IMAP requires SSL/TLS:
TRUE(checked)
Verify the Connection
There is no self-serve connection test for IMAP. The quickest way to confirm the setup is working is to hover over the Sender and click AI Processing. This triggers reading on demand for that Sender.
If you prefer to wait, MCA Pilot checks the inbox at regular intervals. If funder responses are present, you will see submissions updated or new offers created.
After successful processing, the sender should show a status such as Verified with a timestamp. If you do not see any changes, it may mean no new funder responses with status updates have arrived yet.
Recovery Checklist
If email processing stops or you see connection errors, check these items in order:
Wrong password type. Gmail users must use an app password, not the login password. Microsoft users must use the Outlook login password.
App password revoked. If you changed your Gmail password recently, Google deleted the old app password. Generate a new one and paste it into both SMTP and IMAP fields.
Check for Google security alerts. If you received a Google email about mail/IMAP access or a new sign-in, approve the alert to restore access.
Exact error messages. If you see
Invalid login: 534-5.7.9 Application-specific password requiredor[Google] Invalid login: Username and Password not accepted, the credential is wrong or revoked. Re-create the app password.Google connection limits. During a large backlog, Google may temporarily throttle IMAP connections. Wait a few minutes and trigger AI Processing again.
Microsoft 365 SMTP AUTH. If you also use Microsoft for sending and see a
535error, SMTP AUTH is likely disabled on your tenant. This is a sending issue, not an IMAP issue, but it shares the same password update path.
If the checklist above does not resolve the issue, see AI Processing and Connect Your Email to MCA Pilot for additional context.