Out of office — Nixt Mail docs

An out-of-office reply is a message people receive automatically when they write to you while you are away. In Nixt Mail you set it up, but your mail server sends it — so it keeps replying whether or not Nixt Mail is open, and stops on the last day you chose even if you never open Nixt Mail again.

Nothing about the reply is kept on this device. Nixt Mail reads it from your server when you open the section and writes it back when you save.

Which accounts can have one

Account	Out of office in Nixt Mail
Signed in to a JMAP server that offers automatic replies, such as Nixt Server	Yes.
Signed in with a password or app password, where the mail server offers the standard ManageSieve service — common on servers an organisation runs itself	Yes.
Gmail or Outlook signed in through the browser	Set it in Gmail’s or Outlook’s own settings.
An account that is not connected	Once it connects.

For password accounts, Nixt Mail connects to the ManageSieve service on your mail server — the same host as its IMAP server, on port 4190 — and sends your password only after the connection is encrypted. If the server does not offer ManageSieve, or does not offer to encrypt it, use your provider’s web settings.

Set an out-of-office reply

Open Settings › Out of office.
If you have more than one connected account, choose the account’s address under Reply while I am away.
Turn on the Reply while I am away switch. The line under it begins On once you save.
Choose the first day:
- Leave First day away: any to start from now, or
- Choose First day away: any, pick a date, and choose OK. The button then shows the date, such as First day away: 20 Sep 2026.
Choose the last day the same way with Last day away. Leave it as any to keep replying until you turn it off.
Optionally, type a subject in Subject (optional). If you leave it empty, your server chooses one, usually based on the subject of the message it is answering.
Type the reply in What people will read.
Choose Save. The button reads Working… while Nixt Mail talks to your server.

When it has saved, a sentence under the form says what your server will now do, for example:

Saved. Your server will reply from 20 Sep 2026 to the end of 27 Sep 2026, once to each sender every few days.

Days chosen	The sentence says your server will reply
Neither	from now until you turn it off
First day only	from the first day until you turn it off
Last day only	from now until the end of the last day
Both	from the first day to the end of the last day

To clear a date you picked, choose Any day beside it. Its tooltip says Reply from now for the first day and Reply until you turn it off for the last.

How the days work

Days are whole days in your own time zone. The reply starts at midnight at the start of the first day and stops at midnight at the end of the last day.
Your server replies once to each sender every few days, so someone who writes to you several times does not receive the reply every time.
The reply is plain text.

While it is on

While an account’s reply is on, a line over that account’s mail says so: Your automatic reply is on for the address, followed by until you turn it off or until the end of its last day. In All inboxes there is a line for each account with a reply on. The line appears from the first day away and goes after the last one.

Turn it off turns the reply off on the server straight away, keeping its subject and message for next time.
Change it opens Settings › Out of office.

Nixt Mail remembers which accounts have a reply on, and its first and last day, when you save it or open Out of office. Once each time Nixt Mail is open, when the line is about to be shown, it asks that account’s server whether the reply is still on, so a reply you turned off on the web or on another device stops being shown.

To stop the line appearing, turn off Settings › Out of office › Say so while a reply is on. Your server still sends the reply, and Nixt Mail no longer asks it anything.

Turn it off

You can use Turn it off in the line over your mail, or:

Open Settings › Out of office and choose the account.
Turn off the Reply while I am away switch. The line under it begins Off once you save.
Choose Save.

The form says Saved. Your server will not reply while you are away. Your subject and message are kept on the server, so next time you only need to turn the switch on and save.

If your server already runs a filter

A server that uses ManageSieve runs one filter script at a time. If you or your provider have already set up a different filter there, the form says, for example:

Your server runs a filter called ”…”. Only one can run at a time, so Nixt Mail will not turn the reply on over it.

Nixt Mail will not switch off your existing filter to turn the reply on. If you choose Save with the reply on, it says Your server already runs a filter called ”…”, and only one can run at a time. Turning the reply on here would switch it off, so nothing was changed. Set the reply with the tool that manages your existing filter instead, or remove that filter first.

Messages you may see

Message	What it means	What to do
Connect an account to set a reply for it.	No account is connected.	Connect an account.
Connect this account to set an out-of-office reply for it.	The chosen account is not connected.	Reconnect the account.
This JMAP server does not keep an out-of-office reply.	The JMAP server does not offer automatic replies.	Ask your administrator.
This account is not saved on this device.	Nixt Mail has no saved details for the account.	Remove and add the account again.
The password for this account is not saved, so Nixt Mail cannot sign in to change the reply.	The keychain holds no password for the account.	Sign in to the account again.
The keychain would not give Nixt Mail this account’s password.	The keychain refused.	Unlock your keychain and try again.
Write the reply people will get.	The reply is on, but What people will read is empty.	Write a message.
The last day away is before the first.	The dates are the wrong way round.	Fix the dates.
… does not offer to encrypt ManageSieve, so your password will not be sent to it	The server’s ManageSieve service is not encrypted.	Use your provider’s web settings instead.
… does not accept a password this way (it offers …)	The server’s ManageSieve service does not accept a password sign-in.	Use your provider’s web settings instead.
… closed the connection / … stopped answering	The server hung up or stopped responding.	Try again later.
… presented a certificate that is not the one trusted for this account (…). Nothing was sent to it.	The server’s certificate does not match the one you trusted for this account.	Ask your administrator. See Certificates.
Nixt Mail could not reach the server: followed by details	The ManageSieve service could not be reached — often because the server does not offer it.	Check your connection. If it persists, your server probably does not offer ManageSieve; use your provider’s web settings.
This account cannot keep a reply.	The account has no way to hold a reply.	Use your provider’s web settings.

Rules — Nixt Mail’s own rules can file mail, but never reply to it.
Settings — where the section sits in Settings.