> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bouncebox.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How BounceBox works

> Follow an email through BounceBox: arrival, sender check, attachment parsing, extraction, review, and delivery.

Every email you send to a BounceBox address follows the same pipeline.

<Steps>
  <Step title="The email arrives at your address">
    Forward an email — by hand or with a forwarding rule — to your mailbox's address, for example `inv-7k2f@bouncebox.app`. It appears in your inbox immediately with the `PROCESSING` status.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The sender is checked">
    If the mailbox has an **Allowed senders** list, BounceBox checks the sender against it. Email from anyone else is marked `SKIPPED` and is never processed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attachments are parsed">
    PDFs are read in full and images are supported. Spreadsheets (`.xlsx`, `.xls`, `.csv`) are converted to text on the Pro and Custom plans — Starter processes PDFs and images only. PDF attachments are capped at 15 MB per email. Each attachment gets a parse status: `ok`, `skipped`, or `failed`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="AI extracts the fields">
    The mailbox's template defines the shape of the output — invoice, order, or a custom schema. BounceBox reads the email body and attachments and returns data in exactly that shape. See [Extraction templates](/configuration/extraction-templates) for every field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The result is delivered — or held for review">
    Depending on the mailbox's delivery mode, the result is sent immediately as a webhook POST, a reply email, or both — or held in the inbox as `AWAITING REVIEW` until you approve it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Everything stays in your inbox">
    The extracted result and a delivery log — every attempt, HTTP status, and duration — remain in the inbox so you can inspect, override, redeliver, or reprocess at any time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Statuses tell you where an email is in the pipeline: `PROCESSING`, `COMPLETED`, `AWAITING REVIEW`, `FAILED`, `QUOTA BLOCKED`, or `SKIPPED`. See [Troubleshooting](/help/troubleshooting) for what each one means and what to do.
</Note>

<Note>
  Retention applies to raw emails only. Raw emails and their attachments are deleted automatically after 14 days (Starter) or 30 days (Pro and Custom). Extracted results and delivery logs are kept.
</Note>