email-suppressions

Create an email suppression

Adds an email address to the suppression list, stopping all email to it. The record is created with reason manual and blocks every message category, including transactional.

Adding is idempotent: a 201 means a new record was created, and a 200 means a manual suppression for the address already existed and is returned unchanged. An address suppressed for another reason (for example hard_bounce) gets a separate manual record, and delivery stays blocked until every blocking record is removed.

post/v1/email/suppressions

Request

  • Base URL: https://us1.platform.bird.com
  • URL: https://us1.platform.bird.com/v1/email/suppressions
  • Auth: one of:
    • HTTP bearer
    • API key in cookie bird_session

Headers

Idempotency-Keystring

Client-supplied key. On operations supporting request deduplication, a retained response is replayed for duplicate requests with the same key within the idempotency window (3 hours by default). This protection requires a workspace, organization, or staff-account scope. User-only and unscoped unauthenticated operations, streams, and operations with a separate replay contract do not use this response replay.

On a supported operation, if idempotency protection is unavailable before execution, the API returns 503 IdempotencyUnavailable (E01033) without executing this attempt. Retry with backoff using the same key and request. An operation that takes effect before its response is retained can still execute again on retry.

Two distinct 409 errors signal misuse:

  • request_in_progress (E01004): The same key is currently being processed by a concurrent request. Wait briefly and retry. The lock expires within 30 seconds.
  • idempotency_key_reuse (E01005): The same key has already completed against a different request body or method. Generate a new key.

Recommended key format is <event-type>/<entity-id> (for example welcome-user/usr_abc123).

X-Workspace-Idstring

Workspace context for the request. Required for dashboard authentication and master keys. Workspace keys and access tokens already identify their workspace; send that workspace or omit the header. A different one is rejected.

X-Organization-Idstring

Organization context for the request. Required for dashboard authentication. An API key or access token carries its own organization, so send either that organization or no header at all; a different one is rejected.

Request body

emailstring email required

The address to stop sending to. Normalized before storage and matching: lowercased and trimmed of surrounding whitespace.

Example request

{
  "email": "user@example.com"
}

Response

A manual suppression for this address already existed. The existing record is returned.

idstring required
emailstring email required

The suppressed address, stored lowercase.

reasonstring required

Why the address is suppressed:

  • hard_bounce: A delivery permanently failed.
  • complaint: The recipient reported a message as spam.
  • manual: Added through the API or dashboard.
  • unsubscribe: The recipient opted out. Deprecated, and no new record carries it: an opt-out is a messaging preference rather than a suppression. Legacy records remain visible until they are moved to messaging preferences.

An address can hold one record per reason. This list grows over time. Treat unknown values as informational rather than rejecting the record.

originstring required

How the suppression came to exist:

  • bounce_event: Created automatically from a hard bounce.
  • complaint_event: Created from a spam complaint.
  • api_key: Added through the API with an API key.
  • user: Added by a user in the dashboard.
  • unsubscribe_event: The mailbox provider reported an opt-out. Deprecated with reason: unsubscribe.
  • unsubscribe_link: The recipient used a Bird unsubscribe link. Deprecated with reason: unsubscribe.

This list grows over time. Treat unknown values as informational rather than rejecting the record.

applies_tostring required

Which sends the suppression blocks.

  • all: blocks every message category, including transactional.
  • non_transactional: blocks marketing but allows transactional messages. A recipient who complained can therefore still receive mail such as password resets.
  • category: scopes the block to a preference category and blocks every category until one is set.

This list grows over time, and any value other than non_transactional blocks every category, so treat an unknown value as blocking the send.

source_email_idstring
source_recipient_idstring
created_atstring date-time required

When the address was suppressed.

Example response

{
  "id": "sup_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg",
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "scope": {
    "id": "ws_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg"
  },
  "source_email_id": "em_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg",
  "source_recipient_id": "er_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg"
}

Changes

No recorded changes to this operation across all 2 revisions of this API.