--- title: Email & SMS testing description: >- Extract SMS codes, email codes, and confirmation links automatically with AI-powered steps, no manual copy-paste or brittle parsing rules needed. sidebarTitle: Email & SMS lastUpdated: "2026-09-23" --- > **For AI agents:** the complete documentation index is at [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Append `.md` to any page URL for its markdown version. Sign-ups, logins with 2FA, and password resets all leave the browser at some point: a code arrives by SMS, a confirmation link lands in an inbox. Kapptivate closes that loop. Its mail and SMS service receives the real messages, and AI-powered steps extract the code or link into a variable your next steps use, no manual copy-paste, no brittle parsing rules. ![A step group chaining Get sms code, Get email code, and Get email link, each exposing its extracted variable](/images/email-sms-steps.webp) ## The Email & SMS steps Add them from **Add step... > Email & SMS** in the builder. Each step extracts one value and stores it in a variable (you can rename the default): | Step | Input | Default variable | What AI extracts | |------|-------|------------------|------------------| | **[Get sms code](/tests/actions/web/getsmscode)** | Phone number to receive code | `SmsCode` | The verification code in the SMS | | **[Get email code](/tests/actions/web/getemailcode)** | Email to receive code | `MailCode` | The OTP or verification code in the email | | **[Get email link](/tests/actions/web/getemaillink)** | Email to receive link | `MailLink` | The link matching your intent | Each step name links to its reference page, with parameters and the JSON format. To fetch a whole message instead of one value, use [Get mail](/tests/actions/web/getmail). The same steps exist for [smartphone tests](/tests/actions/smartphone/getmail). The steps wait for the message to arrive, then parse it with AI: no format configuration, whatever the sender's wording or layout. ## Addresses and phone numbers **Email** works out of the box. Any address on the `kappti.dev` domain is a live test mailbox, so you can use a fresh one per run: `signup-test@kappti.dev`, `qa-reset@kappti.dev`, or whatever fits your flow. To guarantee a unique inbox on every execution, build the address from the **Random** tab in the variable picker, for example `{Random text}@kappti.dev`, so a sign-up never collides with a previous run. See [Variables in tests](/tests/variables) for the random presets. **Phone numbers** are attached to your organization. For now, ask your account manager to provision the numbers your SMS tests need, then use them in the **Get sms code** step. ## Target the right link with Intent An email often carries several links (the action link, but also unsubscribe footers, logos, help pages). Select a **Get email link** step and fill the **Intent** field in its **General** tab to tell the AI which one you mean, in plain language: "The link to activate my account". ## Use the extracted values The extracted variables behave like any test variable. Click the `{}` icon in a later step's field and pick them from the **Previous steps** tab: navigate to `MailLink`, type `SmsCode` into the 2FA input, assert on `MailCode`. See [Variables in tests](/tests/variables) for everything the variable picker can do. ## What the results capture Each Email & SMS step documents itself in the execution result: - **Email steps** capture screenshots of the received email rendered in mobile, tablet, and desktop formats, so you also get a visual check of your transactional emails. - **SMS steps** capture the raw text of the message alongside the extracted variables. ## What's next? Reuse the extracted codes and links in later steps The other places AI works for you across the platform Parameters and JSON format for the email code step Parameters and JSON format for the SMS code step