Distribution Lists

Distribution lists are pre-configured groups of email recipients that automatically receive specific kinds of nSpec notifications and reports. Set them up once on a project, and the right people get the right messages every time without you having to copy email addresses into a draft. This article explains how distribution lists work, where to configure them, and how to use the tag system to send different message types to different people.

What a Distribution List Is

A distribution list is a list of email addresses, where each email is tagged with one or more distribution types. When nSpec needs to send a notification (for example, a finished inspection report or a daily summary email), it looks at the project's distribution list and sends the message to every email tagged with the matching type.

This means a single project can have one distribution list with multiple segments — for example:

• The site superintendent gets every daily report
• The project manager gets weekly summaries
• The client rep gets only finalized inspection reports

Each person only receives the message types that are tagged for them.

Where Distribution Lists Live

Distribution lists are configured per project. There is no global "Distribution Lists" screen — instead, you set them up inside the Edit Project modal so each project can have its own list.

1. Open the sidebar and click Projects
2. Find the project and click the row to open the Edit Project modal
3. Scroll to the Distribution List section

Adding an Email to the List

1. In the Distribution List section, click Add Email
2. The email selector modal opens, showing available emails (employees, collaborators, and any other emails associated with the project)
3. Pick the email you want to add
4. The email appears in the distribution list as a card

Duplicates are prevented automatically. If an email is already in the list, you cannot add it again. The check is case-insensitive, so [e-mail] and [e-mail] are treated as the same address.

Tagging Recipients

Each email card in the distribution list shows a row of tag buttons. Each tag represents a distribution type (for example, "Daily Report", "Weekly Summary", or "Final Report"). Click a tag to toggle whether that email gets messages of that type.

• Highlighted tag with a checkmark — That recipient will receive messages of this type
• Unhighlighted tag — That recipient will not receive messages of this type

You can apply different combinations of tags to different recipients. The same email can have one tag, all tags, or no tags. (No tags means they're in the list but won't receive any automated messages — useful for keeping contacts associated with the project.)

Removing an Email

1. Find the email card in the Distribution List section
2. Click the trash icon on the card
3. Confirm the removal in the dialog

Removing an email from the list does not delete the underlying contact — it only stops them from receiving distribution emails for this project.

Saving the List

Distribution list changes are part of the project — they're saved when you click Save at the bottom of the Edit Project modal, just like any other project field. If you close the modal without saving, your distribution list changes are discarded along with everything else.

How Recipients Get the Emails

When nSpec sends an automated message tied to a project (for example, a generated report or an inspection notification):

1. nSpec looks at the project's distribution list
2. It filters the list by the message type (Daily Report, Final Report, etc.)
3. It sends the message to every email tagged with that type

Recipients receive the email at the address you added to the list. They don't need an nSpec account to receive distribution emails — they just need a working inbox.

Best Practices

• Set up the distribution list when you create the project — it's much easier to configure once than to backfill after several inspections have been completed without notifications going out
• Use specific tags — give each recipient only the message types they actually need so people don't tune out from email overload
• Review the list when team members change — when someone leaves a project, remove them from the list so they stop receiving updates
• Verify email addresses are typed correctly — nSpec doesn't validate that an email actually exists, so a typo means messages go nowhere
• Coordinate with the client on who they want included before you set up the list — saves rework later

Troubleshooting

I don't see a Distribution List section in the project

Solutions:

• Make sure you opened the Edit Project modal, not just the project view
• Scroll down — the distribution list section is below the basic project fields
• Confirm you have permission to edit projects

Recipients say they aren't getting the emails

Solutions:

• Double-check that the email address is typed correctly (look for typos, missing characters)
• Verify the right tag is selected on that email — if no tags are selected, no messages will go to that recipient
• Ask the recipient to check their spam/junk folder
• Confirm the project actually has triggered an automated message — distribution lists only fire when nSpec sends a notification, not on demand

"Add Email" button does nothing or the email selector is empty

Solutions:

• Refresh the page and try again
• Verify there are employees, collaborators, or contacts associated with the project — the selector pulls from those sources

Related Articles

• Managing Projects in nSpec
• Inspection Automated Emails
• Managing Collaborators
• Managing Employees in nSpec

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