Combining Shield features for maximum protection
Each Shield feature — rate limiter, delivery snoozer, and gatekeeper — is powerful on its own. Combined on the same alias, they create a multi-layered defense that gives you precise control over what reaches your inbox and when.
How features interact
When multiple Shield features are enabled on an alias, they are evaluated in this order:
- Gatekeeper — Is the sender on the approved list? If not, the message is denied immediately. No further checks.
- Rate limiter — Has this contact exceeded the rate limit? If yes, the message is dropped.
- Snoozer — Is the current time inside a delivery window? If not, the message is snoozed.
A message must pass all active checks to be delivered.
Combination patterns
Gatekeeper + Rate limiter
Use case: A financial alias shared with your bank and accountant. You trust them (gatekeeper), but want protection against automated floods.
- Gatekeeper: enabled, approved senders = bank and accountant addresses
- Rate limiter: max 10 per day per contact
- Snoozer: disabled (financial notifications should arrive anytime)
Result: Only approved senders get through, and even they cannot flood your inbox. Unknown senders are rejected. An automated system from a partner sending 100 emails per hour gets capped at 10.
Rate limiter + Snoozer
Use case: A work notifications alias that receives alerts from monitoring tools. You want them during business hours only, and capped to avoid alert fatigue.
- Gatekeeper: disabled (multiple services send to this alias)
- Rate limiter: max 5 per hour per contact
- Snoozer: Mon-Fri, 08:00-18:00
Result: Outside business hours, everything is snoozed. During hours, each sender is capped at 5 per hour. Snoozed messages are delivered in a batch when the window opens Monday morning.
Gatekeeper + Snoozer
Use case: A personal alias shared only with family. You trust them completely but do not want notifications during work hours.
- Gatekeeper: enabled, approved senders = family email addresses
- Rate limiter: disabled (family will not spam you)
- Snoozer: evenings and weekends only (Mon-Fri 18:00-23:00, Sat-Sun all day)
Result: Only family can email this alias. During work hours, their messages are held and delivered when your personal window opens.
All three combined
Use case: A high-security business alias for a specific client project. Only the client team can email it, volume is capped, and delivery is restricted to business hours.
- Gatekeeper: enabled, approved senders = client team addresses
- Rate limiter: max 20 per day per contact
- Snoozer: Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00
Result: Maximum protection. Unknown senders are rejected (gatekeeper). Known senders are volume-limited (rate limiter). All delivery happens during business hours (snoozer). The alias is essentially on lockdown.
Contact states and Shield
Shield features interact with contact states:
| Contact state | Gatekeeper | Limiter | Snoozer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unset | Checked | Checked | Checked |
| Blocked | Denied before Shield | Denied before Shield | Denied before Shield |
| Whitelisted | Skipped | Skipped | Checked |
| Prioritized | Skipped | Skipped | Skipped |
| Muted | Checked | Checked | Checked |
Whitelisted contacts bypass gatekeeper and rate limiter (they are trusted) but still respect the snoozer (delivery timing is about your schedule, not sender trust). Prioritized contacts bypass everything — their messages are always delivered immediately.
Tips
- Start simple. Enable one feature at a time. Add layers as you identify what you need.
- Gatekeeper is the strictest. Only enable it on aliases where you can enumerate every allowed sender.
- Rate limiter works per contact. Each contact has its own counter, so two senders each get their full allowance.
- Snoozer holds, never drops. Snoozed messages are delivered when the window opens. Rate-limited messages are silently dropped. Know the difference.
