Email and OTP Delivery Troubleshooting
Article Type: FAQ / Troubleshooting
Target Audience: All Users
Last Updated: January 2026
Overview
Ambient Scribe uses email for account verification, password resets, and One-Time Password (OTP) authentication. This guide helps you troubleshoot email delivery issues.
What Emails Does Ambient Scribe Send?
Email Type | Purpose | Sender |
Account Verification | Confirm your email address | |
Password Reset | Reset your password | |
OTP Codes | Sign-in verification | |
Magic Links | Passwordless sign-in | |
Notifications | Account updates |
Common Delivery Issues
Email Provider Delays
Different email providers have varying delivery speeds and occasional outages:
Provider | Typical Delivery | Known Issues |
Gmail | 1-2 minutes | Rare delays during peak times (up to 20 min) |
Microsoft 365/Outlook | 1-5 minutes | Occasional outages can cause multi-hour delays |
Corporate Email | Varies | May be filtered by enterprise security |
Yahoo | 2-5 minutes | Generally reliable |
Recent Known Outages
Email services occasionally experience delays:
- Microsoft O365: Has experienced cascading failures affecting delivery for several hours
- Google/Gmail: Can experience delays of 10-20 minutes during high traffic periods
These are provider issues, not Ambient Scribe issues. Check your provider's status page if experiencing delays.
Troubleshooting Steps
Step 1: Check Spam/Junk Folders
Emails may be filtered by your email provider:
Open your email's Spam or Junk folder
Look for emails from:
-[email protected]
-[email protected]
-[email protected]If found, mark as "Not Spam" or "Not Junk"
Move to your inbox
Step 2: Add to Safe Senders
Prevent future filtering by adding our domains to your safe sender list:
Gmail:
1. Open Gmail Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses
2. Create a filter for emails from clerk.com
3. Select "Never send to Spam"
Outlook/Microsoft 365:
1. Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email
2. Add clerk.com, ambient-scribe.com, and phiniti.com to Safe senders
Corporate Email:
Contact your IT department to whitelist:
- @clerk.com
- @ambient-scribe.com
- @phiniti.com
Step 3: Wait and Retry
OTP codes have specific timing:
Setting | Value |
OTP Validity | 10 minutes |
Resend Cooldown | 60 seconds |
Max Attempts | 5 before 15-minute lockout |
Best Practice:
1. Request one code
2. Wait at least 5 minutes for delivery
3. If not received, click "Resend" (after 60 seconds)
4. Do NOT rapidly request multiple codes (triggers rate limits)
Step 4: Check Provider Status
If emails are delayed, check if your provider is experiencing issues:
Provider | Status Page |
Microsoft 365 | |
Google/Gmail | |
Yahoo |
Step 5: Try Alternative Sign-In Methods
If email isn't working, try these alternatives:
Google SSO: Sign in with your Google account
Microsoft SSO: Sign in with your Microsoft account
EHR SSO: If your organization uses EHR-based sign-in
Contact Support: For manual account assistance
Corporate Email Considerations
Enterprise email systems often have additional security measures:
Common Enterprise Issues
Aggressive spam filtering may block external emails
Email scanning delays can add minutes to delivery
Domain whitelisting required for external senders
Security appliances (Proofpoint, Mimecast) may quarantine emails
Solutions for Corporate Users
Ask IT to whitelist our sending domains
Check quarantine - Your IT may have a quarantine portal
Use personal email for initial account setup, then add corporate email later
Request exception for Clerk.com domain if possible
OTP Best Practices
Do's
Wait at least 5 minutes before requesting a new code
Check spam folder immediately after requesting
Use the most recent code if you requested multiple
Complete sign-in within 10 minutes of receiving code
Don'ts
Don't rapidly click "Resend" multiple times
Don't share OTP codes with anyone
Don't wait more than 10 minutes to use a code (it expires)
Don't use old codes after requesting new ones
Rate Limiting
To prevent abuse, we implement rate limits:
Limit Type | Threshold | Cooldown |
OTP Requests | 5 per 15 minutes | 15-minute wait |
Failed Attempts | 5 consecutive | 15-minute lockout |
Password Resets | 3 per hour | 60-minute wait |
If you hit a rate limit, wait for the cooldown period before trying again.
When to Contact Support
Contact us if you experience:
No email after 30+ minutes (and provider status is normal)
Consistent delivery failures over multiple days
Unable to access your account despite trying all methods
Corporate email blocking that IT cannot resolve
Include in your support request:
- Your email address
- Email provider (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)
- When you last received emails from us
- Any error messages you see
- Whether you've checked spam folders
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Need Help?
If you're still having trouble receiving emails, contact support and we'll help you access your account.