Administrators choose which contacts use the plugin and enable Custom Reply on those contacts so Joomla's core mail is not also sent. The plugin installs disabled. The API key and authorized sender addresses are set as server environment variables, never in plugin settings.

Requests use verified HTTPS with bounded timeouts. The plugin does not retry automatically or fall back to SMTP/PHP mail, and failed sends are logged without the key or addresses. API acceptance does not confirm inbox delivery.

This plugin handles core contact forms only. It does not replace Joomla's global mailer or send registration or password-reset email.

Requirements: a MailChannels Email API account, an API key and an authorized sender. MailChannels offers a permanent free Email API plan (100 emails per day, 3,000 per month); higher volumes need a paid plan. Contact details, message content, recipients and attachments are sent to MailChannels for email processing.

Tested on Joomla 5.4 and 6.1 with PHP 8.3. Support: https://github.com/mailchannels/mailchannels-joomla-contact/issues