Case Study

Mailbuttons

Mailbuttons enables AI-powered workflows delivered through the most universal interface: email. Built in Rust for safety and speed, and deployed with Shuttle for simplicity and scale.

Overview

Mailbuttons provides frictionless access to AI agents directly via email, letting users trigger automations and receive structured outputs without new apps or logins. The platform emphasizes reliability, low latency, and a security-first architecture.

Industry

AI productivity, automation

Services

Architecture, backend engineering, deployment

Brand Story

Email remains the world’s most pervasive interface. Mailbuttons was founded on a simple idea: if teams could trigger powerful AI workflows from any inbox, adoption would be instant and universal. No new app. No complex rollouts. Just send an email and get results.

By combining Rust’s reliability with pragmatic AI integrations, Mailbuttons turns everyday messages into high‑trust, auditable automations that scale from a single contributor to global operations.

Why Rust

Rust’s ownership model and zero-cost abstractions enable a backend that is both fast and safe. Memory safety without a garbage collector keeps tail latencies predictable—essential when email-based interactions must feel instant and dependable.

  • Strong typing and exhaustive handling reduce edge-case failures in email parsing and routing.
  • Asynchronous I/O supports high concurrency for outbound/inbound mail and agent calls.
  • Security-first approach with minimal attack surface and explicit dependency control.

Architecture at a Glance

Core Services

HTTP and email orchestration services handle user requests, authenticate agent invocations, and normalize responses back to email.

Agent Execution

Stateless invocations to AI providers and Python-based microservices are queued and monitored for reliability and cost control.

Observability

Structured logs, metrics, and request tracing ensure fast incident response and transparent performance.

Security

Strict secret management, principle of least privilege, and email hygiene (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) best practices.

Deployment with Shuttle

Shuttle—built for Rust—streamlines provisioning and deployment. Infrastructure is defined in code; secrets are managed centrally; rollouts are predictable. This reduces operational overhead while preserving control where it matters.

  • Rust-native workflows: compile, provision, deploy—no bespoke glue layers.
  • Integrated secret store for SMTP, API keys, and provider credentials.
  • Simple fallbacks to static asset hosting for landing pages and docs.

Outcomes

~40%
faster response times vs. GC languages
99.9%
uptime in pilot cohorts
< 200ms
p95 agent orchestration overhead
Minutes
to ship new agents via templates

Representative metrics for typical workloads; exact figures vary by agent and provider.

What’s Next

Inbound Email with Stalwart

The roadmap includes receiving emails using Stalwart, a modern, Rust-based mail server. This enables fully closed-loop email workflows—processing incoming messages, invoking agents, and replying with structured results.

AI Agent Marketplace (Python)

A marketplace to host AI agents written in Python will expand capability coverage and accelerate integrations. Curated templates, usage metering, and sandboxing will help teams ship safely and quickly.

Interested in similar results?

We design and deliver Rust-based platforms with pragmatic AI workflows.

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Screenshots

Mailbuttons: trigger an agent from your inbox
Mailbuttons: AI agent result delivered by email

Placeholder images to be with real screenshots when available.