In most cases, ExtendSync attaches emails to NetSuite without issue because the sender and recipient already exist as entities (Contacts, Customers, Vendors, etc.) on the record.
However, in some outlier scenarios, NetSuite cannot set required Author or Recipient fields because one or both email addresses do not exist on the attached record.
This article explains:
Why this happens
How ExtendSync works around NetSuite limitations
What to expect when viewing these emails in NetSuite
How to customize your view for clarity
👀 Want a quick fix?
Skip to the View Tips section below to learn how to adjust your NetSuite view to see the actual sender and recipient email addresses.
Technical Discussion (Why this happens)
When saving an email, NetSuite requires all four of the following fields:
Author (Entity)
Author Email
Recipient (Entity)
Recipient Email
Under normal conditions, these values are easy to resolve because users attach emails to records where the sender or recipient already exists.
Example (Normal Case)
Under normal circumstances, users attach emails to NetSuite records that already have the sender or recipient's email address associated with them.
Email from:
joe@xyz.comAttached to: Joe’s Contact record in NetSuite
✔ NetSuite resolves all fields correctly
ExtendSync and NetSuite work as expected if you are manually attaching an email.
⚠️ Outlier Scenario (Where Issues Appear)
Problems occur when:
The sender or recipient does not exist on the record being attached, or
The email is attached to a record unrelated to the sender/recipient
Example
You send an email to
someone@external.comYou attach it to your own Contact record
NetSuite cannot resolve the Recipient Entity since it does not exist on the Contact record and normally would reject the email.
Try this for yourself by going to a NetSuite contact record and send the email to someone unrelated to the Contact.
How ExtendSync Handles Missing Sender or Recipient
To ensure that your email is not rejected by NetSuite ExtendSync may need to set the sender or recipient as a known entity.
Fortunately, ExtendSync is able to overwrite the email address which is why we recommend implementing the view tips and just moving on.
NetSuite Requirement:
Author (entity) must exist under Acme Corporation
Author email: joe@xyz.com
ExtendSync Logic:
Checks if joe@xyz.com exists as a Contact under Acme Corporation.
❌ Not found → ExtendSync substitutes the Author as “Acme Corporation.”
ExtendSync overrides the Author Email to use joe@xyz.com.
Email is attached successfully, and NetSuite displays it as:
Field | Value |
Author (Entity) | Acme Corporation |
Author Email |
✅ Result: Email appears under Acme Corporation, but the Author Email correctly shows joe@xyz.com.
If your messages are on Autopilot the behavior is different than below. See this section for more info.
📤 Behavior Outbound Emails (You Send the Email)
When attaching to a NetSuite record where the recipient's email address is not found on the record being attached to, NetSuite would normally not allow the email to attach.
ExtendSync works around this limitation by:
Recipient Entity → Attach the email with the current entity Name as the Recipient.
Recipient Email → Replace the email address with the actual email address of the recipient from the sent email.
✔ Email attaches successfully
✔ Actual email address is preserve
Below is a way to visualize this in NetSuite. If you open a customer record and then compose a new email you will see that the recipient list is restricted only to those contacts of the company.
The Netsuite API enforces this same rule and therefore the email attached by ExtendSync would fail. In order to ensure that ExtendSync attaches the email successfully the App sets the entity to that of the record it's being attached to. Since the NetSuite API does allow an override of the actual email address the App does send over the proper email.
📥 Behavior Inbound Emails (You Receive the Email)
When attaching to a NetSuite record where the sender's email address is not found on the record being attached to, NetSuite would normally not allow the email to attach.
ExtendSync works around this limitation by:
Author Entity → Attach the email with the current entity Name as the Sender
Author Email → Replace the email address with the actual email address of the sender.
✔ Email attaches successfully
✔ Sender email is preserved
Emails Attached via Autopilot (Important Differences)
Because emails on Autopilot are attached via a background process ExtendSync may not always have access to the same email details as if the user were manually attaching an email.
The attach behavior varies depending on the record type the email was attached to.
👀 We highly recommend that you customize your view settings as per below, The email address of the sender and recipient should be used for the best visibility as to the sender and recipient.
🔵 When no matching NetSuite records are found
If the sender or recipient email:
Does not exist in NetSuite, or
Exists only as inactive records
Then NetSuite defaults:
Author / Recipient Entity → the Admin who configured Autopilot
(because their token is used)
🔵 Attaching to entity records with Autopilot
If the message is attached to an entity record the following logic takes place to set the author and recipient fields.
Author logic (sender email):
First matching record is used, in this order:
Employee → Contact → Customer → Vendor → Partner → Job
Recipient logic:
Set as the entity the message is attached to
🔵 Attaching to activity or transaction records with Autopilot
If the message is attached to an activity or a transaction the following logic takes place to set the author and recipient fields.
Author logic (sender email):First matching record is used, in this order:
Employee → Contact → Customer → Vendor → Partner → Job
Recipient logic (recipient email):
First match using the same order
If multiple recipients exist, Autopilot uses the first recipient returned by the Outlook or Gmail API
View Tips (Strongly Recommended)
Add the following fields to your Message view:
Author Email
To
Optionally remove:
Author
Primary Recipient
This ensures:
You always see the real sender and recipient
Entity substitutions do not cause confusion
💡 This is the best practice for teams using Autopilot or attaching emails to non-contact records.
Key Takeaways
This behavior is by design, not a bug
NetSuite requires valid Author/Recipient entities
ExtendSync safely works around these constraints
Actual email addresses are always preserved
Customizing your Message view eliminates confusion
Need Help?
If you’re unsure why a specific email appears with a certain Author or Recipient:
🔎 Search support.cloudextend.io
💬 Chat with Support (bottom-right widget)
📧 Email cloudextend-support@celigo.com
Include:
Record type
Whether the email was manual or Autopilot
Screenshot of the Message record
We’re happy to help clarify any edge cases you encounter.