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Merging Ingestion Sources ​

MyEmailVault allows you to merge multiple ingestion sources into a single unified archive. This is useful when a user has email spread across several providers or accounts and you want to present it as one consolidated mailbox with automatic deduplication.

Concepts ​

TermDefinition
Root sourceThe primary ingestion source that owns the merged archive. All emails in a merge group are stored under the root source's storage path and appear under its name in the interface.
Child sourceAn ingestion source that has been merged into a root. It fetches emails from its own provider but stores them under the root source. A child does not own any stored content directly.
Merge groupThe collection of one root source and one or more child sources. All sources in a group share a single archive with cross-source deduplication.

Root Ownership ​

When sources are merged, the root source is the sole owner of all archived emails in the group. Child sources act as "assistants" -- they connect to their respective email providers and fetch emails, but all storage, database records, and search index entries are attributed to the root source.

This means:

  • Browsing the root source shows emails from all providers in the group.
  • Browsing a child source individually will not show emails (they belong to the root).
  • The storage folder for the group is the root source's folder.

When to Use Merging ​

Merging is appropriate when:

  • A user has both a Gmail account and an Outlook account and you want a single unified archive.
  • You are importing historical PST or MBOX files alongside a live IMAP connection and want all emails in one place.
  • A Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 migration occurred and you need to consolidate both sets of email.
  • You want cross-source deduplication so the same email is not archived twice.

Merging is not appropriate when:

  • The sources belong to different people. Merging combines emails into one archive regardless of ownership.
  • You need to maintain clear separation between different email accounts for compliance or audit purposes.

How to Merge ​

Merging is configured at source creation time only. When creating a new ingestion source, you will see an option to merge it into an existing source.

  1. Navigate to Ingestions and click Create New.
  2. Configure the new source as usual (select provider, enter credentials, etc.).
  3. In the Merge Into field, select the existing ingestion source you want to merge into.
  4. Click Save.

The selected target becomes the root source (or, if the target is already a child, MyEmailVault automatically resolves to the actual root of that group). The new source becomes a child.

Note: You cannot merge an existing standalone source into another source after it has been created. The merge relationship must be established at creation time.

How Emails Appear ​

Once a merge group is established:

  • All emails from every source in the group appear when you browse or search the root source.
  • Emails retain metadata about their original provider and folder structure, so you can still see where each email came from.
  • Search results include emails from all sources in the group when scoped to the root source.

How Syncing Works ​

Each source in a merge group maintains its own independent sync schedule and connection to its email provider. The merge affects only where emails are stored, not how they are fetched.

  • The root source syncs with its own provider normally.
  • Each child source syncs with its own provider on its own schedule.
  • All fetched emails are stored under the root source's archive.

If a child source encounters a sync error, it does not affect the root or other children. Each source's status is tracked independently.

Deduplication ​

MyEmailVault performs automatic deduplication across the entire merge group. When a child source fetches an email, MyEmailVault checks whether an email with the same Message-ID header already exists in any source within the group. If a duplicate is found, the email is skipped.

This prevents the same email from being archived multiple times when it exists in more than one mailbox (for example, a sent email that appears in both the sender's and recipient's archive).

Deduplication is based on the RFC Message-ID header. If an email does not have a Message-ID header, MyEmailVault generates a unique identifier based on the email content hash.

Preserve Original File ​

Each ingestion source has a Preserve Original File setting that controls how email attachments are stored:

  • Enabled: The original .eml file is stored exactly as received from the provider, with all attachments inline. No attachments are extracted or deduplicated. This is required for compliance standards such as GoBD (Germany) and SEC 17a-4.
  • Disabled (default): Attachments are extracted from the email, stored separately, and deduplicated across the archive to save storage space.

In a merge group, each source can have its own Preserve Original File setting. The setting applies to emails fetched by that specific source.

Editing a Merged Source ​

You can edit a child source's connection details (credentials, name, etc.) without affecting the merge relationship. The merge target cannot be changed after creation.

Unmerging a Source ​

A child source can be detached from its merge group, making it a standalone source again. To unmerge:

  1. Navigate to the child source's details page.
  2. Click Unmerge.

After unmerging:

  • The source becomes standalone and will store new emails under its own storage path going forward.
  • Emails that were previously archived under the root source remain with the root. They are not moved or reassigned.
  • The unmerged source starts fresh with an empty archive for any future syncs.

Deleting Sources in a Merge Group ​

  • Deleting a child source: Removes only the child. Emails that were already archived under the root are not affected.
  • Deleting the root source: Deletes the root and all child sources in the merge group, along with all archived emails. This is a destructive operation.

Known Limitations ​

  • Merge at creation only. You cannot merge an existing standalone source into another source. The merge relationship must be set when the child source is first created.
  • Flat hierarchy. Merge groups are one level deep. A child cannot have its own children. If you merge a source into a child, MyEmailVault automatically resolves the target to the root of that group.
  • No email migration on unmerge. When a child is unmerged, previously archived emails stay with the root. There is no mechanism to move or copy them to the now-standalone source.
  • Root cannot be changed. The root source of a merge group cannot be reassigned. If you need a different root, create a new merge group.