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Email Channel Integration with Azure Bot Service (R&D)

This repository contains a Proof of Concept (PoC) project exploring how to integrate email as a communication channel for bots built on the Azure Bot Service. The project demonstrates sending and receiving messages through Office 365 email accounts using the Microsoft Graph API, the Bot Framework SDK, and Azure Functions.

📌 Project Overview

Traditionally, Azure Bot Service supports channels like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Web Chat. This project extends that capability to email, allowing users to interact with a bot directly from their inbox.

✅ Receive emails and pass them to the bot for processing ✅ Send bot responses back as emails to the user ✅ Uses Office 365 API & Microsoft Graph for email integration ✅ Built as a .NET solution with separate Bot Service and API project

This is currently an R&D prototype (PoC), but future work will involve upgrading to the latest .NET version and adding Generative AI features for smarter, context-aware email responses.

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🏗️ Repository Structure

• Office365EmailIntegrationBot.sln → Solution file
• O365EmailIntegrationBot/ → Azure Bot Service project
• Office365EmailIntegrationAPI/ → API project for handling Office 365 email integration

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⚙️ Prerequisites

Before running the project, ensure you have:

• Azure Subscription
• .NET SDK 2.1 (planned upgrade to latest in future)
• Office 365 account with Graph API access
• Azure Bot Service setup (via Bot Framework)

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🔑 Azure App Registration Setup (Required)

To enable the API to access emails from Office 365 using Microsoft Graph:

1. Register an App in Azure AD

   • Go to Azure Portal → App Registrations.
   • Click New Registration.
   • Name: EmailBotIntegration (or your choice).
   • Supported account type: Single tenant (or multi-tenant if needed).
   • Redirect URI: https://localhost (or your deployed API URL).

2. Collect App Credentials

   • After registration, note down:

     • Application (client) ID
     • Directory (tenant) ID

   • Under Certificates & secrets, create a Client Secret and save it securely.

3. Assign Microsoft Graph API Permissions

   • Navigate to API Permissions → Add a permission → Microsoft Graph.

   • Add the following delegated permissions:

     • Mail.Read → Read user emails
     • Mail.Send → Send emails
     • User.Read → Sign in and read user profile

   • Click Grant admin consent.

4. Configure Environment Variables

   • In your API project, set these values (via appsettings.json or environment variables):

     {
       "AzureAd": {
         "TenantId": "<YOUR_TENANT_ID>",
         "ClientId": "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>",
         "ClientSecret": "<YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET>"
       },
       "EmailSettings": {
         "MailboxAddress": "<YOUR_OFFICE365_EMAIL>"
       }
     }

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🚀 Setup & Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/AbhishekHumagain/EmailChannelIntegrationAzureBotServiceR-D.git
   cd EmailChannelIntegrationAzureBotServiceR-D

2. Open the solution

   dotnet build Office365EmailIntegrationBot.sln

3. Run locally

   dotnet run --project O365EmailIntegrationBot

4. Deploy to Azure

   • Deploy the API and bot service separately.
   • Configure the email webhook to point to the API endpoint.
   • Register the bot channel in the Azure portal.

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📬 Usage Flow

ASCII Flow

User Email
    |
    v
Office 365 Mailbox
    |
    v
[Office365EmailIntegrationAPI]
    |
    v
[Azure Bot Service (O365EmailIntegrationBot)]
    |
    v
Bot Processes Message
    |
    v
[Office365EmailIntegrationAPI]
    |
    v
Email Sent Back to User

Mermaid Flow (renders automatically on GitHub)

flowchart TD
    A[User Email] --> B[Office 365 Mailbox]
    B --> C[Office365EmailIntegrationAPI]
    C --> D[Azure Bot Service]
    D --> E[Bot Processes Message]
    E --> C
    C --> B
    B --> F[Email Sent Back to User]

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• .NET Core 2.1 (planned upgrade)
• Azure Bot Service
• Microsoft Bot Framework SDK
• Azure Functions
• Office 365 / Microsoft Graph API

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📅 Project Status

This is an R&D PoC and not production-ready. Future roadmap includes:

• 🔄 Upgrade to the latest .NET SDK
• 🤖 Implement Generative AI (LLMs) for intelligent email responses
• ⚡ Optimize integration with Azure Functions

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you’d like to improve this project (e.g., migrate to .NET 8, add AI features, or enhance email workflows), please fork the repo and submit a pull request.

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📜 License

This project is currently unlicensed. You are free to explore, but for production use, please clarify licensing terms.

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👤 Author

Abhishek Humagain

• Senior Software Engineer & Team Lead
• GitHub Profile

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