Email Template Builder
Build production-ready HTML email templates — responsive design, dark mode support, email client compatibility, and reusable component libraries.
What this skill does
Build professional email templates for welcome messages, invoices, and notifications that look perfect on every device and automatically support features like dark mode. These communications are designed to avoid spam filters and work across all major email providers. Use this when launching a new product's communication system or upgrading existing emails to ensure they reach your audience successfully.
name: “email-template-builder” description: “Email Template Builder”
Email Template Builder
Tier: POWERFUL
Category: Engineering Team
Domain: Transactional Email / Communications Infrastructure
Overview
Build complete transactional email systems: React Email templates, provider integration, preview server, i18n support, dark mode, spam optimization, and analytics tracking. Output production-ready code for Resend, Postmark, SendGrid, or AWS SES.
Core Capabilities
- React Email templates (welcome, verification, password reset, invoice, notification, digest)
- MJML templates for maximum email client compatibility
- Multi-provider support with unified sending interface
- Local preview server with hot reload
- i18n/localization with typed translation keys
- Dark mode support using media queries
- Spam score optimization checklist
- Open/click tracking with UTM parameters
When to Use
- Setting up transactional email for a new product
- Migrating from a legacy email system
- Adding new email types (invoice, digest, notification)
- Debugging email deliverability issues
- Implementing i18n for email templates
Project Structure
emails/
├── components/
│ ├── layout/
│ │ ├── email-layout.tsx # Base layout with brand header/footer
│ │ └── email-button.tsx # CTA button component
│ ├── partials/
│ │ ├── header.tsx
│ │ └── footer.tsx
├── templates/
│ ├── welcome.tsx
│ ├── verify-email.tsx
│ ├── password-reset.tsx
│ ├── invoice.tsx
│ ├── notification.tsx
│ └── weekly-digest.tsx
├── lib/
│ ├── send.ts # Unified send function
│ ├── providers/
│ │ ├── resend.ts
│ │ ├── postmark.ts
│ │ └── ses.ts
│ └── tracking.ts # UTM + analytics
├── i18n/
│ ├── en.ts
│ └── de.ts
└── preview/ # Dev preview server
└── server.ts
Base Email Layout
// emails/components/layout/email-layout.tsx
import {
Body, Container, Head, Html, Img, Preview, Section, Text, Hr, Font
} from "@react-email/components"
interface EmailLayoutProps {
preview: string
children: React.ReactNode
}
export function EmailLayout({ preview, children }: EmailLayoutProps) {
return (
<Html lang="en">
<Head>
<Font
fontFamily="Inter"
fallbackFontFamily="Arial"
webFont={{ url: "https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/inter/v13/UcCO3FwrK3iLTeHuS_nVMrMxCp50SjIw2boKoduKmMEVuLyfAZ9hiJ-Ek-_EeA.woff2", format: "woff2" }}
fontWeight={400}
fontStyle="normal"
/>
{/* Dark mode styles */}
<style>{`
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
.email-body { background-color: #0f0f0f !important; }
.email-container { background-color: #1a1a1a !important; }
.email-text { color: #e5e5e5 !important; }
.email-heading { color: #ffffff !important; }
.email-divider { border-color: #333333 !important; }
}
`}</style>
</Head>
<Preview>{preview}</Preview>
<Body className="email-body" style={styles.body}>
<Container className="email-container" style={styles.container}>
{/* Header */}
<Section style={styles.header}>
<Img src="https://yourapp.com/logo.png" width={120} height={40} alt="MyApp" />
</Section>
{/* Content */}
<Section style={styles.content}>
{children}
</Section>
{/* Footer */}
<Hr style={styles.divider} />
<Section style={styles.footer}>
<Text style={styles.footerText}>
MyApp Inc. · 123 Main St · San Francisco, CA 94105
</Text>
<Text style={styles.footerText}>
<a href="{{unsubscribe_url}}" style={styles.link}>Unsubscribe</a>
{" · "}
<a href="https://yourapp.com/privacy" style={styles.link}>Privacy Policy</a>
</Text>
</Section>
</Container>
</Body>
</Html>
)
}
const styles = {
body: { backgroundColor: "#f5f5f5", fontFamily: "Inter, Arial, sans-serif" },
container: { maxWidth: "600px", margin: "0 auto", backgroundColor: "#ffffff", borderRadius: "8px", overflow: "hidden" },
header: { padding: "24px 32px", borderBottom: "1px solid #e5e5e5" },
content: { padding: "32px" },
divider: { borderColor: "#e5e5e5", margin: "0 32px" },
footer: { padding: "24px 32px" },
footerText: { fontSize: "12px", color: "#6b7280", textAlign: "center" as const, margin: "4px 0" },
link: { color: "#6b7280", textDecoration: "underline" },
}
Welcome Email
// emails/templates/welcome.tsx
import { Button, Heading, Text } from "@react-email/components"
import { EmailLayout } from "../components/layout/email-layout"
interface WelcomeEmailProps {
name: "string"
confirmUrl: string
trialDays?: number
}
export function WelcomeEmail({ name, confirmUrl, trialDays = 14 }: WelcomeEmailProps) {
return (
<EmailLayout preview={`Welcome to MyApp, ${name}! Confirm your email to get started.`}>
<Heading style={styles.h1}>Welcome to MyApp, {name}!</Heading>
<Text style={styles.text}>
We're excited to have you on board. You've got {trialDays} days to explore everything MyApp has to offer — no credit card required.
</Text>
<Text style={styles.text}>
First, confirm your email address to activate your account:
</Text>
<Button href={confirmUrl} style={styles.button}>
Confirm Email Address
</Button>
<Text style={styles.hint}>
Button not working? Copy and paste this link into your browser:
<br />
<a href={confirmUrl} style={styles.link}>{confirmUrl}</a>
</Text>
<Text style={styles.text}>
Once confirmed, you can:
</Text>
<ul style={styles.list}>
<li>Connect your first project in 2 minutes</li>
<li>Invite your team (free for up to 3 members)</li>
<li>Set up Slack notifications</li>
</ul>
</EmailLayout>
)
}
export default WelcomeEmail
const styles = {
h1: { fontSize: "28px", fontWeight: "700", color: "#111827", margin: "0 0 16px" },
text: { fontSize: "16px", lineHeight: "1.6", color: "#374151", margin: "0 0 16px" },
button: { backgroundColor: "#4f46e5", color: "#ffffff", borderRadius: "6px", fontSize: "16px", fontWeight: "600", padding: "12px 24px", textDecoration: "none", display: "inline-block", margin: "8px 0 24px" },
hint: { fontSize: "13px", color: "#6b7280" },
link: { color: "#4f46e5" },
list: { fontSize: "16px", lineHeight: "1.8", color: "#374151", paddingLeft: "20px" },
}
Invoice Email
// emails/templates/invoice.tsx
import { Row, Column, Section, Heading, Text, Hr, Button } from "@react-email/components"
import { EmailLayout } from "../components/layout/email-layout"
interface InvoiceItem { description: string; amount: number }
interface InvoiceEmailProps {
name: "string"
invoiceNumber: string
invoiceDate: string
dueDate: string
items: InvoiceItem[]
total: number
currency: string
downloadUrl: string
}
export function InvoiceEmail({ name, invoiceNumber, invoiceDate, dueDate, items, total, currency = "USD", downloadUrl }: InvoiceEmailProps) {
const formatter = new Intl.NumberFormat("en-US", { style: "currency", currency })
return (
<EmailLayout preview={`Invoice ${invoiceNumber} - ${formatter.format(total / 100)}`}>
<Heading style={styles.h1}>Invoice #{invoiceNumber}</Heading>
<Text style={styles.text}>Hi {name},</Text>
<Text style={styles.text}>Here's your invoice from MyApp. Thank you for your continued support.</Text>
{/* Invoice Meta */}
<Section style={styles.metaBox}>
<Row>
<Column><Text style={styles.metaLabel}>Invoice Date</Text><Text style={styles.metaValue}>{invoiceDate}</Text></Column>
<Column><Text style={styles.metaLabel}>Due Date</Text><Text style={styles.metaValue}>{dueDate}</Text></Column>
<Column><Text style={styles.metaLabel}>Amount Due</Text><Text style={styles.metaValueLarge}>{formatter.format(total / 100)}</Text></Column>
</Row>
</Section>
{/* Line Items */}
<Section style={styles.table}>
<Row style={styles.tableHeader}>
<Column><Text style={styles.tableHeaderText}>Description</Text></Column>
<Column><Text style={{ ...styles.tableHeaderText, textAlign: "right" }}>Amount</Text></Column>
</Row>
{items.map((item, i) => (
<Row key={i} style={i % 2 === 0 ? styles.tableRowEven : styles.tableRowOdd}>
<Column><Text style={styles.tableCell}>{item.description}</Text></Column>
<Column><Text style={{ ...styles.tableCell, textAlign: "right" }}>{formatter.format(item.amount / 100)}</Text></Column>
</Row>
))}
<Hr style={styles.divider} />
<Row>
<Column><Text style={styles.totalLabel}>Total</Text></Column>
<Column><Text style={styles.totalValue}>{formatter.format(total / 100)}</Text></Column>
</Row>
</Section>
<Button href={downloadUrl} style={styles.button}>Download PDF Invoice</Button>
</EmailLayout>
)
}
export default InvoiceEmail
const styles = {
h1: { fontSize: "24px", fontWeight: "700", color: "#111827", margin: "0 0 16px" },
text: { fontSize: "15px", lineHeight: "1.6", color: "#374151", margin: "0 0 12px" },
metaBox: { backgroundColor: "#f9fafb", borderRadius: "8px", padding: "16px", margin: "16px 0" },
metaLabel: { fontSize: "12px", color: "#6b7280", fontWeight: "600", textTransform: "uppercase" as const, margin: "0 0 4px" },
metaValue: { fontSize: "14px", color: "#111827", margin: 0 },
metaValueLarge: { fontSize: "20px", fontWeight: "700", color: "#4f46e5", margin: 0 },
table: { width: "100%", margin: "16px 0" },
tableHeader: { backgroundColor: "#f3f4f6", borderRadius: "4px" },
tableHeaderText: { fontSize: "12px", fontWeight: "600", color: "#374151", padding: "8px 12px", textTransform: "uppercase" as const },
tableRowEven: { backgroundColor: "#ffffff" },
tableRowOdd: { backgroundColor: "#f9fafb" },
tableCell: { fontSize: "14px", color: "#374151", padding: "10px 12px" },
divider: { borderColor: "#e5e5e5", margin: "8px 0" },
totalLabel: { fontSize: "16px", fontWeight: "700", color: "#111827", padding: "8px 12px" },
totalValue: { fontSize: "16px", fontWeight: "700", color: "#111827", textAlign: "right" as const, padding: "8px 12px" },
button: { backgroundColor: "#4f46e5", color: "#fff", borderRadius: "6px", padding: "12px 24px", fontSize: "15px", fontWeight: "600", textDecoration: "none" },
}
Unified Send Function
// emails/lib/send.ts
import { Resend } from "resend"
import { render } from "@react-email/render"
import { WelcomeEmail } from "../templates/welcome"
import { InvoiceEmail } from "../templates/invoice"
import { addTrackingParams } from "./tracking"
const resend = new Resend(process.env.RESEND_API_KEY)
type EmailPayload =
| { type: "welcome"; props: Parameters<typeof WelcomeEmail>[0] }
| { type: "invoice"; props: Parameters<typeof InvoiceEmail>[0] }
export async function sendEmail(to: string, payload: EmailPayload) {
const templates = {
welcome: { component: WelcomeEmail, subject: "Welcome to MyApp — confirm your email" },
invoice: { component: InvoiceEmail, subject: `Invoice from MyApp` },
}
const template = templates[payload.type]
const html = render(template.component(payload.props as any))
const trackedHtml = addTrackingParams(html, { campaign: payload.type })
const result = await resend.emails.send({
from: "MyApp <[email protected]>",
to,
subject: template.subject,
html: trackedHtml,
tags: [{ name: "email-type", value: payload.type }],
})
return result
}
Preview Server Setup
// package.json scripts
{
"scripts": {
"email:dev": "email dev --dir emails/templates --port 3001",
"email:build": "email export --dir emails/templates --outDir emails/out"
}
}
// Run: npm run email:dev
// Opens: http://localhost:3001
// Shows all templates with live preview and hot reload
i18n Support
// emails/i18n/en.ts
export const en = {
welcome: {
preview: (name: "string-welcome-to-myapp-name"
heading: (name: "string-welcome-to-myapp-name"
body: (days: number) => `You've got ${days} days to explore everything.`,
cta: "Confirm Email Address",
},
}
// emails/i18n/de.ts
export const de = {
welcome: {
preview: (name: "string-willkommen-bei-myapp-name"
heading: (name: "string-willkommen-bei-myapp-name"
body: (days: number) => `Du hast ${days} Tage Zeit, alles zu erkunden.`,
cta: "E-Mail-Adresse bestätigen",
},
}
// Usage in template
import { en, de } from "../i18n"
const t = locale === "de" ? de : en
Spam Score Optimization Checklist
- Sender domain has SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records configured
- From address uses your own domain (not gmail.com/hotmail.com)
- Subject line under 50 characters, no ALL CAPS, no “FREE!!!”
- Text-to-image ratio: at least 60% text
- Plain text version included alongside HTML
- Unsubscribe link in every marketing email (CAN-SPAM, GDPR)
- No URL shorteners — use full branded links
- No red-flag words: “guarantee”, “no risk”, “limited time offer” in subject
- Single CTA per email — no 5 different buttons
- Image alt text on every image
- HTML validates — no broken tags
- Test with Mail-Tester.com before first send (target: 9+/10)
Analytics Tracking
// emails/lib/tracking.ts
interface TrackingParams {
campaign: string
medium?: string
source?: string
}
export function addTrackingParams(html: string, params: TrackingParams): string {
const utmString = new URLSearchParams({
utm_source: params.source ?? "email",
utm_medium: params.medium ?? "transactional",
utm_campaign: params.campaign,
}).toString()
// Add UTM params to all links in the email
return html.replace(/href="(https?:\/\/[^"]+)"/g, (match, url) => {
const separator = url.includes("?") ? "&" : "?"
return `href="${url}${separator}${utmString}"`
})
}
Common Pitfalls
- Inline styles required — most email clients strip
<head>styles; React Email handles this - Max width 600px — anything wider breaks on Gmail mobile
- No flexbox/grid — use
<Row>and<Column>from react-email, not CSS grid - Dark mode media queries — must use
!importantto override inline styles - Missing plain text — all major providers have a plain text field; always populate it
- Transactional vs marketing — use separate sending domains/IPs to protect deliverability
Install this Skill
Skills give your AI agent a consistent, structured approach to this task — better output than a one-off prompt.
npx skills add alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill engineering-team/email-template-builder Community skill by @alirezarezvani. Need a walkthrough? See the install guide →
Works with
Prefer no terminal? Download the ZIP and place it manually.
Details
- Category
- Development
- License
- MIT
- Author
- @alirezarezvani
- Source
- GitHub →
- Source file
-
show path
engineering-team/email-template-builder/SKILL.md
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