Skip to main content

Pre-flight checks

Before an email ships, Better Email runs it through a set of automated checks — from mechanical problems like unrendered merge tags and oversized images to AI review of spelling, tone, and how the rendered email actually looks. The results live in the Pre-flight checks panel on the Review tab of the Email Workspace.

Which checks run, and whether a failure warns or blocks, is decided by your organization — see Email checks for the admin side.

What gets checked​

Checks are grouped the same way in the panel as in the settings:

  • Subject & preheader — present and the right length, and (optionally) whether the subject matches the content.
  • Content & brand — placeholder text, spelling and grammar, tone of voice, CTA clarity, plus any custom AI rules your organization has written.
  • Links & images — HTTPS images, link hygiene, UTM parameters, and network checks that actually request every link and image to confirm they resolve and aren't too heavy.
  • Accessibility — alt text (and whether it's actually descriptive), contrast, heading structure, minimum font size, descriptive link text, and more.
  • HTML & size — email size against Gmail's clipping limit, unrendered merge tags, script tags, external CSS.
  • Visual review — an AI pass over a screenshot of the rendered email: broken layout, illegible text, imagery that contradicts the copy, a buried CTA, broken images.

The panel also keeps the workflow checks under Review & approvals: module fields are valid, the latest revision is current, open review comments are resolved, and required approvers have approved.

Checks marked with ✦ are AI-powered. They score the email against a threshold your admin sets — findings from a passing check stay out of your way.

When checks run​

Checks run automatically on every revision, and re-run when needed as you open the email — you don't have to remember to trigger them. To force a fresh run, click Run checks in the panel. If a run fails, the panel says so and offers a Retry.

Reading the results​

Each row shows the check, its status, and a short detail — Pass · 21 KB, 2 findings · 1 dismissed, and so on. Colors follow your organization's policy:

  • Amber — a warning. Worth a look, but it won't stop you.
  • Red — a blocking failure. The email can't sync to your ESP until it's fixed, dismissed, or overridden.

A check that couldn't reach a verdict shows Couldn't verify (or Couldn't check if it hit an error). Inconclusive checks never block an export — only a definite failure does.

AI findings in the preview​

AI findings don't just sit in a list — they're anchored to the exact copy they're about. In the preview, flagged text gets a dotted underline with a small numbered badge. Use the ✦ Issues toggle in the preview toolbar to show or hide them.

Click a badge to open the finding. From the popover you can:

  • Add as comment — turn the finding into a real comment thread on that module, so it enters your normal feedback flow. The thread is marked as originating from an AI finding.
  • Fix with Betty — hand the fix straight to AI.
  • Dismiss — waive this specific finding (see below).

The popover also tells you the stakes: blocks sync or warns, doesn't block.

A finding that can't be located in the rendered preview (for example, one about the subject line) shows as a Not in preview chip instead. And in the Feedback sidebar, a filter lets you switch between comments and AI findings so you can work through either list.

Dismissing findings​

AI judgment calls can be wrong, so AI and visual findings can be dismissed. A dismissed finding stays dismissed across re-runs, and can be restored from the findings panel if you change your mind. When every finding on a failing blocking check is dismissed, that check stops blocking the export.

Two things to know:

  • Deterministic findings can't be waived — an email with script tags or unrendered merge tags needs fixing, not dismissing.
  • Who may dismiss is governed by your organization's override policy. By default it's admins; organizations can extend this to editors and designers, or turn overrides off entirely.

Syncing with failing checks​

When a blocking check is failing, the Review tab shows Not ready to sync with the reasons listed under Blocked. If you're authorized under the override policy, you can still export: click the sync control once to reveal sync anyway, then click again to confirm. Overrides only apply to the latest revision.

Test sends are never gated — you can always send yourself a test while iterating.

Skipping a check for one element​

If a check is right in general but wrong for a specific element (a deliberately small legal footer, for example), a template author can exempt that element with a check-ignore HTML comment. See Email checks for the syntax.

Who can do what​

  • Everyone on the email workspace sees the pre-flight panel and findings.
  • Editors, designers, and admins can run checks and export; reviewers can review but not export.
  • Dismissing findings and overriding the sync gate follows the organization's override policy (admins by default).
  • Configuring which checks run is admin-only, in organization settings.