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Learn how to leverage the Email Extension Plugin to send customizable email notifications from a Jenkins Declarative Pipeline.

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Overview

In this guide, you’ll:
  • Create a Jenkins Pipeline job
  • Generate an emailext snippet with the Pipeline Syntax Generator
  • Configure default email variables
  • Build a complete Declarative Pipeline with post-build email steps
  • Send both plain-text and HTML-formatted notifications

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Prerequisites

  • Jenkins (2.x or later) with Pipeline and Email Extension Plugin installed
  • SMTP server credentials configured under Manage Jenkins > Configure System
Ensure the Email Extension Plugin is installed and up to date. Without it, the emailext step won’t be available in your pipeline.

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1. Create the Pipeline Job

  1. In Jenkins, click New Item.
  2. Enter a job name (e.g., pipeline-email-notification).
  3. Select Pipeline and click OK.
  4. Scroll to the Pipeline section and choose Declarative Pipeline as the definition.

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2. Generate the emailext Snippet

  1. Within the job configuration, click Pipeline Syntax (the Declarative Pipeline Generator).
  2. Choose Declarative: Pipeline Generator.
  3. In Steps, filter for emailext.
The image shows a Jenkins interface with the "Snippet Generator" for configuring an "Extended Email" step in a pipeline script. It includes fields for email details like "To," "Subject," and "Body."
  1. Fill in To, Subject, Body, etc., then click Generate Pipeline Script:
emailext body: '', recipientProviders: [developers()], subject: ''
The image shows a Jenkins pipeline syntax configuration screen for setting up email notifications using the email-ext plugin. It includes fields for specifying recipients, subject, and body of the email.

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3. Configure Default Placeholders

The plugin provides built-in variables you can reference:
PlaceholderDescription
$DEFAULT_RECIPIENTSRecipients defined in Manage Jenkins
$DEFAULT_SUBJECTDefault subject line
$DEFAULT_CONTENTDefault email body content
You can also attach logs or artifacts. For example: 
emailext attachLog: true,
         body: '$DEFAULT_CONTENT',
         subject: '$DEFAULT_SUBJECT',
         to: '$DEFAULT_RECIPIENTS'

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4. Full Declarative Pipeline Example

This pipeline runs a Hello stage, generates testFile.txt, and always sends an email with the build log and testFile.* attachments: 
pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Hello') {
            steps {
                sh "echo 'Testing pipeline-email-notification' > testFile.txt"
            }
        }
    }

    post {
        always {
            emailext attachLog: true,
                     body: '$DEFAULT_CONTENT',
                     subject: '$DEFAULT_SUBJECT',
                     to: '$DEFAULT_RECIPIENTS',
                     attachmentsPattern: 'testFile.*'
        }
    }
}
To only send emails on failures, place emailext under post { failure { ... } } instead of always.

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5. Execute the Pipeline

  1. Save your job and click Build Now.
  2. Observe the Hello stage run and the post-build action trigger.
The image shows a Jenkins dashboard displaying the status of a pipeline named "pipeline-email-notification," with stages labeled Start, Hello, Post Actions, and End. The interface includes options for configuring and managing the pipeline.

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6. Verify the Email Delivery

Check your inbox for a new message. You should see:
  • An attached build.log
  • The testFile.txt generated by the Hello stage
The image shows a Gmail inbox with an email notification about a successful Jenkins pipeline build. The email includes two attachments: "testFile.txt" and "build.log".
Sample console output: 
Started by user siddharth
[Pipeline] Start of Pipeline
[Pipeline] node
Running on Jenkins in /var/lib/jenkins/workspace/pipeline-email-notification
[Pipeline] {
[Pipeline] stage
[Pipeline] { (Hello)
[Pipeline] sh
+ echo Testing pipeline-email-notification
[Pipeline] }
[Pipeline] // stage
[Pipeline] stage
[Pipeline] { (Declarative: Post Actions)
[Pipeline] emailext
Sending email to: [email protected]

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7. Sending HTML-Formatted Emails

To use rich HTML templates, create an HTML file (e.g., email-template.html): 
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Jenkins Build Status</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1 style="color: #007bff;">Jenkins Build Status Notification</h1>
    <p>Hi team,</p>
    <p>Latest build of <b>${JOB_NAME}</b>:</p>
    <table border="1" cellpadding="10">
        <thead>
            <tr>
                <th>Build #</th>
                <th>Status</th>
                <th>Details</th>
            </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
            <tr>
                <td>${BUILD_NUMBER}</td>
                <td>${BUILD_STATUS}</td>
                <td><a href="${BUILD_URL}">View Log</a></td>
            </tr>
        </tbody>
    </table>
    <p>Regards,<br>Your Jenkins Bot</p>
</body>
</html>
  1. Go to Manage Jenkins > Configure System.
  2. Under Extended E-mail Notification, set Default Content to your HTML and Content Type to text/html.
The image shows a Jenkins system configuration page for setting up email notifications, including SMTP port, credentials, and security options like SSL.
Re-run the pipeline to see your styled, HTML-based email in action.

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References

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