Email or Calendar Sync Issues

This guide covers the most common reasons emails or calendar events don't appear in Obvious — and how to fix each one.

Emails aren't showing up

Your connected email account is linked, but messages aren't appearing when you or the agent try to read them.

What's happening: If your email connector loses authorization (password change, token expired), the sync stops silently.

Fix it:

1. Open the connectors menu (the plug icon in the toolbar). If you haven't connected an email account yet, click Add in this menu and choose your provider.
2. Look for your email account; if it shows a warning badge or "expired," that's the issue.
3. Click the account name, then click Reconnect. You'll re-authorize through your email provider's sign-in flow.
4. Once reconnected, ask the agent to search or list your emails. They should appear within a few seconds.

Calendar events are missing

You've connected a calendar, but events aren't showing up when you ask the agent to list them.

What's happening: Calendar events stop loading if your connector's authorization expires or the connection pauses.

Fix it:

1. Open the connectors menu and check your calendar connection. A warning badge means the connection needs attention.
2. If the connection shows as paused or expired, click the account name and select Reconnect to reauthorize.
3. Ask the agent to list your calendars to confirm the connection is healthy.
4. Try a specific date range: "Show my events for this week" or "List events for March."

Sync feels slow or delayed

Emails or events that you know exist aren't appearing right away.

What's happening: Obvious fetches data in real time, so if your provider is slow to respond (large mailboxes), there can be a short delay.

Fix it:

1. Wait a few seconds and try the request again. Most provider-side delays resolve quickly.
2. If the delay persists, check the connectors menu; reconnecting usually clears intermittent errors.
3. For large email searches, try narrowing your query. "Emails from sarah@company.com this week" will return faster than "all emails from sarah."

Still stuck?

If these steps don't help, reach out to Obvious support with what you see in the connectors menu and any error messages the agent returned.