Reminders and expiry so envelopes don’t stall

A sent envelope that nobody opens is not a completed agreement. It is a tab someone meant to get to. Reminders and expiration are how Inkpacket keeps that tab honest: nudge the outstanding signer on a cadence you choose, then close the link when the window ends so the document list does not lie.

On send you set a reminder interval and an expiration, or keep the workspace defaults — every 3 days, and 14 days until the link dies. Workspace owners change those defaults in Settings. Set the interval to 0 to skip reminders on that envelope. The in-app notes are Docs and Docs. Features combines them under reminders and auto-expiration.

How reminders work

A scheduled job looks for outstanding SENT envelopes whose reminder interval has elapsed and sends another email when Resend is configured. Without a Resend key the reminder is logged the same way as the first signing invite. Signed or expired envelopes are skipped. Declined or voided envelopes are also done — reminders stop with the link.

A reminder is not a resend you click. Resend is a manual “send the existing link again now.” The reminder job is the cadence you chose at send. Both leave the envelope id alone. Use resend when the signer says they never saw the first message and you want another copy in the thread today. Use reminders when you want the desk to keep tapping without you watching the list. Envelope admin explains the manual verbs.

Interval 0

Some envelopes should not nag. A board envelope the recipient already has on a call. A walk-in signing you will complete in the room. Set the reminder interval to 0 on that envelope. Expiration can still apply. The two controls are independent: you can expire without reminding, and you can remind until expiry.

How expiration works

Each send can set how many days the signing link stays valid. The default is 14. After that, the desk shows expired status and the signer cannot complete the envelope. Ask for a new envelope if the work still needs a signature. Expiration is not a void: you did not kill the deal; the window ended.

Expiration is enforced when someone opens or submits the signing link, and the hourly cron marks overdue SENT envelopes as expired so the document list stays accurate. A webhook fires expired when you have a URL configured — signed webhooks list the full event set.

Expiry inside an embed or behind a code

Embedded signing uses the same token. If the envelope has expired, the iframe cannot complete it. An access code does not extend the window. Embedded signing and access codes are extra locks, not extra time.

Bulk send shares one cadence

A bulk job applies the reminder interval and expiration you set on the job — or the workspace defaults — to every row. You do not pick a different window per email in this pass. If one cohort needs 7 days and another needs 30, run two jobs. Bulk send for HR and sales envelopes covers the list path.

Choosing windows that match the work

• Offer letters: keep the 14-day default or shorten it if the start date is close. Remind every 2 or 3 days.
• Policy acknowledgments: a longer window is fine; a weekly reminder is enough.
• In-room or same-day signing: interval 0, a short expiration, copy the link.
• Vendor envelopes that stall in legal: 14 days, then void or send a new envelope if the PDF changed.

The FAQ is the short version of this article. The five-minute send sets these fields in minute 4 — read that walkthrough if you want the click path.

When the window is wrong after send

You cannot stretch an already-expired link. Send a new envelope from the PDF or template. You cannot turn reminders back on for a declined or voided envelope; those statuses have already closed signing. If the recipient is wrong, correct them on the same envelope — a new invite goes out, and the cadence you set at send still applies to that envelope.

If the agreement is off, void it. Do not wait for expiry to act like a cancel. Expiry is a clock. Void is a decision. The audit log records both.

What happens when mail is not configured

Inkpacket still runs. Reminders are logged instead of emailed, the same way the first invite is logged. Copy the signing URL from the desk and nudge the signer yourself. Expiration still marks the envelope so the list stays honest. Billing is unrelated: checkout is not open, and cadence does not wait on a card. Free versus paid lanes explains the published limits.

Envelopes stall when nobody is asked again and nobody is told the link is dead. Set a cadence. Set a window. Let the hourly job do the walking. Then file the completed PDF, or start the next envelope from a template.