Managing Courier

---
name: managing-courier
description: |
  Use when working with Courier — courier notification orchestration platform
  management covering messages, templates, brands, users, and delivery
  analytics. Use when monitoring notification delivery, analyzing template
  performance, reviewing delivery logs, managing notification preferences, or
  troubleshooting Courier notification issues.
connection_type: courier
preload: false
---

# Courier Management Skill

Manage and analyze Courier notification resources including messages, templates, and delivery analytics.

## API Conventions

### Authentication
All API calls use Bearer auth token, injected automatically.

### Base URL
`https://api.courier.com`

### Core Helper Function

```bash
#!/bin/bash

courier_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $COURIER_AUTH_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://api.courier.com${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $COURIER_AUTH_TOKEN" \
            "https://api.courier.com${endpoint}"
    fi
}
```

## Output Rules
- Target ≤50 lines per script output
- Use `jq` to extract only needed fields
- Never dump full API responses

## Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Recent Messages ==="
courier_api GET "/messages?limit=20" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.status)\t\(.event[0:20])\t\(.recipient[0:16])\t\(.enqueued | . / 1000 | strftime("%Y-%m-%d"))"' \
    | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Notification Templates ==="
courier_api GET "/notifications?limit=20" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.title[0:30])\t\(.tags | join(",") | .[0:20])"' \
    | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Brands ==="
courier_api GET "/brands?limit=10" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.name)\t\(.published // false)"' | head -10
```

## Phase 2: Analysis

### Delivery Analytics

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Message Status Summary ==="
courier_api GET "/messages?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | .status' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

echo ""
echo "=== Messages by Event/Template ==="
courier_api GET "/messages?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | .event // "unknown"' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Failed Messages ==="
courier_api GET "/messages?limit=20&status=UNDELIVERABLE" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.event[0:20])\t\(.recipient[0:16])\t\(.reason // "no reason")"' \
    | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Delivery Channels Used ==="
courier_api GET "/messages?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | .channel // "unknown"' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
```

### User & Preference Management

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Recent Profiles ==="
courier_api GET "/profiles?limit=15" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id[0:20])\t\(.profile.email // "no-email")"' | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Subscription Topics ==="
courier_api GET "/preferences?limit=20" \
    | jq -r '.items[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.topic_name)\t\(.default_status)"' | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Lists ==="
courier_api GET "/lists?limit=15" \
    | jq -r '.results[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name[0:30])"' | head -15
```

## Output Format

```
=== Courier Workspace ===
Templates: <n>  Brands: <n>

--- Message Delivery ---
DELIVERED: <n>  SENT: <n>  UNDELIVERABLE: <n>  OPENED: <n>

--- By Template ---
<event>: <n> messages

--- By Channel ---
email: <n>  push: <n>  sms: <n>
```

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls
- **Message statuses**: `ENQUEUED`, `SENT`, `DELIVERED`, `OPENED`, `CLICKED`, `UNDELIVERABLE`, `UNMAPPED`
- **Timestamps**: Unix milliseconds in responses
- **Pagination**: Use `limit` and `cursor`; check `paging.cursor` for next page
- **Rate limits**: 20 requests/second for most endpoints
- **Two auth tokens**: Published (production) and Draft (test) tokens are separate