The latest articles on DEV Community by SandMail (@sandvpn). https://dev.to/sandvpn https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3410314%2Fb6241356-81d6-4993-bac3-b5893aa2fa8a.png https://dev.to/sandvpn en SandMail Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:34:47 +0000 https://dev.to/sandvpn/how-to-extract-otp-codes-with-ai-agents-one-api-call-557p https://dev.to/sandvpn/how-to-extract-otp-codes-with-ai-agents-one-api-call-557p <p>How to Extract OTP Codes with AI Agents — One API Call</p> <p>Every AI agent hits the same wall: email verification. 80% of online services require an OTP to sign up. Your agent can fill forms, click buttons, solve captchas — but it can't check an inbox.</p> <p>I built <a href="https://sandmail.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">SandMail</a> to fix this. One API call creates a disposable inbox, waits for the verification email, and returns the OTP code.</p> <h2> 3 Lines of Code (JavaScript) </h2> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>import { SandMail } from 'sandmail'; const client = new SandMail('sk_live_your_key'); const inbox = await client.createInbox(); const otp = await client.waitForOTP(inbox.email, { timeout: 30 }); console.log(otp.code); // "847291" console.log(otp.confidence); // "high" </code></pre> </div> <h2> Python Version </h2> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>from sandmail import SandMail client = SandMail("sk_live_your_key") inbox = client.create_inbox() otp = client.wait_for_otp(inbox.email, timeout=30) print(otp.code) # "847291" </code></pre> </div> <h2> How OTP Extraction Works </h2> <p>The API parses the email body using pattern matching across <strong>15 languages</strong> — no AI model needed, just fast regex.</p> <p>Supported formats:</p> <ul> <li>"Your verification code is 847291" → ✅ high confidence</li> <li>"Code: 4829" → ✅ high confidence</li> <li>"Ihr Bestätigungscode lautet 847291" (German) → ✅ high confidence</li> <li>"验证码：847291" (Chinese) → ✅ high confidence</li> <li>Magic links → ✅ detected</li> </ul> <p>Each result includes <code>code</code>, <code>type</code>, <code>confidence</code>, and <code>verification_links</code>.</p> <h2> Real-time with Webhooks </h2> <p>For production pipelines, use webhooks. The OTP is extracted and included directly in the webhook payload:</p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>{ "event": "message.received", "data": { "recipient": "agent_x7k@tempyx.com", "has_otp": true, "otp": { "code": "847291", "confidence": "high" } } } </code></pre> </div> <h2> MCP Server for Claude &amp; Cursor </h2> <p>If you use Claude Code or Cursor, install the MCP server:</p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>npm install -g sandmail-mcp </code></pre> </div> <p>Then ask your agent: <em>"Create a temporary email and get me the verification code from Twitter."</em></p> <h2> Why Not Gmail API? </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Gmail</strong>: 250 sends/day limit, OAuth2 complexity, no disposable inboxes</li> <li> <strong>SandMail</strong>: unlimited inboxes, one API key, OTP extracted automatically</li> </ul> <h2> Try It </h2> <p>Free tier: 500 requests/month, no credit card.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://sandmail.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">sandmail.dev</a></li> <li><a href="https://sandmail.dev/docs" rel="noopener noreferrer">Docs</a></li> <li><a href="https://npmjs.com/package/sandmail" rel="noopener noreferrer">npm</a></li> <li><a href="https://pypi.org/project/sandmail" rel="noopener noreferrer">pip</a></li> <li><a href="https://npmjs.com/package/sandmail-mcp" rel="noopener noreferrer">MCP Server</a></li> </ul> <p>Happy to answer any questions!</p> ai webdev javascript python