feat(api/contact): wire env-driven SMTP for contact + project inquiry forms

Both the contact form (/contact) and the homepage "Tell us about your project"
inline lead form post to /api/contact. Updated that single handler to build
the nodemailer transport from a clean set of SMTP_* env vars per spec:

  SMTP_HOST / SMTP_PORT / SMTP_USER / SMTP_PASS
  SMTP_FROM + SMTP_FROM_NAME  -> "From: Ajay Ghanwat <ghanwat.ajay@workroot.in>"
  MAIL_ADMIN_TO               -> admin notification recipient
                                  (falls back to SMTP_FROM, then legacy
                                   CONTACT_EMAIL_TO / CONTACT_EMAIL / SMTP_USER)
  SMTP_REQUIRE_TLS            -> force STARTTLS upgrade on port 587
  SMTP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS  -> defaults to 10000
  SMTP_GREETING_TIMEOUT_MS    -> defaults to 10000
  SMTP_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS      -> defaults to 10000

Behaviour preserved:
- Existing user-facing auto-reply (the block previously at L270) kept.
  Subject + body now adapt for project-inquiry sources (homepage-inline,
  homepage-hero, homepage-final-cta, mobile-sticky) so the admin inbox
  can triage [Project Inquiry] vs [Contact Form] at a glance.
- Graceful degradation per FORM_INTEGRATION.md: missing env vars or a
  failed nodemailer import logs a structured warning and returns 200 —
  the site never 500s on email config.
- Rate limiting, honeypot, CORS, validation, and fire-and-forget
  background dispatch are untouched.

Observability:
- Structured console logs at: transport created, admin accepted (with
  messageId), user auto-reply accepted (with messageId), and send-failure
  (with smtp code/command/response). SMTP_PASS is never logged.

Misc:
- .env.example updated to document the new variables and the legacy
  aliases that are still honored.

.env.example

@@ -37,12 +37,32 @@ NODE_ENV=production
 # ==================================
 # Contact Form & Email (SMTP)
 # ==================================
-# Used by /api/contact for sending contact form submissions
+# Used by /api/contact (powers both the contact page form AND the
-# If not set, submissions are logged to console (dev/staging mode)
+# homepage "Tell us about your project" inline lead form).
-# SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
+# If unset, submissions are logged to console (dev/staging mode).
-# SMTP_PORT=587
+#
-# SMTP_USER=your_email@example.com
+# --- Required for live email delivery ---
-# SMTP_PASS=your_app_password_here
+# SMTP_HOST=smtp.hostinger.com
+# SMTP_PORT=587                        # 587 = STARTTLS (recommended)
+# SMTP_USER=ghanwat.ajay@workroot.in
+# SMTP_PASS=your_app_password_here     # MARK AS SECRET in platform UI
+#
+# --- From header (RFC 5322) ---
+# SMTP_FROM=ghanwat.ajay@workroot.in
+# SMTP_FROM_NAME=Ajay Ghanwat
+#
+# --- Admin recipient for inbound submissions ---
+# Falls back to SMTP_FROM, then legacy CONTACT_EMAIL_TO/CONTACT_EMAIL.
+# MAIL_ADMIN_TO=ghanwat.ajay@workroot.in
+#
+# --- TLS & timeouts (optional, sensible defaults applied) ---
+# SMTP_REQUIRE_TLS=true                # set to "false" to disable STARTTLS upgrade
+# SMTP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS=10000
+# SMTP_GREETING_TIMEOUT_MS=10000
+# SMTP_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS=10000
+#
+# --- Legacy aliases (still honored for backwards compatibility) ---
+# CONTACT_EMAIL_TO=hello@workroot.in
 # CONTACT_EMAIL=hello@workroot.in
 
 # ==================================

src/pages/api/contact.ts

@@ -109,53 +109,174 @@ function validateContactForm(data: ContactFormData): string | null {
 }
 
 // ============================================================
-// SMTP transporter (created once at module level for reuse)
+// SMTP transporter — env-driven, created once at module level
+// ============================================================
+//
+// Required env vars:
+//   SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_USER, SMTP_PASS
+//   SMTP_FROM, SMTP_FROM_NAME
+//   MAIL_ADMIN_TO  (admin recipient; falls back to SMTP_FROM)
+// Optional env vars (with sensible defaults):
+//   SMTP_REQUIRE_TLS              ("false" disables STARTTLS upgrade; default: required)
+//   SMTP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS    (default 10000)
+//   SMTP_GREETING_TIMEOUT_MS      (default 10000)
+//   SMTP_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS        (default 10000)
+//
+// Graceful degradation: if the nodemailer import fails, or any of the
+// required env vars are missing, we log a structured warning and let
+// the POST handler return success to the user. The site never 500s
+// because of email config — submissions surface in server logs and
+// Sentry instead.
 // ============================================================
-let smtpTransporter: any = null;
-let smtpVerified = false;
 
-// Verify SMTP connection once at module initialization
+interface SmtpConfig {
-(async () => {
+  host: string;
-  const smtpHost = process.env.SMTP_HOST;
+  port: number;
-  const smtpUser = process.env.SMTP_USER;
+  user: string;
-  const smtpPass = process.env.SMTP_PASS;
+  pass: string;
-  const smtpPort = parseInt(process.env.SMTP_PORT ?? '587', 10);
+  fromAddress: string;
+  fromName: string;
+  adminRecipient: string;
+  requireTLS: boolean;
+  connectionTimeout: number;
+  greetingTimeout: number;
+  socketTimeout: number;
+}
 
-  if (!smtpHost || !smtpUser || !smtpPass) {
+function readSmtpConfig(): SmtpConfig | null {
-    logger.info('api.contact', 'SMTP not configured — skipping connection verification');
+  const host = process.env.SMTP_HOST;
-    return;
+  const user = process.env.SMTP_USER;
+  const pass = process.env.SMTP_PASS;
+  const fromAddress = process.env.SMTP_FROM || user || '';
+  const fromName = process.env.SMTP_FROM_NAME || 'CompanySite';
+  // Admin recipient resolution chain:
+  //   MAIL_ADMIN_TO > SMTP_FROM > legacy CONTACT_EMAIL_TO > legacy CONTACT_EMAIL > SMTP_USER
+  const adminRecipient =
+    process.env.MAIL_ADMIN_TO ||
+    process.env.SMTP_FROM ||
+    process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL_TO ||
+    process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL ||
+    user ||
+    '';
+
+  if (!host || !user || !pass || !fromAddress || !adminRecipient) {
+    return null;
   }
 
-  try {
+  return {
+    host,
+    port: Number(process.env.SMTP_PORT ?? 587),
+    user,
+    pass,
+    fromAddress,
+    fromName,
+    adminRecipient,
+    // 587 uses STARTTLS — `secure:false` + `requireTLS:true` is the
+    // correct combination. The flag lets ops disable TLS enforcement
+    // by setting SMTP_REQUIRE_TLS=false (e.g. local mailcatcher).
+    requireTLS: process.env.SMTP_REQUIRE_TLS !== 'false',
+    connectionTimeout: Number(process.env.SMTP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS ?? 10000),
+    greetingTimeout: Number(process.env.SMTP_GREETING_TIMEOUT_MS ?? 10000),
+    socketTimeout: Number(process.env.SMTP_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS ?? 10000),
+  };
+}
+
+let smtpTransporter: any = null;
+let smtpTransporterPromise: Promise<any> | null = null;
+
+async function getTransporter(cfg: SmtpConfig): Promise<any> {
+  if (smtpTransporter) return smtpTransporter;
+  if (smtpTransporterPromise) return smtpTransporterPromise;
+
+  smtpTransporterPromise = (async () => {
     const nodemailer = await import('nodemailer');
-    smtpTransporter = nodemailer.default.createTransport({
+    const transport = nodemailer.default.createTransport({
-      host: smtpHost,
+      host: cfg.host,
-      port: smtpPort,
+      port: cfg.port,
-      secure: false, // Port 587 uses STARTTLS, not SSL
+      secure: false, // 587 uses STARTTLS, not implicit TLS
-      auth: { user: smtpUser, pass: smtpPass },
+      requireTLS: cfg.requireTLS,
-      requireTLS: true, // Force STARTTLS upgrade
+      auth: {
+        user: cfg.user,
+        pass: cfg.pass,
+      },
+      connectionTimeout: cfg.connectionTimeout,
+      greetingTimeout: cfg.greetingTimeout,
+      socketTimeout: cfg.socketTimeout,
       tls: {
-        rejectUnauthorized: false, // Handle Hostinger certificate issues
+        // Hostinger occasionally serves an intermediate cert chain that
+        // node's default verifier rejects. Keep this off for parity with
+        // the prior working configuration.
+        rejectUnauthorized: false,
       },
     });
 
-    await smtpTransporter.verify();
+    // NOTE: we deliberately do NOT log cfg.pass. Logs go to platform
-    smtpVerified = true;
+    // stdout and are user-visible in the Operations → Logs tab.
-    console.log('SMTP connection verified successfully');
+    console.log('[api.contact] SMTP transport created', {
+      host: cfg.host,
+      port: cfg.port,
+      user: cfg.user,
+      from: `"${cfg.fromName}" <${cfg.fromAddress}>`,
+      adminRecipient: cfg.adminRecipient,
+      requireTLS: cfg.requireTLS,
+      timeouts: {
+        connection: cfg.connectionTimeout,
+        greeting: cfg.greetingTimeout,
+        socket: cfg.socketTimeout,
+      },
+    });
+    logger.info('api.contact', 'SMTP transport created', {
+      host: cfg.host,
+      port: cfg.port,
+      user: cfg.user,
+      requireTLS: cfg.requireTLS,
+    });
+
+    smtpTransporter = transport;
+    return transport;
+  })();
+
+  try {
+    return await smtpTransporterPromise;
+  } catch (err) {
+    // Reset so a subsequent request can retry instead of being permanently
+    // wedged on a transient nodemailer import or DNS failure.
+    smtpTransporterPromise = null;
+    throw err;
+  }
+}
+
+// Background verify — best-effort, never throws. Hits SMTP at boot so the
+// first user submission doesn't pay the TCP+STARTTLS handshake latency.
+(async () => {
+  const cfg = readSmtpConfig();
+  if (!cfg) {
+    logger.info('api.contact', 'SMTP not configured — skipping boot-time verification');
+    return;
+  }
+  try {
+    const transport = await getTransporter(cfg);
+    await transport.verify();
+    console.log('[api.contact] SMTP connection verified successfully', {
+      host: cfg.host,
+      port: cfg.port,
+      user: cfg.user,
+    });
     logger.info('api.contact', 'SMTP connection verified successfully', {
-      host: smtpHost,
+      host: cfg.host,
-      port: smtpPort,
+      port: cfg.port,
-      user: smtpUser,
+      user: cfg.user,
     });
   } catch (err: any) {
-    smtpVerified = false;
+    console.error('[api.contact] SMTP connection verification failed', {
-    console.error('SMTP connection verification failed:', {
       code: err?.code,
+      command: err?.command,
       message: err?.message,
       response: err?.response,
     });
     logger.error('api.contact', 'SMTP connection verification failed', {
       code: err?.code,
+      command: err?.command,
       message: err?.message,
       response: err?.response,
     });
@@ -165,16 +286,16 @@ let smtpVerified = false;
 // ============================================================
 // Email sending via SMTP (nodemailer) or no-op in development
 // ============================================================
-async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
+interface SendResult {
-  const smtpHost = process.env.SMTP_HOST;
+  adminInfo?: { messageId?: string };
-  const smtpUser = process.env.SMTP_USER;
+  userConfirmInfo?: { messageId?: string };
-  const smtpPass = process.env.SMTP_PASS;
+}
-  const smtpPort = parseInt(process.env.SMTP_PORT ?? '587', 10);
-  const smtpFrom = process.env.SMTP_FROM;
-  const recipientEmail = process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL_TO;
 
-  if (!smtpHost || !smtpUser || !smtpPass || !recipientEmail) {
+async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<SendResult | void> {
-    // SMTP not configured - log and continue (graceful degradation)
+  const cfg = readSmtpConfig();
+
+  if (!cfg) {
+    // SMTP not configured — log and continue (graceful degradation)
     logger.info('api.contact', 'SMTP not configured — form submission logged only', {
       email: data.email,
       subject: data.subject,
@@ -185,22 +306,8 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
     return;
   }
 
-  // Dynamic import to avoid bundling issues when nodemailer isn't installed
   try {
-    // Reuse module-level transporter if available, otherwise create a new one
+    const transport = await getTransporter(cfg);
-    if (!smtpTransporter) {
-      const nodemailer = await import('nodemailer');
-      smtpTransporter = nodemailer.default.createTransport({
-        host: smtpHost,
-        port: smtpPort,
-        secure: false,
-        auth: { user: smtpUser, pass: smtpPass },
-        requireTLS: true,
-        tls: {
-          rejectUnauthorized: false,
-        },
-      });
-    }
 
     const subjectLabels: Record<string, string> = {
       'web-development': 'Web Development',
@@ -216,17 +323,31 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
 
     const sourceLabel = data.source ? data.source : 'contact-page';
 
-    const fromAddress = smtpFrom || smtpUser;
+    // The "Tell us about your project" inline form on the homepage and the
+    // mobile sticky CTA tag themselves as project-inquiry sources. Use a
+    // distinct subject prefix so the admin inbox can be triaged easily.
+    const isProjectInquiry =
+      data.source === 'homepage-inline' ||
+      data.source === 'homepage-hero' ||
+      data.source === 'homepage-final-cta' ||
+      data.source === 'mobile-sticky';
+    const adminSubjectPrefix = isProjectInquiry ? '[Project Inquiry]' : '[Contact Form]';
+    const userSubjectLine = isProjectInquiry
+      ? "We received your project inquiry - CompanySite"
+      : 'We received your message - CompanySite';
 
-    // 1) Admin notification email with BCC to SMTP_USER for delivery confirmation
+    const fromHeader = `"${cfg.fromName}" <${cfg.fromAddress}>`;
-    const adminInfo = await smtpTransporter.sendMail({
+
-      from: `"CompanySite Contact Form" <${fromAddress}>`,
+    // 1) Admin notification email — delivered to MAIL_ADMIN_TO (or SMTP_FROM
-      to: recipientEmail,
+    //    fallback). BCC to SMTP_USER as a soft delivery receipt.
-      bcc: process.env.SMTP_USER, // BCC to admin inbox as delivery confirmation
+    const adminInfo = await transport.sendMail({
+      from: fromHeader,
+      to: cfg.adminRecipient,
+      bcc: cfg.user, // BCC to the SMTP mailbox as delivery confirmation
       replyTo: data.email,
-      subject: `[Contact Form] ${subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject} - ${data.name}`,
+      subject: `${adminSubjectPrefix} ${subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject} - ${data.name}`,
       text: [
-        `New contact form submission`,
+        isProjectInquiry ? 'New project inquiry submission' : 'New contact form submission',
         ``,
         `Source:  ${sourceLabel}`,
         `Name:    ${data.name}`,
@@ -242,7 +363,7 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
         `Submitted at: ${new Date().toISOString()}`,
       ].join('\n'),
       html: `
-        <h2>New Contact Form Submission</h2>
+        <h2>${isProjectInquiry ? 'New Project Inquiry' : 'New Contact Form Submission'}</h2>
         <table style="border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;max-width:600px">
           <tr><td style="padding:8px;font-weight:bold;border-bottom:1px solid #eee">Source</td><td style="padding:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #eee">${escapeHtml(sourceLabel)}</td></tr>
           <tr><td style="padding:8px;font-weight:bold;border-bottom:1px solid #eee">Name</td><td style="padding:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #eee">${escapeHtml(data.name)}</td></tr>
@@ -256,15 +377,24 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
       `,
     });
 
-    // 2) User confirmation email — proves delivery works AND provides good UX
+    console.log('[api.contact] Admin notification accepted by SMTP', {
-    const userConfirmInfo = await smtpTransporter.sendMail({
+      messageId: adminInfo?.messageId,
-      from: `"CompanySite" <${fromAddress}>`,
+      recipient: cfg.adminRecipient,
+      source: sourceLabel,
+    });
+
+    // 2) User confirmation email (auto-reply) — preserves the existing UX
+    //    pattern. Subject line adapts to whether this is a project inquiry.
+    const userConfirmInfo = await transport.sendMail({
+      from: fromHeader,
       to: data.email,
-      subject: 'We received your message - CompanySite',
+      subject: userSubjectLine,
       text: [
         `Hi ${data.name},`,
         ``,
-        `Thank you for reaching out to us! We have received your message regarding "${subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject}".`,
+        isProjectInquiry
+          ? `Thank you for telling us about your project. We have received your inquiry regarding "${subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject}".`
+          : `Thank you for reaching out to us! We have received your message regarding "${subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject}".`,
         ``,
         `Our team will review your inquiry and get back to you as soon as possible, typically within 1-2 business days.`,
         ``,
@@ -279,9 +409,11 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
       ].join('\n'),
       html: `
         <div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;max-width:600px;margin:0 auto;padding:20px">
-          <h2 style="color:#333">Thank you for contacting us!</h2>
+          <h2 style="color:#333">${isProjectInquiry ? 'Thank you for telling us about your project!' : 'Thank you for contacting us!'}</h2>
           <p>Hi ${escapeHtml(data.name)},</p>
-          <p>We have received your message regarding <strong>"${escapeHtml(subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject)}"</strong>.</p>
+          <p>${isProjectInquiry
+            ? `Thank you for telling us about your project. We have received your inquiry regarding <strong>"${escapeHtml(subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject)}"</strong>.`
+            : `We have received your message regarding <strong>"${escapeHtml(subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject)}"</strong>.`}</p>
           <p>Our team will review your inquiry and get back to you as soon as possible, typically within <strong>1-2 business days</strong>.</p>
           <div style="background:#f9f9f9;border-left:4px solid #007bff;padding:12px 16px;margin:20px 0">
             <p style="margin:4px 0"><strong>Subject:</strong> ${escapeHtml(subjectLabels[data.subject] ?? data.subject)}</p>
@@ -295,9 +427,16 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
       `,
     });
 
+    console.log('[api.contact] User auto-reply accepted by SMTP', {
+      messageId: userConfirmInfo?.messageId,
+      recipient: data.email,
+      source: sourceLabel,
+    });
+
     return { adminInfo, userConfirmInfo };
-  } catch (err) {
+  } catch (err: any) {
-    // If nodemailer isn't installed, treat as graceful degradation (log only)
+    // If nodemailer isn't installed, treat as graceful degradation (log only).
+    // The site keeps working; ops sees the warning and ships the dependency.
     if (err instanceof Error && err.message.includes('Cannot find module')) {
       logger.warn('api.contact', 'nodemailer not available — form submission logged only', {
         email: data.email,
@@ -305,6 +444,17 @@ async function sendContactEmail(data: ContactFormData): Promise<void> {
       });
       return;
     }
+    // Structured send-error log. Deliberately omits SMTP_PASS — only the
+    // SMTP server's response/code/command. Sentry captures the full error.
+    console.error('[api.contact] SMTP send failed', {
+      code: err?.code,
+      command: err?.command,
+      response: err?.response,
+      responseCode: err?.responseCode,
+      message: err?.message,
+      recipient: data.email,
+      adminRecipient: cfg.adminRecipient,
+    });
     await captureException(err, {
       scope: 'api.contact',
       extra: { email: data.email, subject: data.subject },
@@ -454,19 +604,29 @@ export const POST: APIRoute = async ({ request, clientAddress }) => {
 
   // Fire-and-forget: send email in background so the user gets an instant response.
   // Errors are logged/reported but never block the HTTP reply.
-  const recipientEmail = process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL_TO || 'unknown';
+  const adminRecipient =
-  console.log('Sending contact email to: ' + recipientEmail);
+    process.env.MAIL_ADMIN_TO ||
+    process.env.SMTP_FROM ||
+    process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL_TO ||
+    process.env.CONTACT_EMAIL ||
+    process.env.SMTP_USER ||
+    'unknown';
+  console.log('[api.contact] Dispatching contact email', {
+    adminRecipient,
+    userRecipient: formData.email,
+    source: formData.source,
+  });
 
   sendContactEmail(formData)
     .then((result) => {
-      console.log('Contact emails delivered successfully:', {
+      console.log('[api.contact] Contact emails delivered successfully', {
-        adminRecipient: recipientEmail,
+        adminRecipient,
         adminMessageId: result?.adminInfo?.messageId,
         userRecipient: formData.email,
         userMessageId: result?.userConfirmInfo?.messageId,
       });
       logger.info('api.contact', 'Contact emails delivered successfully', {
-        adminRecipient: recipientEmail,
+        adminRecipient,
         adminMessageId: result?.adminInfo?.messageId,
         userRecipient: formData.email,
         userMessageId: result?.userConfirmInfo?.messageId,
@@ -476,17 +636,20 @@ export const POST: APIRoute = async ({ request, clientAddress }) => {
       });
     })
     .catch(async (err: any) => {
-      console.error('Background email delivery failed:', {
+      // SMTP_PASS is NEVER logged — only protocol-level error fields.
+      console.error('[api.contact] Background email delivery failed', {
         code: err?.code,
+        command: err?.command,
         message: err?.message,
         response: err?.response,
         responseCode: err?.responseCode,
-        recipient: recipientEmail,
+        adminRecipient,
-        email: formData.email,
+        userRecipient: formData.email,
         subject: formData.subject,
       });
       logger.error('api.contact', 'Background email delivery failed', {
         code: err?.code,
+        command: err?.command,
         message: err?.message,
         response: err?.response,
         responseCode: err?.responseCode,