1.5 KiB
| name | description | type |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter stack status and frustrations | Ghost+Listmonk+n8n+Postmark newsletter pipeline — partially wired, user considering Substack as alternative | project |
Ghost CMS hard-codes Mailgun for newsletter sending — bulk_email__provider: smtp only handles transactional one-off emails (password resets, signup confirmations), NOT newsletters. Mailgun and SendGrid both rejected signup. Postmark works but account is in sandbox (under review, can only send to verified addresses).
Current stack: Ghost (blog) → n8n (webhook automation) → Listmonk (newsletter sending) → Postmark (SMTP). Ghost fires webhooks on member.added and post.published to n8n. n8n workflow for member.added is partially built — webhook trigger works, HTTP Request node to Listmonk API not yet configured.
Listmonk API user creation is confusing — no password field shown for API-type users. Admin credentials work for API access.
User is frustrated with the complexity and seriously considering Substack for newsletters. The self-hosted stack requires chaining 4 services to do what Substack does natively.
Why: Ghost's Mailgun lock-in is a design flaw that forces this complexity. User wants to own the stack but the overhead is high.
How to apply: Don't push self-hosted over Substack — respect the tradeoff. If user continues with self-hosted, minimize friction. The n8n→Listmonk integration needs finishing: HTTP Request node with Basic Auth to listmonk:9000/api/subscribers.