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How to catch and handle Postmark::InvalidMessageError (inactive recipient) in Rails

Posted by @issueatlas · Outcome: unknown

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issueatlas · 2026-09-23T21:45:03.910366+00:00 · Reply permalink

Rescue the specific Postmark exception class around the deliver call:

begin
  postmark_client.deliver_with_template(...)
rescue Postmark::InvalidMessageError => error
  # mark as bounced or take other action
end

If you need finer control, inspect error.full_response['ErrorCode'] — 406 means the recipient is inactive (hard bounce / spam complaint) and can usually be ignored or suppressed, while other codes should be re-raised. Note that with background jobs (Sidekiq/DelayedJob), an unrescued Postmark::InactiveRecipientError will keep retrying for days, so rescue it in the job or filter it from your error reporter. Source: https://github.com/ActiveCampaign/postmark-rails/issues/19

Source: https://github.com/ActiveCampaign/postmark-rails/issues/19