Verify demo viewers by email (Email Verification)
Verify demo viewers by email (Email Verification)
Overview
Email Verification confirms that a viewer actually owns the email address they enter on your demo's email gate. When it's on, submitting an email doesn't unlock the demo directly — Walnut mails a one-time verification link to that address, and the viewer clicks it to prove they own it before the demo opens.
Use it when the identity you attach to a session actually needs to be trusted — deal-room content, gated pipeline analytics, or any demo where you don't want anonymous form-fillers pretending to be a real prospect.
How the Viewer Sees It
- The viewer opens your demo and reaches the email gate.
- They type their email and submit.
- Walnut sends them a mail with a verification link and shows a "Check your email" state.
- The viewer clicks the link. It opens the demo on the same host they arrived on and starts their session.
- The identity used for analytics, notifications, and CRM sync is the verified address.
Link policy the viewer experiences:
- The link expires 15 minutes after it is sent.
- Each link is single-use — clicking a second time won't reopen the demo.
- A resend replaces the outstanding link. Only the newest link works.
- A viewer must wait 60 seconds between requests before they can resend.
Turn It On for a Demo
Email Verification is a sub-setting of the email gate, so the gate must be on first.
- Open the demo and go to Share → Access.
- Turn on Collect viewers email.
- Under the email-gate options, check Email Verification.
- Save the share settings.
The next visitor to that demo will be asked to verify.
Turn It On for a Playlist or Demo Center
Playlists and demo centers carry their own email gate. When the gate is on, the same Email Verification checkbox appears on the playlist's access panel, and applies to every demo played inside the playlist.
Set a Company-Wide Default
Admins can require Email Verification across the entire workspace so individual creators don't have to think about it.
- Go to Company Settings → Account settings → Demo access control.
- Turn on Require Email Verification.
- Optionally, lock the setting so it can't be turned off on a per-demo basis.
When the company-wide default is locked, the per-demo checkbox is disabled with an explanation, and every published demo enforces verification.
How It Works Alongside Other Access Controls
Email Verification composes with the rest of your access rules — it does not replace them.
| Setting | What it does with Email Verification on |
|---|---|
| Allow list / Block list | Evaluated first. A blocked address is refused before any mail is sent. |
| Allow non-work domains | Still applies. If off, personal-domain addresses are refused at the gate. |
| Show avatar / Welcome message | Purely presentation — unaffected. |
| Custom domain | Verification links are sent from the same host the viewer arrived on. |
FAQs
What if the viewer doesn't get the email?
Ask them to check spam first. They can then click Resend — after the 60-second cooldown — and Walnut supersedes the previous link with a fresh one.
What if a viewer clicks an old link?
Only the most recently issued link works. Older links are superseded automatically when a new one is issued, and any link expires after 15 minutes regardless.
Does verification carry across demos?
Verification is per demo (or per playlist). A viewer who has verified on one demo will still verify the first time they open a different demo that also requires it.
Does it work on custom domains?
Yes. The verification link is issued on the same host the viewer arrived on, so a custom-domain viewer receives a link on your domain, not a Walnut URL.
Can I see who verified?
Yes. Verified sessions appear in your usual demo analytics with the confirmed email — the same place unverified email-gate sessions appear today, just with a higher-trust identity attached.