CleverTap is a mobile-first customer engagement platform popular with B2C mobile apps in retail, financial services, and streaming, offering push notifications, in-app messaging, email, SMS, and WhatsApp from a unified user profile. The email unsubscribe mechanism uses the {{{unsubscribe_url}}} Liquid tag in email templates, and CleverTap emits RFC 8058 headers automatically for authenticated domains. Email opt-out is per-channel by default (does not affect push or SMS) unless cross-channel enforcement is enabled. This guide covers the tag, the unified user profile model, and how to verify the setup end to end.
Clevertap unsubscribe link
| Tag syntax | {{{unsubscribe_url}}} |
| Placement | Auto-embedded in default email footer |
| Scope | Per-channel opt-out with cross-channel option |
| Config path | Settings > Email > Sender configuration |
| RFC 8058 one-click | Yes, automatic for authenticated sender domains |
How to add the unsubscribe tag in Clevertap
Place the merge tag exactly as shown below in the email template. Clevertap replaces it at send time with a signed URL scoped to the recipient and campaign.
{{{unsubscribe_url}}}For custom HTML templates, wrap the tag in an anchor to render a proper hyperlink in the delivered email:
<a href="{{{unsubscribe_url}}}">Unsubscribe from this list</a>Auto-embedded in default email footer
Yes, automatic for authenticated sender domains The recipient's mailbox provider (Gmail, Yahoo) uses the List-Unsubscribe-Post header to expose the native one-click button on the message. Requires domain authentication with DKIM and DMARC.
CleverTap unifies user profiles across channels (push, email, SMS, WhatsApp) but tracks opt-out per channel independently. A user unsubscribing from email marketing keeps receiving promotional push and SMS unless the cross-channel enforcement toggle is enabled. Consumer brands typically enable cross-channel; B2B senders keep per-channel control for transactional in-app messages.
Testing your Clevertap unsubscribe link
- Send a test message to a controlled Gmail address you own via the Clevertap campaign preview action
- Click the footer unsubscribe link and confirm the opt-out on the landing page
- Check the subscriber or contact record: the status should be Unsubscribed within seconds
- Verify the RFC 8058 headers in Gmail: open the message, click three dots, then Show original. Look for
List-UnsubscribeandList-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click
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How to add the CleverTap unsubscribe link (step by step)
CleverTap email templates include the unsubscribe link in the default footer, but custom HTML templates and campaign-specific templates may require the tag inserted manually.
- Open your email campaign or template in the CleverTap dashboard.
- Add or edit a text block in the footer where the unsubscribe link should appear.
- Insert the Liquid tag
{{{unsubscribe_url}}}. CleverTap replaces it at send time with a signed URL unique per user profile. - Wrap it in an anchor:
<a href="{{{unsubscribe_url}}}">Unsubscribe</a>. - Add the physical postal address block. CleverTap reads it from Settings > Email > Sender configuration.
- Send a test to a seed address and verify the rendered link routes to the CleverTap-hosted preference center.
Per-channel opt-out on the unified user profile
CleverTap unifies user profiles across channels (push, email, SMS, WhatsApp) but tracks opt-out per channel independently by default. A user unsubscribing from email marketing keeps receiving promotional push and SMS unless the cross-channel enforcement toggle is enabled at the org level. Consumer brands typically enable cross-channel to respect blanket opt-outs; B2B senders keep per-channel control since a user may want product alerts (push) but not marketing emails. The preference center exposes per-channel opt-out toggles to the subscriber for granular control.
RFC 8058 one-click headers
CleverTap added RFC 8058 one-click unsubscribe automatically ahead of the Google and Yahoo February 2024 requirements. The List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers inject on every marketing email send from domains authenticated under Settings > Email > Sender configuration. SPF and DKIM records must be verified. Push notifications, SMS, and WhatsApp are exempt from RFC 8058 which targets email specifically.
Journey Builder and campaign-level filters
CleverTap Journey Builder respects the per-channel opt-out flag by default: a user who unsubscribes from email is skipped at the email step but continues through push and in-app steps in the same journey. Cross-channel enforcement exits the user from all channel steps simultaneously. Journey enrollment filters at the entry step let you exclude opted-out users upfront, saving compute on users who would be filtered later. This is the recommended pattern for high-volume B2C brands running multi-step onboarding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CleverTap email unsubscribe tag?
The tag is {{{unsubscribe_url}}} (triple braces). CleverTap replaces it at send time with a signed URL unique per user profile. Use it inside an anchor: <a href="{{{unsubscribe_url}}}">Unsubscribe</a>.
Does an email unsubscribe stop push and SMS on CleverTap?
No by default. Email unsubscribe applies only to the email channel, preserving push, SMS, and WhatsApp subscriptions. Enable cross-channel enforcement at the org level to make one unsubscribe click apply across every channel simultaneously.
Does CleverTap support one-click unsubscribe for Gmail and Yahoo?
Yes, automatically for authenticated domains. CleverTap injects List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers on every marketing email send from domains verified under Settings > Email > Sender configuration.
Can I customize the CleverTap preference center?
Yes. The preference center supports branding (logo, colors, brand name) and per-channel opt-out toggles. Enterprise accounts can host the preference page under a custom subdomain via CNAME configuration.
Do CleverTap Journey Builder flows honor unsubscribes mid-flow?
Yes at the per-channel level: an email unsubscribe skips subsequent email steps but not push or SMS steps in the same journey. Cross-channel enforcement exits the user from all channel steps simultaneously.
About the Author
Alaa · LinkedIn
Email infrastructure specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience in SMTP, deliverability, and email verification. I’ve configured and troubleshot mail systems across Postfix, Exchange, and cloud relays, managed IP reputation and warmup campaigns, and built verification pipelines processing millions of addresses. My work spans DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), bounce handling, blocklist monitoring, and compliance frameworks including CAN-SPAM and GDPR. I write every article on SMTPedia to give email professionals, developers, and marketers the accurate, RFC-grounded reference they need.
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