AWS shows two kinds of sign-in for SES, and they look similar. Using the wrong one is a common mistake. This article explains both and what VisionScaper wants.

AWS says the SMTP password is not your AWS secret access key. It is derived from it by an algorithm. VisionScaper signs its own API calls, so paste the real secret access key, not the SMTP password.

Your WordPress SMTP plugin, if you use one for site mail, can use SES SMTP. AWS’s steps are: open the SES console, choose SMTP settings, choose Create SMTP Credentials, enter a user name, choose Create user, then under SMTP password choose Show, and copy or download the values. The password is shown only once. SMTP credentials are region-specific. Use the SMTP endpoint for the same region, for example email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com. This does not feed VisionScaper’s Messaging page.

VisionScaper has an Amazon webhook secret field and registers an address ending /wp-json/dreamscaper/v1/msg/webhook/ses.

• SES sends events through Amazon SNS. SNS first sends a subscription confirmation that must be accepted. Each later notification wraps the SES event inside a Message field and is signed with an SNS certificate.
• VisionScaper reads a header X-Ses-Signature holding the hex HMAC-SHA256 of the body with your webhook secret, and reads the event at the top level of the JSON.
• That does not match what SNS sends. No code in the plugin that handles SNS subscription confirmation was found. Treat bounce and complaint feedback from SES as unverified. Sending works without it.
• Ask the VisionScaper team how to bridge SNS to this address before relying on it.

• If you leave the webhook secret blank, VisionScaper rejects incoming SES events.
• Keep a spreadsheet noting which keys belong to which service.

• Authentication errors in VisionScaper. You pasted the SMTP password. Create an access key (see “Get your Amazon SES access key”).
• SNS shows the subscription pending. VisionScaper cannot confirm it automatically (unverified).

• AWS, SMTP credentials: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/smtp-credentials.html (read 2026-10-15)
• AWS, monitoring sending activity (SNS events): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/monitor-sending-activity.html
• Plugin: includes/messaging-providers.php (SES event parsing and signature check).

• Get your Amazon SES access key, secret key and region
• Verify your domain in Amazon SES
• Move Amazon SES out of the sandbox