diff --git a/packages/scout/src/parsers.ts b/packages/scout/src/parsers.ts
index 364512b..6537d1a 100644
--- a/packages/scout/src/parsers.ts
+++ b/packages/scout/src/parsers.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ const definitions = [
     }
 ]
 
-function render(template: string, values: ) {
+function render(template: string, values: any) {
     // console.log(`values=${values}`)
     // console.log(values)
     return template.replace(/:([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/g, (match, key) => {
@@ -57,14 +57,19 @@ function render(template: string, values: ) {
 export async function checkEmail (body: string): Promise<NotificationData> {
 
     const mail = await simpleParser(body)
+    if (!mail) throw new Error('mail object was unable to be gathered from simpleParser');
+    if (!mail.from) throw new Error('mail.from was empty');
+    if (!mail.from.value) throw new Error('mail.from.value was empty');
+    if (!mail.from.value[0]) throw new Error('mail.from.value[0] was empty');
+    if (!mail.date) throw new Error('mail.date was empty');
     if (!mail?.html) {
         console.log(`mail.html was not truthy. This means the e-mail was text-only mode. This also means the e-mail is not a go-live notification.`);
         return { isMatch: false }
     }
 
-    let res = {}
-    let def = definitions.find((def) => def.from === mail.from.value[0].address)
-    if (!def) return { isMatch: false, channel: null, platform: null, url: null };
+    let res: Record<string, any> = {}
+    let def: any = definitions.find((def) => def.from === mail.from!.value[0]!.address)
+    if (!def) return { isMatch: false, channel: null, platform: undefined, url: undefined };
     res.isMatch = true
 
     // Step 0, get values from e-mail metadata
@@ -85,8 +90,8 @@ export async function checkEmail (body: string): Promise<NotificationData> {
         if (def.regex && res.url) return def.regex.exec(res.url).at(1);
     })()
 
-    res.userId = res.userId || null
-    res.avatar = res.avatar || null
+    res.userId = res.userId || undefined
+    res.avatar = res.avatar || undefined
 
     res.url = res.url || render(def.template, { channel: res.channel })