diff --git a/app/__init__.py b/app/__init__.py
index 8ded18d..5a14aaa 100644
--- a/app/__init__.py
+++ b/app/__init__.py
@@ -147,10 +147,17 @@ def create_app(config_name=None):
     # ── Context processors ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     @app.context_processor
     def inject_globals():
+        from flask import has_request_context
         from flask_login import current_user
         from app.models import SystemSetting
         unread = 0
-        if current_user.is_authenticated:
+        # current_user is only resolvable inside an active request context.
+        # When render_template_string() is called from a background job (e.g.
+        # APScheduler email ingestion), there is no session to load from, so
+        # Flask-Login returns None — causing AttributeError on .is_authenticated.
+        # The has_request_context() guard makes the context processor safe for
+        # both web requests and background callers.
+        if has_request_context() and current_user.is_authenticated:
             from app.models import Notification
             unread = Notification.query.filter_by(
                 user_id=current_user.id, is_read=False