diff --git a/extra/alerts/pcmk_smtp_helper.sh b/extra/alerts/pcmk_smtp_helper.sh
index 363ecebbff..81bbc5f76b 100755
--- a/extra/alerts/pcmk_smtp_helper.sh
+++ b/extra/alerts/pcmk_smtp_helper.sh
@@ -1,100 +1,112 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 #
 # Copyright (C) 2016 Klaus Wenninger <kwenning@redhat.com>
 #
 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 # modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
 # License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
 # version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 #
 # This software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
 # General Public License for more details.
 #
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public
 # License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
 # Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
 #
 ##############################################################################
 #
 # Sample configuration (cib fragment in xml notation)
 # ================================
 # <configuration>
 #   <alerts>
 #     <alert id="smtp_alert" path="/path/to/pcmk_smtp_helper.sh">
 #       <instance_attributes id="config_for_pcmk_smtp_helper">
 #         <nvpair id="cluster_name" name="cluster_name" value=""/>
 #         <nvpair id="email_client" name="email_client" value=""/>
 #         <nvpair id="email_sender" name="email_sender" value=""/>
 #       </instance_attributes>
 #       <recipient id="smtp_destination" value="admin@where.admin.lives"/>
 #     </alert>
 #   </alerts>
 # </configuration>
 
+email_recipient="${CRM_alert_recipient}"
+
 email_client_default="sendmail"
 email_sender_default="hacluster"
+email_recipient_default="root"
 
 : ${email_client=${email_client_default}}
 : ${email_sender=${email_sender_default}}
+: ${email_recipient=${email_recipient_default}}
 
 node_name=`uname -n`
 cluster_name=`crm_attribute --query -n cluster-name -q`
 email_body=`env | grep CRM_alert_`
 
-if [ -z ${email_sender##*@*} ]; then
+if [ ! -z "${email_sender##*@*}" ]; then
     email_sender="${email_sender}@${node_name}"
 fi
 
+if [ ! -z "${email_recipient##*@*}" ]; then
+    email_recipient="${email_recipient}@${node_name}"
+fi
+
 if [ -z ${CRM_alert_version} ]; then
     email_subject="Pacemaker version 1.1.15 is required for smtp-helper"
 
 else
 
     case ${CRM_alert_kind} in
         node)
             email_subject="${CRM_alert_timestamp} ${cluster_name}: Node '${CRM_alert_node}' is now '${CRM_alert_desc}'"
             ;;
         fencing)
             email_subject="${CRM_alert_timestamp} ${cluster_name}: Fencing ${CRM_alert_desc}"
             ;;
         resource)
             if [ ${CRM_alert_interval} = "0" ]; then
                 CRM_alert_interval=""
             else
                 CRM_alert_interval=" (${CRM_alert_interval})"
             fi
 
             if [ ${CRM_alert_target_rc} = "0" ]; then
                 CRM_alert_target_rc=""
             else
                 CRM_alert_target_rc=" (target: ${CRM_alert_target_rc})"
             fi
 
             case ${CRM_alert_desc} in
                 Cancelled) ;;
                 *)
                     email_subject="${CRM_alert_timestamp} ${cluster_name}: Resource operation '${CRM_alert_task}${CRM_alert_interval}' for '${CRM_alert_rsc}' on '${CRM_alert_node}': ${CRM_alert_desc}${CRM_alert_target_rc}"
                     ;;
             esac
             ;;
         *)
             email_subject="${CRM_alert_timestamp} ${cluster_name}: Unhandled $CRM_alert_kind alert"
             ;;
 
     esac
 
-    if [ ! -z ${email_subject} ]; then
+    if [ ! -z "${email_subject}" ]; then
         case $email_client in
             sendmail)
-                sendmail -F "${email_sender}" "${CRM_alert_recipient}" <<__EOF__
+                sendmail -t -r ${email_sender} <<__EOF__
+From: ${email_sender}
+To: ${email_recipient}
+Return-Path: ${email_sender}
 Subject: ${email_subject}
 
 ${email_body}
 __EOF__
                 ;;
             *)
                 ;;
         esac
+    fi
 fi