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IETF - IMAP OBJECTID Account Identifier Extension
Draft: draft-imap-objectid-accountid

IMAP OBJECTID Account Identifier Extension

Extending RFC 8474 to Support Multi-Account Environments

An extension to provide account-level identification for mailboxes in IMAP, enabling IMAP-JMAP interoperability when multiple JMAP accounts are accessible through a single IMAP session.

OBJECTID IMAP Extension (RFC 8474)

  • Persistent Identifiers: Provides stable object IDs for mailboxes and messages
  • MAILBOXID: Unique identifier for each mailbox that persists across renames
  • EMAILID: Unique identifier for messages across mailbox moves/copies
  • THREADID: Optional identifier for related messages (threading)
  • Client Benefits: Efficient cache reuse without redownloading data

JMAPACCESS IMAP Extension (RFC 9698)

  • Protocol Bridge: Tells IMAP clients that mailboxes/messages are also available via JMAP
  • Shared Identifiers: Same MAILBOXID and EMAILID used in both IMAP and JMAP
  • Gradual Migration: Clients can transition from IMAP to JMAP incrementally
  • Discovery: GETJMAPACCESS command returns JMAP session URL
  • ID Mapping: Assumes 1:1 correspondence between IMAP and JMAP objects
  • Current Limitation: Assumes all mailboxes belong to a single JMAP account

JMAP Email Delivery Push Extension

  • Real-time Notifications: Clients receive EmailPush objects when new mail arrives
  • Filtered Delivery: Client-defined filters control which messages trigger notifications
  • Property Inclusion: Push includes requested email properties (from, subject, etc.)
  • Account Context: Each EmailPush object includes an accountId field

The Problem

IMAP Mailbox Structure:

├── INBOX
├── Drafts
└── Shared Folders/
    ├── sales/
    │   ├── INBOX
    │   └── Drafts
    └── support/
        ├── INBOX
        └── Drafts

Multiple accounts' mailboxes presented in single IMAP hierarchy

The Problem

With RFC 8474 MAILBOXID (Current State):

├── INBOX                                (MAILBOXID "m1")
├── Drafts                               (MAILBOXID "m2")
└── Shared Folders/
    ├── sales/
    │   ├── INBOX                        (MAILBOXID "m1")
    │   └── Drafts                       (MAILBOXID "m2")
    └── support/
        ├── INBOX                        (MAILBOXID "m1")
        └── Drafts                       (MAILBOXID "m2")

Problem: Same MAILBOXID can appear in different accounts! Cannot uniquely identify which JMAP account a mailbox belongs to.

The Solution

With the ACCOUNTID Extension:

├── INBOX                    (MAILBOXID "m1") (ACCOUNTID "a1")
├── Drafts                   (MAILBOXID "m2") (ACCOUNTID "a1")
└── Shared Folders/
    ├── sales/
    │   ├── INBOX            (MAILBOXID "m1") (ACCOUNTID "a2")
    │   └── Drafts           (MAILBOXID "m2") (ACCOUNTID "a2")
    └── support/
        ├── INBOX            (MAILBOXID "m1") (ACCOUNTID "a3")
        └── Drafts           (MAILBOXID "m2") (ACCOUNTID "a3")

Solution: ACCOUNTID + MAILBOXID uniquely identifies mailboxes across accounts

The Solution

C: A001 CAPABILITY
S: * CAPABILITY IMAP4rev2 OBJECTID OBJECTID=ACCOUNTID JMAPACCESS
S: A001 OK Capability completed
C: A002 LIST "" "*" RETURN (STATUS (MAILBOXID ACCOUNTID))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "INBOX"
S: * STATUS "INBOX" (MAILBOXID (m1) ACCOUNTID (a1))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "Drafts"
S: * STATUS "Drafts" (MAILBOXID (m2) ACCOUNTID (a1))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "Shared Folders/sales/INBOX"
S: * STATUS "Shared Folders/sales/INBOX" (MAILBOXID (m1) ACCOUNTID (a2))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "Shared Folders/sales/Drafts"
S: * STATUS "Shared Folders/sales/Drafts" (MAILBOXID (m2) ACCOUNTID (a2))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "Shared Folders/support/INBOX"
S: * STATUS "Shared Folders/support/INBOX" (MAILBOXID (m1) ACCOUNTID (a3))
S: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "Shared Folders/support/Drafts"
S: * STATUS "Shared Folders/support/Drafts" (MAILBOXID (m2) ACCOUNTID (a3))
S: A002 OK List completed

Questions? Comments?

Thank you!

Draft: draft-imap-objectid-accountid Contact: mauro@stalw.art