Sieve Actions Registry: IANA Registry for Sieve Actions

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                       A. Melnikov
Request for Comments: 9122                                     Isode Ltd
Category: Standards Track                                   K. Murchison
ISSN: 2070-1721                                                 Fastmail
                                                               June 2023


                    IANA Registry for Sieve Actions

Abstract

   The Sieve Email Filtering Language (RFC 5228) is a popular email
   filtering language used upon final mail delivery.  This document
   creates a registry for Sieve actions to help developers and Sieve
   extension writers track interactions between different extensions.

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9122.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2023 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
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   Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described
   in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction
   2.  IANA Considerations
     2.1.  Sieve Actions Registration Template and Procedure
     2.2.  Initial Sieve Action Registry
   3.  Security Considerations
   4.  References
     4.1.  Normative References
     4.2.  Informative References
   Appendix A.  Acknowledgements
   Authors' Addresses

1.  Introduction

   The Sieve Email Filtering Language [RFC5228] is a popular email
   filtering language used upon final mail delivery.  The popularity of
   Sieve resulted in a myriad of Sieve extensions that can interact with
   each other in wonderful and complex ways.  Currently, there is no
   easy way to find out all actions defined by Sieve extensions
   published in RFCs, which makes it quite difficult for Sieve extension
   writers and Sieve implementation developers to foresee interactions
   between Sieve actions.

   This document creates a registry for Sieve [RFC5228] actions in order
   to help developers and Sieve extension writers track interactions
   between different extensions.

2.  IANA Considerations

2.1.  Sieve Actions Registration Template and Procedure

   IANA has created the "Sieve Actions" registry (see Section 2.9 of
   [RFC5228] for details on Sieve actions).  Registration of actions
   specified in both RFCs and vendor-specific documentation is allowed
   and encouraged.  The registration template contains the following:

   Name:  Name of the action
   Description:  Short description
   References:  One or more documents describing the action and any
      significant updates to its definition (this field is required for
      actions described in RFCs and is optional otherwise)
   Capabilities:  Name of one or more Sieve capabilities associated with
      the Sieve action being registered
   Action Interactions:  Interactions with other Sieve actions (as
      described in Section 2.10.1 of [RFC5228]), if any
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Flag specifying whether the action cancels
      the implicit keep (see Section 2.10.2 of [RFC5228])
   Can Use With IMAP Events?  Whether or not this action can be used
      with IMAP events in Sieve [RFC6785]
   Comments:  Optional comment or comments

   The registration procedure is Expert Review [RFC8126].  The
   designated expert only checks that the name of the action being
   registered matches documentation, the description field is accurate,
   the correct documents are referenced, and the list of relevant
   documents is as complete as possible.  The designated expert can't
   reject a registration because of a personal dislike for the document
   defining an action and should always err on the side of approving the
   registration, even if documentation is not complete.

   The same registration procedure is used to add a new reference or to
   change the description field of an existing registration.

2.2.  Initial Sieve Action Registry

   The following registrations are used to initialize the "Sieve
   Actions" registry.  Note that when the relevant "Action Interactions"
   entry is marked "N/A", it means that there is no restriction on use
   of the corresponding action with any other action; however,
   implementors still need to read the one or more corresponding
   specifications to determine if there are any surprising behaviors.
   Also note that the "Comments" field of the IANA registration template
   is omitted from these registrations, as none of them currently have
   any comments.

   Name:  addheader
   Description:  Add a header field to the existing message header
   References:  [RFC5293]
   Capabilities:  "editheader"
   Action Interactions:  All subsequent tests and actions apply to the
      altered message
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  addflag
   Description:  Add IMAP flags to a list of IMAP flags that would be
      set on the message if it gets delivered to a mailbox
   References:  [RFC5232] [RFC5229]
   Capabilities:  "imap4flags", "variables"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  convert
   Description:  Convert body parts from one MIME type to another
   References:  [RFC6558]
   Capabilities:  "convert"
   Action Interactions:  All subsequent tests and actions apply to the
      altered message
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  deleteheader
   Description:  Remove a header field from the existing message header
   References:  [RFC5293]
   Capabilities:  "editheader"
   Action Interactions:  All subsequent tests and actions apply to the
      altered message
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  discard
   Description:  Silently throw away the message
   References:  [RFC5228]
   Capabilities:  N/A
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  enclose
   Description:  Enclose a message as an attachment to a new message
   References:  [RFC5703]
   Capabilities:  "enclose"
   Action Interactions:  All subsequent tests and actions except
      "redirect" apply to the altered message
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  ereject
   Description:  Refuse delivery of the message
   References:  [RFC5429]
   Capabilities:  "ereject"
   Action Interactions:  This action is incompatible with the "vacation"
      action.  Typically is not permitted with actions that cause mail
      delivery, such as "keep", "fileinto", and "redirect"
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  No

   Name:  extracttext
   Description:  Store text of a MIME part into a variable
   References:  [RFC5703] [RFC5229]
   Capabilities:  "extracttext", "variables"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  fileinto
   Description:  Deliver the message into the specified mailbox
   References:  [RFC5228] [RFC3894] [RFC5232] [RFC5490] [RFC9042]
      [RFC8579]
   Capabilities:  "fileinto", "copy", "imap4flags", "mailbox",
      "mailboxid", "special-use"
   Action Interactions:  Use of :copy suppresses cancellation of
      implicit keep
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  keep
   Description:  File the message into the user's main mailbox
   References:  [RFC5228] [RFC5232]
   Capabilities:  "imap4flags"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  notify
   Description:  Send a notification to a user
   References:  [RFC5435] [RFC8580]
   Capabilities:  "enotify", "fcc"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  redirect
   Description:  Send (forward) the message to another user
   References:  [RFC5228] [RFC3894] [RFC6009] [RFC6134]
   Capabilities:  "copy", "redirect-dsn", "redirect-deliverby",
      "extlists"
   Action Interactions:  Use of :copy suppresses cancellation of
      implicit keep
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  reject
   Description:  Refuse delivery of the message
   References:  [RFC5429]
   Capabilities:  "reject"
   Action Interactions:  This action is incompatible with the "vacation"
      action.  Typically is not permitted with actions that cause mail
      delivery, such as "keep", "fileinto", and "redirect"
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  Yes
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  No

   Name:  removeflag
   Description:  Remove IMAP flags from a list of IMAP flags that would
      be set on the message if it gets delivered to a mailbox
   References:  [RFC5232] [RFC5229]
   Capabilities:  "imap4flags", "variables"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  replace
   Description:  Replace a MIME part
   References:  [RFC5703]
   Capabilities:  "replace"
   Action Interactions:  All subsequent tests and actions except
      "redirect" apply to the altered message
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  set
   Description:  Store a value in a variable
   References:  [RFC5229]
   Capabilities:  "variables"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  setflag
   Description:  Set IMAP system flags or keywords that would be set on
      the message if it gets delivered to a mailbox
   References:  [RFC5232] [RFC5229]
   Capabilities:  "imap4flags", "variables"
   Action Interactions:  N/A
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  Yes

   Name:  vacation
   Description:  Implement a vacation autoresponder
   References:  [RFC5230] [RFC6131] [RFC8580]
   Capabilities:  "vacation", "vacation-seconds", "fcc"
   Action Interactions:  This action is incompatible with "reject" and
      "ereject" actions
   Cancels Implicit Keep?  No
   Can Use with IMAP Events?  No

3.  Security Considerations

   The sole purpose of this document is to create the "Sieve Actions"
   registry; therefore, it doesn't create new security considerations
   for Sieve implementations.

   The new registry should help Sieve extension writers and Sieve
   implementors track interactions between different Sieve actions;
   therefore, it might improve the quality of specifications and
   implementations, including security aspects.

   For security considerations related to particular actions, see the
   one or more RFCs referenced for the action in question in the "Sieve
   Actions" registry (Section 2.2).

4.  References

4.1.  Normative References

   [RFC5228]  Guenther, P., Ed. and T. Showalter, Ed., "Sieve: An Email
              Filtering Language", RFC 5228, DOI 10.17487/RFC5228,
              January 2008, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5228>.

   [RFC6785]  Leiba, B., "Support for Internet Message Access Protocol
              (IMAP) Events in Sieve", RFC 6785, DOI 10.17487/RFC6785,
              November 2012, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6785>.

4.2.  Informative References

   [RFC3894]  Degener, J., "Sieve Extension: Copying Without Side
              Effects", RFC 3894, DOI 10.17487/RFC3894, October 2004,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3894>.

   [RFC5229]  Homme, K., "Sieve Email Filtering: Variables Extension",
              RFC 5229, DOI 10.17487/RFC5229, January 2008,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5229>.

   [RFC5230]  Showalter, T. and N. Freed, Ed., "Sieve Email Filtering:
              Vacation Extension", RFC 5230, DOI 10.17487/RFC5230,
              January 2008, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5230>.

   [RFC5232]  Melnikov, A., "Sieve Email Filtering: Imap4flags
              Extension", RFC 5232, DOI 10.17487/RFC5232, January 2008,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5232>.

   [RFC5293]  Degener, J. and P. Guenther, "Sieve Email Filtering:
              Editheader Extension", RFC 5293, DOI 10.17487/RFC5293,
              August 2008, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5293>.

   [RFC5429]  Stone, A., Ed., "Sieve Email Filtering: Reject and
              Extended Reject Extensions", RFC 5429,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5429, March 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5429>.

   [RFC5435]  Melnikov, A., Ed., Leiba, B., Ed., Segmuller, W., and T.
              Martin, "Sieve Email Filtering: Extension for
              Notifications", RFC 5435, DOI 10.17487/RFC5435, January
              2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5435>.

   [RFC5490]  Melnikov, A., "The Sieve Mail-Filtering Language --
              Extensions for Checking Mailbox Status and Accessing
              Mailbox Metadata", RFC 5490, DOI 10.17487/RFC5490, March
              2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5490>.

   [RFC5703]  Hansen, T. and C. Daboo, "Sieve Email Filtering: MIME Part
              Tests, Iteration, Extraction, Replacement, and Enclosure",
              RFC 5703, DOI 10.17487/RFC5703, October 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5703>.

   [RFC6009]  Freed, N., "Sieve Email Filtering: Delivery Status
              Notifications and Deliver-By Extensions", RFC 6009,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC6009, October 2010,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6009>.

   [RFC6131]  George, R. and B. Leiba, "Sieve Vacation Extension:
              "Seconds" Parameter", RFC 6131, DOI 10.17487/RFC6131, July
              2011, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6131>.

   [RFC6134]  Melnikov, A. and B. Leiba, "Sieve Extension: Externally
              Stored Lists", RFC 6134, DOI 10.17487/RFC6134, July 2011,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6134>.

   [RFC6558]  Melnikov, A., Leiba, B., and K. Li, "Sieve Extension for
              Converting Messages before Delivery", RFC 6558,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC6558, March 2012,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6558>.

   [RFC8126]  Cotton, M., Leiba, B., and T. Narten, "Guidelines for
              Writing an IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26,
              RFC 8126, DOI 10.17487/RFC8126, June 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8126>.

   [RFC8579]  Bosch, S., "Sieve Email Filtering: Delivering to Special-
              Use Mailboxes", RFC 8579, DOI 10.17487/RFC8579, May 2019,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8579>.

   [RFC8580]  Murchison, K. and B. Gondwana, "Sieve Extension: File
              Carbon Copy (FCC)", RFC 8580, DOI 10.17487/RFC8580, May
              2019, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8580>.

   [RFC9042]  Gondwana, B., Ed., "Sieve Email Filtering: Delivery by
              MAILBOXID", RFC 9042, DOI 10.17487/RFC9042, June 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9042>.

Appendix A.  Acknowledgements

   Thank you to Barry Leiba, Donald Eastlake, Yoshiro Yoneya, and Murray
   Kucherawy for reviews and feedback on this document.

Authors' Addresses

   Alexey Melnikov
   Isode Ltd
   14 Castle Mews
   Hampton
   TW12 2NP
   United Kingdom
   Email: Alexey.Melnikov@isode.com


   Kenneth Murchison
   Fastmail US LLC
   Suite 1201
   1429 Walnut Street
   Philadelphia, PA 19102
   United States of America
   Email: murch@fastmailteam.com