Sieve Scripts via SQL Dicts in Dovecot 2.4 not working?

15 Aug 2025


      Hello everyone,
I am currently working on porting the Dovecot 2.4 configuration from the
latest 2.3 version.
During this process, I encountered issues with the Sieve filters,
particularly those related to SQL dict mappings.
The previous (2.3) configuration looked like this and worked:
|map { pattern = priv/sieve/name/$script_nametable = sieve_before
username_field = username value_field = idfields { script_name =
$script_name} } map { pattern = priv/sieve/data/$idtable = sieve_before
username_field = username value_field = script_data fields { id= $id} } |
This resulted in the following SQL queries on the MySQL server:
|2025-08-1511:01:29.237511SELECTid FROMsieve_after WHEREscript_name
='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'2025-08-1511:01:29.236416SELECTid
FROMsieve_before WHEREscript_name ='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'|
As you can see, there are SQL mappings for |sieve_before| and
|sieve_after|, alongside a local file loaded prior to the SQL settings,
as they are user-based.
In Dovecot 2.3, everything worked and the scripts were executed. In 2.4,
however, they no longer run.
I adapted the configuration for dict SQL mapping for Sieve filters
according to the documentation:
|dict_mappriv/sieve/name/$script_name{ sql_table= sieve_before
username_field = username value_field id { } # The script name field in
the table to querykey_fieldscript_name { value= $script_name} } dict_map
priv/sieve/data/$id{ sql_table= sieve_before username_field = username
value_field script_data { } key_fieldid { value= $id} } |
This also results in the dict proxy querying the database with the same
pattern as before:
|2025-08-1511:11:47.175184SELECTid FROMsieve_after WHEREscript_name
='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'2025-08-1511:11:47.172952SELECTid
FROMsieve_before WHEREscript_name ='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'2025-08-1511:11:47.155786SELECTid
FROMsieve_after WHEREscript_name ='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'2025-08-1511:11:47.136030SELECTid
FROMsieve_before WHEREscript_name ='active'ANDusername
='frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'|
However, unlike in 2.3, it now queries the DB twice.
In the Sieve debug logs, I see the following:
https://pastebin.com/PTKkLsDQ
Notably:
|Aug 1512:22:2443664c142e0a dovecot:
lmtp(frittenjonas@derlinkman.de)<2407><mPFNN2AKn2hnCQAAhwrv7A>: Debug:
Localdelivery failed: Temporarily unable toaccessnecessary Sieve scripts |
This line concerns me.
Here are the current Sieve script declarations:
|sieve_script before{ type= beforedriver = file path=
/var/vmail/sieve/global_sieve_before.sieve } sieve_script before2 {
type= beforedriver = dict name= active dict proxy { name= sieve_before
sieve_script_bin_path = /var/vmail/sieve_before_bindir } } sieve_script
after{ type= afterdriver = file path=
/var/vmail/sieve/global_sieve_after.sieve } sieve_script after2 { type=
afterdriver = dict name= active dict proxy { name= sieve_after
sieve_script_bin_path = /var/vmail/sieve_after_bindir } } # Personal
scripts sieve_script personal { type= personal driver = file path=
~/sieve active_path = ~/.dovecot.sieve } |
The dict proxy configuration, pointing to the dict_map SQL query above,
looks like this:
|dict sieve_after { driver =
sql!include/etc/dovecot/sql/dovecot-dict-sql-sieve_after.conf } dict
sieve_before { driver =
sql!include/etc/dovecot/sql/dovecot-dict-sql-sieve_before.conf } |
Thanks for your guidance.
Kind regards
Niklas Meyer
Maintainer of the mailcow project
Hello everyone,
I am currently working on porting the Dovecot 2.4 configuration from the
latest 2.3 version.
During this process, I encountered issues with the Sieve filters,
particularly those related to SQL dict mappings.
The previous (2.3) configuration looked like this and worked:
map {
pattern = priv/sieve/name/$script_name
table = sieve_before
username_field = username
value_field = id
fields {
script_name = $script_name
}
}
map {
pattern = priv/sieve/data/$id
table = sieve_before
username_field = username
value_field = script_data
fields {
id = $id
}
}
This resulted in the following SQL queries on the MySQL server:
2025-08-15 11:01:29.237511 SELECT id FROM sieve_after WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[1]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
2025-08-15 11:01:29.236416 SELECT id FROM sieve_before WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[2]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
As you can see, there are SQL mappings for sieve_before and sieve_after,
alongside a local file loaded prior to the SQL settings, as they are
user-based.
In Dovecot 2.3, everything worked and the scripts were executed. In 2.4,
however, they no longer run.
I adapted the configuration for dict SQL mapping for Sieve filters
according to the documentation:
dict_map priv/sieve/name/$script_name {
sql_table = sieve_before
username_field = username
value_field id {
}
The script name field in the table to query
key_field script_name {
value = $script_name
}
}
dict_map priv/sieve/data/$id {
sql_table = sieve_before
username_field = username
value_field script_data {
}
key_field id {
value = $id
}
}
This also results in the dict proxy querying the database with the same
pattern as before:
2025-08-15 11:11:47.175184 SELECT id FROM sieve_after WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[3]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
2025-08-15 11:11:47.172952 SELECT id FROM sieve_before WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[4]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
2025-08-15 11:11:47.155786 SELECT id FROM sieve_after WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[5]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
2025-08-15 11:11:47.136030 SELECT id FROM sieve_before WHERE script_name = 'active' AND username = '[6]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de'
However, unlike in 2.3, it now queries the DB twice.
In the Sieve debug logs, I see the following:
[7]https://pastebin.com/PTKkLsDQ
Notably:
Aug 15 12:22:24 43664c142e0a dovecot: lmtp([8]frittenjonas@derlinkman.de)<2407><mPFNN2AKn2hnCQAAhwrv7A>: Debug: Local delivery failed: Temporarily unable to access necessary Sieve scripts
This line concerns me.
Here are the current Sieve script declarations:
sieve_script before {
type = before
driver = file
path = /var/vmail/sieve/global_sieve_before.sieve
}
sieve_script before2 {
type = before
driver = dict
name = active
dict proxy {
name = sieve_before
sieve_script_bin_path = /var/vmail/sieve_before_bindir
}
}
sieve_script after {
type = after
driver = file
path = /var/vmail/sieve/global_sieve_after.sieve
}
sieve_script after2 {
type = after
driver = dict
name = active
dict proxy {
name = sieve_after
sieve_script_bin_path = /var/vmail/sieve_after_bindir
}
}
Personal scripts
sieve_script personal {
type = personal
driver = file
path = ~/sieve
active_path = ~/.dovecot.sieve
}
The dict proxy configuration, pointing to the dict_map SQL query above,
looks like this:
dict sieve_after {
driver = sql
!include /etc/dovecot/sql/dovecot-dict-sql-sieve_after.conf
}
dict sieve_before {
driver = sql
!include /etc/dovecot/sql/dovecot-dict-sql-sieve_before.conf
}
Thanks for your guidance.
Kind regards
Niklas Meyer
Maintainer of the mailcow project
References
Visible links

mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de
https://pastebin.com/PTKkLsDQ
mailto:frittenjonas@derlinkman.de