- dovecot - dovecot.org

Why doesn't Dovecot documentation specify which files to edit?
by n4ch0 13 Dec '25

13 Dec '25

I've noticed that the official Dovecot documentation frequently omits crucial information about which specific files should be modified when configuring different functionalities. Concrete examples: In the LMTP integration guide with Postfix (https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/howto/lmtp/postfix.html#postfix-and-dovecot-l…) It indicates to modify the socket configuration, but doesn't specify in which file this modification should be made In the quota plugin documentation (https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/plugins/quota.html#quota-plugin-quota) It requests enabling the quota module, but doesn't mention the corresponding configuration file I managed to achieve the configuration I wanted but it took more time than it should have. My question: I understand that Dovecot uses a modular configuration system and that technically I can place directives in any file. However, wouldn't it be clearer and more efficient if the documentation followed an established order and specified recommended locations? For example: "Edit /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-master.conf to configure the LMTP socket" "Enable the quota plugin in /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf" Is there a technical reason why the documentation deliberately avoids recommending specific files, or does it simply assume that users already know these conventions? Is there a general guide about Dovecot's configuration file structure and best practices for organizing them? Thanks!

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Dovecot crash after waking up from sleep
by Peter Psenak 13 Dec '25

13 Dec '25

Hi, I'm experiencing a dovecot crash every time my PC wakes up from sleep. Is this a know issues? # 2.4.0 (daeb6bc59c): /opt/homebrew/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf # Pigeonhole version 2.4.0 (1b2d5bb9) # OS: Darwin 25.1.0 arm64 File system: APFS Dec 11 22:24:20 master: Panic: file ./time-util.h: line 40 (timeval_add_usecs): assertion failed: (usecs >= 0) Dec 11 22:24:20 master: Error: Raw backtrace: 0 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dc35f4 backtrace_append + 72 -> 1 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dc3738 backtrace_get + 44 -> 2 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dd0b64 default_fatal_finish + 72 -> 3 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dcf614 default_error_handler + 0 -> 4 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dcf5e0 fatal_handler_real + 0 -> 5 dovecot 0x0000000102b1a8fc master_fatal_callback + 248 -> 6 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102dcf794 i_fatal + 0 -> 7 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102e24ce0 event_callback.cold.1 + 0 -> 8 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102de61c4 io_loops_timeouts_update + 308 -> 9 \libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102e24668 io_loop_handle_timeouts.cold.1 + 20 -> 10 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102de49b8 io_loop_handle_timeouts + 560 -> 11 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102de6e64 io_loop_handler_run_internal + 388 -> 12 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102de4f00 io_loop_handler_run + 220 -> 13 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102de4e04 io_loop_run + 88 -> 14 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x0000000102d4ec3c master_service_run + 28 -> 15 dovecot 0x0000000102b1a224 main + 2944 -> 16 dyld 0x000000019ff4dd54 start + 7184 thanks, Peter

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Re: Why doesn't Dovecot documentation specify which files to edit?
by Michael Slusarz 12 Dec '25

12 Dec '25

See, e.g., https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html#tldr-i-just-want-dovec… michael > On 12/11/2025 3:29 PM MST Chad Wallace via dovecot <dovecot(a)dovecot.org> wrote: > > > I think the configuration layout you're seeing may be provided by your > distribution (Debian, RedHat, etc.). In the original release provided > by Dovecot, I only see a single config file: dovecont.conf.in > > Also, it is quite easy to find which file has certain types of > configuration: > > $ grep -ri lmtp /etc/dovecot > > > On Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:47:44 +0000 > n4ch0 via dovecot <dovecot(a)dovecot.org> wrote: > > > I've noticed that the official Dovecot documentation frequently omits > > crucial information about which specific files should be modified > > when configuring different functionalities. Concrete examples: > > > > In the LMTP integration guide with Postfix > > (https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/howto/lmtp/postfix.html#postfix-and-dovecot-l…) > > > > It indicates to modify the socket configuration, but doesn't specify > > in which file this modification should be made > > > > > > In the quota plugin documentation > > (https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/plugins/quota.html#quota-plugin-quota) > > > > It requests enabling the quota module, but doesn't mention the > > corresponding configuration file > > > > > > > > I managed to achieve the configuration I wanted but it took more time > > than it should have. My question: I understand that Dovecot uses a > > modular configuration system and that technically I can place > > directives in any file. However, wouldn't it be clearer and more > > efficient if the documentation followed an established order and > > specified recommended locations? For example: > > > > "Edit /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-master.conf to configure the LMTP socket" > > "Enable the quota plugin in /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf" > > > > Is there a technical reason why the documentation deliberately avoids > > recommending specific files, or does it simply assume that users > > already know these conventions? Is there a general guide about > > Dovecot's configuration file structure and best practices for > > organizing them? > > > > Thanks! > > _______________________________________________ > > dovecot mailing list -- dovecot(a)dovecot.org > > To unsubscribe send an email to dovecot-leave(a)dovecot.org > > > > -- > Chad Wallace > Software Developer | The Lodging Company® > P: +1 250 869 4931 ext. 251 > TF: +1 888 676 9977 > E: cwallace(a)lodgingcompany.com > W: www.lodgingcompany.com > _______________________________________________ > dovecot mailing list -- dovecot(a)dovecot.org > To unsubscribe send an email to dovecot-leave(a)dovecot.org

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About mail_inbox_path and mail location
by Aki Tuomi 10 Dec '25

10 Dec '25

Hi! We've been noticing that many people are configuring mail_inbox_path. I assume that for most people this is because debian decided to include it in their default config, so that it would use /var/mail boxes for user INBOXes. If your inbox *does not* reside in some weird location, you should *not* set this setting to any value, instead you can either ensure it's commented out, or set to empty value. IN PARTICULAR, IT IS **NOT** REQUIRED SETTING. Setting it to some random weird value like '.' will just cause Problems, setting it to $MAIL_HOME/ or something else will just be either pointless or cause problems. Some most common conversions (please adjust to your environment) mail_home= /home/vmail/%u => mail_home = /home/vmail/%{user} mail_home = /home/vmail/%d/%u => mail_home = /home/vmail/%{user|domain}/%{user|username} or some variant of this. mail_location = maildir:~/ => mail_path = ~/ mail_driver = maildir mail_location = maildir:/var/srv/foo/%d/%u => mail_path = /var/srv/foo/%{user|domain}/%{user|username} mail_driver = maildir In addition you might want to convert INDEX=~/.index => mail_index_path=~/.index CONTROL=~/.control => mail_control_path=~/.control LAYOUT=fs => mailbox_list_layout=fs A minimal working config is mail_home=/home/vmail/%{user} mail_driver=maildir mail_path=~/maildir mail_uid=vmail mail_gid=vmail ## If you have settings like namespace other { location = maildir:/foo/bar } this converts into namespace other { mail_path = /foo/bar # optional, if this is matches your top level mail_driver = maildir } Hope this clears out some of the confusion. Aki

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Migration of the Maildir standard from Dovecot 2.3 to Dovecot 2.4
by byteme＠linuxmaker.net 10 Dec '25

10 Dec '25

Hello everyone, I have a Dovecot 2.3 installation on a Debian 12 Linux system that is being upgraded to Dovecot 2.4. The server hosts many domains with numerous email accounts. Users had created folder structures containing many received and sent emails, following the Maildir standard as "dot-prefixed folders." When switching to Dovecot 2.4, all these emails and folders are no longer visible. This is what it looks like on the old system: root@mx1 /var/vmail/example.com/systemmails # ll -a insgesamt 256 drwx------ 14 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 . drwx------ 15 vmail vmail 4096 6. Apr 2021 .. drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Archive drwx------ 2 vmail vmail 86016 27. Okt 12:19 cur -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 0 15. Sep 2018 dovecot-acl-list -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 1080 29. Okt 06:50 dovecot.index -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 23400 30. Okt 01:36 dovecot.index.cache -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 10600 30. Okt 01:41 dovecot.index.log -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 6627 26. Aug 09:56 dovecot.index.thread -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 24 20. Apr 2024 dovecot-keywords -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 1256 3. Nov 09:05 dovecot.list.index -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 5156 3. Nov 09:15 dovecot.list.index.log -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 672 15. Jul 16:45 dovecot.mailbox.log -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 1781 30. Okt 01:36 dovecot-uidlist -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 8 15. Jul 16:45 dovecot-uidvalidity -r--r--r-- 1 vmail 1002 0 15. Sep 2018 dovecot-uidvalidity.5b9d20a3 -r--r--r-- 1 vmail vmail 0 15. Sep 2018 dovecot-uidvalidity.5b9d20a5 drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Drafts drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .INBOX.Fail2ban drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .INBOX.vzdump drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Junk drwx------ 2 vmail vmail 36864 30. Okt 01:36 new drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Quarantine drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Sent drwx------ 3 vmail vmail 4096 3. Dez 06:25 sieve -rw------- 1 vmail vmail 70 15. Jul 16:45 subscriptions drwx------ 2 vmail vmail 4096 2. Nov 16:41 tmp drwx------ 5 vmail vmail 4096 3. Nov 09:15 .Trash This should be preserved so that users don't notice the system upgrade. Dovecot 2.4 works quite differently in this regard. What solution is there for migrating both the namespace and the existing emails to Dovecot 2.4? Thank you for your suggestions ByteMe

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compilation build fail
by Franck Bourdonnec 10 Dec '25

10 Dec '25

Hello, I'm used to build Dovecot since a long time without any problem. Last one 2.3.21 With 2.4.2 I get a compiler error !!! CC unix-socket-create.lo CC unlink-directory.lo CC unlink-old-files.lo CC unichar.lo CC unicode-data-types.lo CC unicode-data-tables.lo CC unicode-data.lo CC unicode-transform.lo unicode-transform.c:211:1: error: initializer element is not constant static const size_t uni_hangul_n_count = uni_hangul_v_count * uni_hangul_t_count; ^ unicode-transform.c:212:1: error: initializer element is not constant static const uint16_t uni_hangul_l_end = uni_hangul_l_base + uni_hangul_l_count; ^ unicode-transform.c:213:1: error: initializer element is not constant static const uint16_t uni_hangul_v_end = uni_hangul_v_base + uni_hangul_v_count; ^ unicode-transform.c:214:1: error: initializer element is not constant static const uint16_t uni_hangul_t_end = uni_hangul_t_base + uni_hangul_t_count; ^ Makefile:1684: recipe for target 'unicode-transform.lo' failed make[4]: *** [unicode-transform.lo] Error 1 make[4]: Leaving directory '/data/users/root/dovecot-2.4.2/src/lib' Makefile:1333: recipe for target 'all' failed I know my system is old, Opensuse Leap 42.3. Perhaps something missing , not tested ? /* * Hangul syllable (de)composition */ static const uint16_t uni_hangul_s_base = 0xac00; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_l_base = 0x1100; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_v_base = 0x1161; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_t_base = 0x11a7; static const size_t uni_hangul_l_count = 19; static const size_t uni_hangul_v_count = 21; static const size_t uni_hangul_t_count = 28; static const size_t uni_hangul_n_count = uni_hangul_v_count * uni_hangul_t_count; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_l_end = uni_hangul_l_base + uni_hangul_l_count; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_v_end = uni_hangul_v_base + uni_hangul_v_count; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_t_end = uni_hangul_t_base + uni_hangul_t_count; static const uint16_t uni_hangul_s_end = 0xD7A4; Franck !DSPAM:69384f6f6071731448408!

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Permission denied errors loading configuration in 2.4.1 (running utilities as unprivileged user)
by Jason J.G. White 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

I noticed the following after upgrading from 2.3 to 2.4.1: if I run various Dovecot utilities as an unprivileged user, they attempt to load the entire Dovecot configuration. The configuration loading then fails with a "fatal" permission denied error while trying to access the x.509 private key, which is accessible only to root for security reasons. Example: try running sievec as a normal user to compile a Sieve script. This should work, but it doesn't for the aforementioned reason. I'm not asking for help here, as I can work around it, but I would like to make sure it's on the bug list, if not fixed already.

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auth: Fatal: master: service(auth): child N killed with signal 11
by alexey＠*.com 08 Dec '25

08 Dec '25

Hello there, Got a server powered by "AlmaLinux 9.7 (Moss Jungle Cat)" with Dovecot 2.4.2 compiled from sources by directadmin with the following options: ./configure \ --with-ldap=yes \ --with-pam=yes \ --prefix=/usr \ --sysconfdir=/etc \ --localstatedir=/var \ --without-icu Dovecot crashes and no IMAP auth is possible on the server Got this only from dumped core: Reading symbols from /usr/libexec/dovecot/auth... (No debugging symbols found in /usr/libexec/dovecot/auth) [New LWP 3855978] [Thread debugging using libthread_db enabled] Using host libthread_db library "/lib64/libthread_db.so.1". Core was generated by `/usr/libexec/dovecot/auth'. Program terminated with signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault. #0 0x00007f6635f5fe41 in sasl_server_instance_create () from /usr/lib64/dovecot/libdovecot.so.0 (gdb) bt #0 0x00007f6635f5fe41 in sasl_server_instance_create () from /usr/lib64/dovecot/libdovecot.so.0 #1 0x000055da11c889bb in auth_sasl_instance_init () #2 0x000055da11c6eb9e in ?? () #3 0x000055da11c6f4ed in auths_preinit () #4 0x000055da11c6d245 in ?? () #5 0x000055da11c6d8a0 in main () (gdb) info threads Id Target Id Frame * 1 Thread 0x7f6636273ac0 (LWP 3855978) 0x00007f6635f5fe41 in sasl_server_instance_create () from /usr/lib64/dovecot/libdovecot.so.0 (gdb) thread apply all bt Thread 1 (Thread 0x7f6636273ac0 (LWP 3855978)): #0 0x00007f6635f5fe41 in sasl_server_instance_create () from /usr/lib64/dovecot/libdovecot.so.0 #1 0x000055da11c889bb in auth_sasl_instance_init () #2 0x000055da11c6eb9e in ?? () #3 0x000055da11c6f4ed in auths_preinit () #4 0x000055da11c6d245 in ?? () #5 0x000055da11c6d8a0 in main () (gdb) thread apply all bt full Thread 1 (Thread 0x7f6636273ac0 (LWP 3855978)): #0 0x00007f6635f5fe41 in sasl_server_instance_create () from /usr/lib64/dovecot/libdovecot.so.0 No symbol table info available. #1 0x000055da11c889bb in auth_sasl_instance_init () No symbol table info available. #2 0x000055da11c6eb9e in ?? () No symbol table info available. #3 0x000055da11c6f4ed in auths_preinit () No symbol table info available. #4 0x000055da11c6d245 in ?? () No symbol table info available. #5 0x000055da11c6d8a0 in main () No symbol table info available. (gdb) Have no issue with Dovecot 2.4.1 Kindly advice. Regards, Alex.

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Can't get Dovecot working with Exim
by Christopher Curzio 07 Dec '25

07 Dec '25

Hello everyone. I'm in the process of migrating my mail server to Debian running exim4 and dovecot. I was previously using exim4 and dovecot on Slackware and I moved the configs over, however I can't get dovecot working with exim on the new system. These configs worked fine previously. I did have to make some minor changes, but overall everything is mostly the same as it was. dovecot config: https://pastebin.com/Hrhj6xeb exim config: https://pastebin.com/bAQ9mTJb No matter what I do, I'm getting this when mail is received: dovecot_delivery transport output: Can't open log file /var/log/dovecot/deliver-error.log: Permi ssion denied I've tried everything, even going as far as setting permissions on /var/log/dovecot to a+rwx recursive (solely as a test) but I still get the same message. Help getting this working would be greatly appreciated since I've exhausted my own knowledge trying to wrench it into submission. Thanks. Hello everyone. I'm in the process of migrating my mail server to Debian running exim4 and dovecot. I was previously using exim4 and dovecot on Slackware and I moved the configs over, however I can't get dovecot working with exim on the new system. These configs worked fine previously. I did have to make some minor changes, but overall everything is mostly the same as it was. dovecot config: [1]https://pastebin.com/Hrhj6xeb exim config: [2]https://pastebin.com/bAQ9mTJb No matter what I do, I'm getting this when mail is received: dovecot_delivery transport output: Can't open log file /var/log/dovecot/deliver-error.log: Permi ssion denied I've tried everything, even going as far as setting permissions on /var/log/dovecot to a+rwx recursive (solely as a test) but I still get the same message. Help getting this working would be greatly appreciated since I've exhausted my own knowledge trying to wrench it into submission. Thanks. References Visible links 1. https://pastebin.com/Hrhj6xeb 2. https://pastebin.com/bAQ9mTJb

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Issues with mail_crypt plugin: per-user encryption with keys from LDAP
by luis.neapolis＠gmail.com 06 Dec '25

06 Dec '25

Hi everyone, I am trying to configure Dovecot's mail_crypt plugin to support per-user encryption, with public and private keys stored in LDAP and retrieved via userdb. My Goal: 1) Each user has their own key pair (public/private) stored in LDAP. 2) Incoming emails should be encrypted via LMTP using the user’s public key. 3) Users should be able to read emails via IMAP/Webmail using their private key, which is password-protected (the user’s login password). Current situation: 1) Using global keys (same key for all users) works fine: LMTP encrypts emails and users can read them correctly. 2) When trying to use per-user keys, I get encryption errors in IMAP, because Dovecot seems to require the private key even during LMTP, even though only the public key should be needed for encryption. Typical error: lmtp(…): Failed to initialize user: mail_crypt_plugin: main: crypt_private_key_password unset, no password to decrypt the key file Example configuration (LDAP userdb): crypt_user_key_require_encrypted = yes userdb ldap { driver = ldap ldap_filter = (&(objectClass=MailClass) (mail=%{user})) result_internalfail = continue-ok fields { quota_storage_size = %{ldap:quota|default('5')}G mail_home = %{ldap:homeDirectory} crypt_global_public_key_file=inline:%{ldap:CryptoGlobalPubKey|default("")} crypt_global_private_key/main/crypt_private_key_file=inline:%{ldap:CryptoGlobalPrivKey|default('')} crypt_private_key_password=%{password} } } Questions / help requested: 1) Is it possible to configure mail_crypt so that LMTP can encrypt emails using only the user’s public key, without needing the private key? 2) What is the correct way to use per-user keys with password-protected private keys? 3) Are there any working examples of mail_crypt configurations using LDAP as the source for per-user keys? I am fully aware that LMTP needs the private key of the user even if LMTP doesn't use, but during LMTP session the user password is not available. Version: 2.4.2-1 (0962ed2104) Thanks in advance for any guidance!

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