zulip/zulip

Forwarding an email containing `@all` to the email gateway drops the email with an error.

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#19,655 opened on Sep 1, 2021

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 (8 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (19,672 stars) (7,339 forks)batch import
area: emailsarea: markdown (mentions)bughelp wanted

Description

The email gateway doesn't have permissions to use @all (or @stream or @everyone) and so attempts to send messages containing those characters fails.

We should escape those characters, or at least make this not a logged exception.

Sentry Issue: ZULIP-RZ

JsonableError: You do not have permission to use wildcard mentions in this stream.
  File "zerver/lib/actions.py", line 3396, in _internal_prep_message
    email_gateway=email_gateway,
  File "zerver/lib/actions.py", line 3357, in check_message
    _("You do not have permission to use wildcard mentions in this stream.")

Error queueing internal message by emailgateway@zulip.com: You do not have permission to use wildcard mentions in this stream.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
pythondjango
Domain
backend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
PythonZulip email gatewaywildcard mentions
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
The issue is in `zerver/lib/actions.py` where ` internal prep message` raises a `JsonableError` for wildcard mentions. The fix should either escape `@all`, `@stream`, `@everyone` characters in the email gateway or change the behavior to not throw an exception. Check the linked Sentry issue and the comment discussing using `@**all**` syntax. Look at how the email gateway processes messages in `zerver/lib/email mirror.py` and related tests.