Generic IMAP ingestion fails with Unauthorized: Invalid token on cPanel/Dovecot servers #68

New Issue

MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-05T16:16:21+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-05 16:16:21 +02:00

Originally created by @richieboo on 12/31/2025

Describe the bug
Generic IMAP ingestion fails against a cPanel/Dovecot IMAP server with the error:

Authentication Failed
Unauthorized: Invalid token

This occurs even though the mailbox credentials are correct and the server supports standard IMAP authentication mechanisms.

Webmail and standard email clients authenticate successfully using the same credentials.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Deploy Open Archiver (v0.3.3).

Go to Ingestions → Create New.

Select Provider: Generic IMAP.

Enter:

Host: mail.example.org

Port: 993

Use TLS: enabled

Allow insecure cert: enabled

Username: full email address

Password: valid mailbox password

Click Submit.

Observe the error:

Authentication Failed
Unauthorized: Invalid token

Expected behavior
Open Archiver should authenticate using AUTH LOGIN or AUTH PLAIN when those mechanisms are advertised by the IMAP server and successfully create the ingestion source.

Screenshots
Not provided.

System:

Open Archiver Version: v0.3.3

IMAP Server: cPanel / Dovecot

TLS: Enabled

Certificate: Valid Let’s Encrypt wildcard certificate

Relevant logs:
IMAP server capability and TLS verification (via openssl s_client):

OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS ID ENABLE IDLE NAMESPACE
AUTH=PLAIN AUTH=LOGIN] Dovecot ready.

TLS handshake and certificate verification succeed with no errors.

Additional context

The IMAP server does not support OAuth or token-based authentication.

Only AUTH=LOGIN and AUTH=PLAIN are advertised (standard for cPanel/Dovecot).

Other Generic IMAP sources (e.g., Gmail) work correctly in the same Open Archiver instance.

This appears to be a failure to properly fall back to AUTH LOGIN / AUTH PLAIN when token-based mechanisms are not available.

*Originally created by @richieboo on 12/31/2025* Describe the bug Generic IMAP ingestion fails against a cPanel/Dovecot IMAP server with the error: Authentication Failed Unauthorized: Invalid token This occurs even though the mailbox credentials are correct and the server supports standard IMAP authentication mechanisms. Webmail and standard email clients authenticate successfully using the same credentials. To Reproduce Steps to reproduce the behavior: Deploy Open Archiver (v0.3.3). Go to Ingestions → Create New. Select Provider: Generic IMAP. Enter: Host: mail.example.org Port: 993 Use TLS: enabled Allow insecure cert: enabled Username: full email address Password: valid mailbox password Click Submit. Observe the error: Authentication Failed Unauthorized: Invalid token Expected behavior Open Archiver should authenticate using AUTH LOGIN or AUTH PLAIN when those mechanisms are advertised by the IMAP server and successfully create the ingestion source. Screenshots Not provided. System: Open Archiver Version: v0.3.3 IMAP Server: cPanel / Dovecot TLS: Enabled Certificate: Valid Let’s Encrypt wildcard certificate Relevant logs: IMAP server capability and TLS verification (via openssl s_client): * OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS ID ENABLE IDLE NAMESPACE AUTH=PLAIN AUTH=LOGIN] Dovecot ready. TLS handshake and certificate verification succeed with no errors. Additional context The IMAP server does not support OAuth or token-based authentication. Only AUTH=LOGIN and AUTH=PLAIN are advertised (standard for cPanel/Dovecot). Other Generic IMAP sources (e.g., Gmail) work correctly in the same Open Archiver instance. This appears to be a failure to properly fall back to AUTH LOGIN / AUTH PLAIN when token-based mechanisms are not available.

MrUnknownDE closed this issue

2026-04-05 16:16:21 +02:00

MrUnknownDE added the bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug bug labels 2026-04-05 16:16:21 +02:00

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Reference: github/OpenArchiver#68

Generic IMAP ingestion fails with Unauthorized: Invalid token on cPanel/Dovecot servers #68

Generic IMAP ingestion fails with `Unauthorized: Invalid token` on cPanel/Dovecot servers #68