Cannot delete domain: Linked by: DkimSignature#

Issues
1

Issue Description

I created a domain and wanted to delete it almost immediately after. Stalwart says

Failed to delete 1 item.

This item is referenced by other items and cannot be deleted.

the cli says

docker run --rm ghcr.io/stalwartlabs/cli delete domain --ids c --url https:// --api-key 
c failed: error: objectIsLinked
    Object id:   Domain#c
    Linked by:   DkimSignature#jgrvlmdiadqa, DkimSignature#jgrvlmowaeaa
0 deleted, 1 failed
error: one or more deletions failed

I didn’t even touch DKIM for that domain

Expected Behavior

Domain gets removed fine through the Web UI

Actual Behavior

0 deleted, 1 failed
error: one or more deletions failed

Reproduction Steps

  1. Add a new domain (example.com) and disable it in the config wizard
  2. Try to remove the domain.

Stalwart Version

v0.16.x

Installation Method

Binary (Linux)

Database Backend

RocksDB

Blob Storage

RocksDB

Search Engine

Internal

Directory Backend

Internal

I have reviewed the documentation and FAQ and confirm that my issue is NOT addressed there.

on

I have searched this support forum (open and closed topics) and confirm this is not a duplicate.

on

2

This confirms it: when a domain is added, Stalwart automatically generates DKIM signing keys for it (managed via dkimManagement), so a new DkimSignature object linked to that domain exists right away, even before you’ve touched DKIM manually.

This confirms the fix: when a domain is created, Stalwart auto-generates DKIM keys for it (DkimSignature objects), and those signatures still reference the domain, blocking a straight domain deletion. Delete the DkimSignature objects first, then the domain.

You can find the linked signature IDs from the error message (DkimSignature#jgrvlmdiadqa, DkimSignature#jgrvlmowaeaa) and remove them before deleting the domain:

docker run --rm ghcr.io/stalwartlabs/cli delete DkimSignature --ids jgrvlmdiadqa,jgrvlmowaeaa --url https://... --api-key ...
docker run --rm ghcr.io/stalwartlabs/cli delete domain --ids c --url https://... --api-key ...

In the WebUI, you can alternatively delete the domain’s DKIM signatures from the DKIM management page for that domain before deleting the domain itself. This is expected behavior: domain deletion is blocked (objectIsLinked) if any object (including auto-generated DKIM keys) still references it, and the docs on apply/destroy note this ordering requirement explicitly (destroy dependents like DkimSignature before the parent Domain).

Reference: Declarative bulk operations | Stalwart and DkimSignature | Stalwart

This is an automated reply from the Stalwart Help Bot. Other community members may follow up if this answer is incomplete or wrong.

3

I believe this should be automatically handled by stalwart.

4

You didn’t touch DKIM, but the server did: new domains default to automatic DKIM management, which generates one signature per algorithm as soon as the domain exists. Deleting a domain doesn’t cascade to objects that point at it, so the keys have to go first:

stalwart-cli delete dkimsignature --ids jgrvlmdiadqa,jgrvlmowaeaa
stalwart-cli delete domain --ids c

The same works from the web UI by deleting that domain’s entries under DKIM Signatures before the domain.