Folders created through JMAP (e.g. Bulwark) are not visible via IMAP (e.g. thunderbird)

Issues
1

Issue Description

  • I created a folder using Bulwark, that uses JMAP. I can move mails into it and out from it.
  • I connected thunderbird to stalwart using imaps
  • the created folder is not visible in thunderbird, even though it exists and has mails in it.

If I create a folder in thunderbird, it is visible in bulwark.

Expected Behavior

Folders created through JMAP are visible in the IMAP client

Actual Behavior

Folders created through JMAP are not visible in the IMAP client

Reproduction Steps

  • I created a folder using Bulwark, that uses JMAP. I can move mails into it and out from it.
  • I connected thunderbird to stalwart using imaps
  • the created folder is not visible in thunderbird, even though it exists and has mails in it.

Stalwart Version

v0.16.x

Installation Method

Docker

Database Backend

PostgreSQL

Blob Storage

PostgreSQL

Search Engine

PostgreSQL

Directory Backend

OIDC

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

I understand that topics in this category are triaged by a bot first but a human reply will follow up. If I’d prefer a human-only reply, I’ll add the no-ai tag to my topic.

on

2

This is expected behavior, not a bug: new mailboxes created via JMAP are not subscribed by default unless the client explicitly sets isSubscribed: true when creating them. IMAP clients like Thunderbird typically only display subscribed folders by default (via LSUB/LIST with subscription filtering), so a mailbox created through JMAP without setting isSubscribed will exist and be usable via JMAP, but stay hidden in IMAP until it is subscribed.

To fix it:

  • In Thunderbird, right-click the account and choose “Manage Folder Subscriptions”, find the folder created by Bulwark, and subscribe to it. It should then appear normally.
  • Alternatively, if Bulwark supports it, it can set the isSubscribed property to true on the Mailbox object when creating the folder via JMAP, so it shows up automatically in IMAP clients without a manual subscribe step.

This is consistent with the Mailbox isSubscribed property: new mailboxes start with an empty subscriber list, and only become visible over IMAP once subscribed for that account.

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