Oauth2

Claws Mail Account Settings for OAuth 2.0

When setting up an account with OAuth2, besides correctly filling out the 'OAuth2' page, you also need to make sure you have the correct settings on the 'Receive' and 'Send' pages:

  'Receive' page (POP): Authenticate before POP connection: Authentication method = 'OAuth2'.

  'Receive' page (IMAP): Authentication method = 'OAuth2'.

  'Send' page (POP / IMAP): SMTP Authentication: Authentication method = 'OAuth2'.

Setting up OAuth 2.0 for Gmail

Follow the instructions here: https://support.google.com/googleapi/answer/6158849

Note: If you use more than one Google/Gmail account, make sure you are signed in to Google Cloud Platform with the desired account before creating a project or changing any settings. (It is possible to be signed into multiple accounts; just make sure the browser tab/window you are working in is controlled by the correct account.)

When setting up the project use these settings:

  Project name: Anything of your choice

  Publishing status (of project): 'In Production'

  User type: External

Notes related to the above:

1. If/when you create a new project, if it appears that the process has stalled, look in the top-right corner for a notification icon that you can click on and then select the relevant project. This should then open that project's dashboard so you can continue with the process. (As of 24 Mar 2022.)

2. Regarding Google's above-linked instructions related to the "Credentials" page: Where it says "Click 'New Credentials'" it should read "Click '+ CREATE CREDENTIALS'" (as of 24 Mar 2022).

3. Regarding "Publishing status", the initial default is 'Testing'. To change this to 'In Production' click on the 'Publish App' button in the 'Publishing status' section of the 'OAuth Consent Screen', and then click on 'Confirm'. This results in the status changing to ‘In Production’ and a new section ‘Verification Status’ showing with a ‘Needs verification’ status, which can be safely ignored. If this doesn't work for some reason, you can switch back to 'Testing' status on the same 'OAuth Consent Screen' page you used before. For this status to work you need to make sure you've added the desired email address to the 'Test Users' list on the 'Edit App Registration' - 'Test Users' page of the 'OAuth Consent Screen' setup process (or on the main 'OAuth Consent Screen' page). Note that with this status each authorization code will only last for seven days, after which you will be unable to connect and will see authorization errors in the network log. To get a new authorization code, go to the 'OAuth2' page of the Claws Mail settings and repeat the steps for getting an authorization code and completing authorization. (Note that there is no need to get a new client ID or client secret.) (as of 17 Apr 2022)

OAuth consent screen settings:

  App name: Anything of your choice

  User support email: Your own email

  Developer email: Your own email

  App domain entries: Leave blank

Scopes settings:

  Click on 'Add or Remove Scopes'.

  Select (check the box) this entry: "Gmail API, https://mail.google.com/, Read, compose, send and
      permanently delete all your email from Gmail"

      (Note that the list is in alphabetical order and you may need to go to a later page to find this entry.
       Also, if you can't find it in the list, you can enter the URL manually at the bottom of the page to add it to the list.)

  Click on 'Update'.

  Confirm that the section 'Your restricted scopes' shows the entry you just added.

  Click on 'Save and Continue'.

Getting the Client ID

  APIs and Services on the left menu, then Credentials entry

  Copy the Client ID to the corresponding field on Claws Mail's account settings' 'Oauth2' page.

  Select "Edit OAuth Credentials", then copy the Client Secret to the corresponding field on Claws Mail's account settings' 'Oauth2' page.

Troubleshooting:

It's possible / probable that Gmail will 'complain' about giving access to an unverified third-party app. If this keeps you from using Claws to access your Gmail, you may need to log in to Gmail's web-mail interface and review / revise your security settings there. This may involve dismissing the warning Google gives about the Project that you set up for Claws to access GMail on your account. If you dismiss a Warning, Google may then ask you why you are dismissing it, providing several options, leaving you free to choose the one which seems most suitable (like trusting the app and its developer, as of 8 Jun 2022).

Setting up OAuth 2.0 for Microsoft - for Outlook or Exchange

Step 1: Get into 'Azure', Microsoft's cloud computing service.

Go to https://portal.azure.com , making sure you are signed in with the Microsoft account you are wanting to set up. Go to 'Azure Active Directory' (click on the 'View' button under 'Manage Azure Active Directory') and then the 'App registrations' page (via the link in the side-pane). Here is a direct link to this page: https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_IAM/ActiveDirectoryMenuBlade/RegisteredApps .

Step 2: Register Claws Mail as a new app.

Click on 'New Registration' to get to the 'Register an application page', then adjust the settings as follows:

  Display name: Anything you choose.

  Supported account types - set to "Accounts in any organizational directory… and personal Microsoft accounts…" (Note: This will be shown on the app’s ‘Authentication’ page.) (It will also be represented on the app's ‘Overview’ page as "All Microsoft account users".)

  Select a platform: "Public client/native..."

  Redirect URI: http://127.0.0.1:8888

Once you've adjusted settings as desired, click on the 'Register' button.

(Note: Creating a new registration will result in the auto-generation of an application (client) ID, an object ID, and a directory (tenant) ID, all of which will then be visible on the app’s ‘Overview’ page.)

Step 3: Configure the Claws Mail app.

The various configuration pages can be accessed via the links in the side-pane. Nothing needs to be changed on the following pages:

Quickstart
Integration assistant
Branding
Certificates & secrets
Token configuration
Expose an API
Owners
Manifest

Check/adjust settings on the following pages:

'Authentication' - Confirm that the ‘redirect URI’ you set during registration has its box checked. You can also add/delete redirect URI’s on this page, as necessary.

'API permissions' - Click on 'Add a permission' > 'Microsoft Graph' > 'Delegated permissions', and add the following permissions. First, select each permission by typing some/all of its name in the search/filter box to narrow the results, expanding categories as needed, and clicking on the box beside the permission so that a check mark shows. Once you've selected all the permissions, click on the 'Add permissions' button to add them all at the same time. Any permissions that have been successfully added will now show up in the 'Configured permissions' list on the 'API permissions' page.
  - IMAP.AccessAsUser.All
  - Mail.ReadWrite
  - Mail.Send
  - offline_access
  - POP.AccessAsUser.All
  - SMTP.Send
  - User.Read

Once the Claws Mail app is configured, the Client ID (also called Application ID) can be copied to Claws Mail's corresponding Client ID field. (The Client ID is shown on the app's 'Overview' page in Azure.) No Client Secret is needed, so Claws Mail's Client Secret field should be empty.

Note: If you are using an email account managed by a third-party organization using Microsoft’s email systems, then when you attempt to get an authorization code you may see a screen that says something like ‘Approval Required’ // ‘This app requires your admin’s approval...’. This is likely because Claws Mail is not ‘published’ by a ‘verified publisher’ or because for some other reason the organization has decided to limit the apps to which users can give permissions. There may be a field where you can enter justification for requesting this app, after which you can click on ‘Request approval’. Then you may see a notice that says the request has been sent to your ‘admin’ and that you’ll receive an email in regards to whether it’s been approved or not. You may want to reach out to your email administrator to see if they got the request, to let them know it is a legitimate request from you, and perhaps provide a link to the Claws Mail website and/or other information about the ‘app’ for which you are wanting them to give you consent permissions. (The above details may be different depending on how the organization has configured their 'user consent' settings.) Ultimately it will be up to the organization (rather than Microsoft or yourself) as to whether you will be able to give Claws the access it needs.