dmarc-ingest: Postfix can run the command, and it is told the recipient

The first DMARC report to reach the test server (Google, 2026-10-11
09:41 UTC) was accepted on port 25 and then sat in the queue:

  postfix/pipe: fatal: missing user= command-line attribute
  postfix/qmgr: warning: private/dmarc-ingest socket: malformed response

Three things stood between an accepted report and the panel, all since
the feature shipped in 1.7.0 - no report had ever been delivered:

- The service was addressed as dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe. Its type is unix:
  postconf -P answered "unmatched service_name/type" for flags=, user=
  and argv= (the warnings in the container log at every start), which
  are arguments of pipe(8) anyway and not -o parameters, and the service
  stayed a bare "pipe". For the same reason postconf -MX never removed
  it. It is dmarc-ingest/unix now, with the arguments in the service line.
- pipe(8) gives the command export_environment and nothing else, so the
  command would have refused to run: it reads DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE (and
  the data directory, when it is not the default) from the environment.
  Those are now named in export_environment.
- The command took the recipient from RECIPIENT, which local(8) sets and
  pipe(8) does not. With no recipient the check that a report came to the
  address of its own domain is skipped. It is now ${recipient} in argv,
  one recipient per run.

When DMARC ingest is off the service and both parameters are removed.

e2e: every port-25 combination now asks Postfix for the service and the
two parameters (postconf -M / -h), and for their absence when ingest is
off - which is how the wrong type was found. make e2e on the test
server: ok. go test ./cmd/panel/ ./internal/dmarc/ ./internal/postfix/:
ok.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

build/postfix-config.sh

@@ -285,11 +285,21 @@ if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] || [ "${DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE}" = "true
 			[ -e "$f" ] || : > "$f"
 		done
 		ln -sf /usr/local/bin/panel /usr/local/bin/dmarc-ingest
-		postconf -M "dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe=dmarc-ingest unix - n n - - pipe"
+		# flags=, user= and argv= are arguments of pipe(8), not -o parameters:
-		postconf -P \
+		# postconf -P refuses them ("unmatched service_name/type") and leaves a
-			"dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe/flags=Rq" \
+		# bare "pipe", which dies with "fatal: missing user= command-line
-			"dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe/user=panel" \
+		# attribute" on every report. They go into the service line itself.
-			"dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe/argv=/usr/local/bin/dmarc-ingest"
+		# ${recipient} is expanded by pipe(8), not by the shell: the command
+		# learns which report address the message came to from its argument.
+		postconf -M 'dmarc-ingest/unix=dmarc-ingest unix - n n - - pipe flags=Rq user=panel argv=/usr/local/bin/dmarc-ingest ${recipient}'
+		# One recipient per run, so ${recipient} is one argument.
+		postconf -e "dmarc-ingest_destination_recipient_limit=1"
+		# pipe(8) starts the command with export_environment only, so what the
+		# command reads from the container's environment is named there.
+		DMARC_INGEST_ENV="DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE=true"
+		[ -z "${SELFPOST_DATA_DIR:-}" ] || DMARC_INGEST_ENV="${DMARC_INGEST_ENV} SELFPOST_DATA_DIR=${SELFPOST_DATA_DIR}"
+		[ -z "${SELFPOST_DB_PATH:-}" ] || DMARC_INGEST_ENV="${DMARC_INGEST_ENV} SELFPOST_DB_PATH=${SELFPOST_DB_PATH}"
+		postconf -e "export_environment=TZ MAIL_CONFIG LANG ${DMARC_INGEST_ENV}"
 		if [ -n "$RELAY_DOMAINS_SETTING" ]; then
 			RELAY_DOMAINS_SETTING="${RELAY_DOMAINS_SETTING} texthash:${DMARC_RELAY_DOMAINS_MAP}"
 			TRANSPORT_SETTING="${TRANSPORT_SETTING} texthash:${DMARC_TRANSPORT_MAP}"
@@ -300,6 +310,9 @@ if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] || [ "${DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE}" = "true
 		# Comma, not a space, between check_recipient_access and its table: see
 		# master_cf_set_smtp_inet_o.
 		RECIPIENT_RESTRICTIONS="check_recipient_access,texthash:${DMARC_RECIPIENTS_MAP},${RECIPIENT_RESTRICTIONS}"
+	else
+		postconf -MX "dmarc-ingest/unix" 2>/dev/null || true
+		postconf -X dmarc-ingest_destination_recipient_limit export_environment 2>/dev/null || true
 	fi
 	postconf -e \
 		"relay_domains=${RELAY_DOMAINS_SETTING}" \
@@ -381,7 +394,8 @@ if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] || [ "${DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE}" = "true
 	master_cf_set_smtp_inet_o smtpd_milters "${INBOUND_MILTERS}"
 else
 	postconf -MX "smtp/inet" 2>/dev/null || true
-	postconf -MX "dmarc-ingest/unix-pipe" 2>/dev/null || true
+	postconf -MX "dmarc-ingest/unix" 2>/dev/null || true
+	postconf -X dmarc-ingest_destination_recipient_limit export_environment 2>/dev/null || true
 	postconf -e \
 		"relay_domains=" \
 		"transport_maps=" \

cmd/panel/dmarc_ingest.go

@@ -26,10 +26,7 @@ func runDMARCIngestMode() error {
 	}
 	defer st.Close()
 
-	recipient := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("RECIPIENT")))
+	recipient := ingestRecipient(os.Args[1:])
-	if recipient == "" {
-		recipient = strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("ORIGINAL_RECIPIENT")))
-	}
 	if err := dmarc.IngestMessage(st, io.LimitReader(os.Stdin, maxIngestStdin), recipient, time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {
 		if incrErr := st.IncrDMARCParseFailures(); incrErr != nil {
 			log.Printf("dmarc ingest: record failure: %v", incrErr)
@@ -39,6 +36,21 @@ func runDMARCIngestMode() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// ingestRecipient is the report address the message was delivered to. Postfix's
+// pipe(8) hands it over as an argument (${recipient} in the service's argv,
+// build/postfix-config.sh) - it sets no RECIPIENT variable, that is local(8).
+// Without it the check that a report came to its own domain's address is
+// skipped.
+func ingestRecipient(args []string) string {
+	for _, a := range args {
+		if a == "-dmarc-ingest" {
+			continue
+		}
+		return strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(a))
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func isDMARCIngestInvocation() bool {
 	if len(os.Args) > 1 && os.Args[1] == "-dmarc-ingest" {
 		return true

cmd/panel/dmarc_ingest_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package main
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestIngestRecipient(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		args []string
+		want string
+	}{
+		// As pipe(8) starts it: the symlink name, then ${recipient}.
+		{[]string{"dmarc-reports+Example.org@mail.example.org"}, "dmarc-reports+example.org@mail.example.org"},
+		{[]string{"-dmarc-ingest", "dmarc-reports+example.org@mail.example.org"}, "dmarc-reports+example.org@mail.example.org"},
+		{[]string{"-dmarc-ingest"}, ""},
+		{nil, ""},
+	} {
+		if got := ingestRecipient(tc.args); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("ingestRecipient(%q) = %q, want %q", tc.args, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}

test/e2e/port25_config_check.go

@@ -25,8 +25,17 @@ type port25Case struct {
 	// main are main.cf parameters the combination must end up with, read with
 	// postconf -h.
 	main []optionCheck
+	// ingest is set when the combination must carry the DMARC report delivery
+	// service, with everything the command it runs depends on.
+	ingest bool
 }
 
+// ingestService is the dmarc-ingest service as Postfix must read it back.
+// flags=, user= and argv= are arguments of pipe(8); set as -o parameters they
+// are dropped, and a bare "pipe" dies on every report with "fatal: missing
+// user= command-line attribute" - the state of 1.7.0 through 1.9.5.
+const ingestService = "dmarc-ingest unix - n n - - pipe flags=Rq user=panel argv=/usr/local/bin/dmarc-ingest ${recipient}"
+
 var port25Cases = []port25Case{
 	{
 		name: "inbound relay only",
@@ -53,6 +62,7 @@ var port25Cases = []port25Case{
 			{param: "smtpd_recipient_restrictions", contains: "check_recipient_access,texthash:/data/postfix/dmarc_recipients,reject", wantExact: true},
 			{param: "smtpd_milters", contains: "", wantExact: true},
 		},
+		ingest: true,
 	},
 	{
 		name: "inbound relay and dmarc ingest",
@@ -71,6 +81,7 @@ var port25Cases = []port25Case{
 		main: []optionCheck{
 			{param: "relay_recipient_maps", contains: "texthash:/data/postfix/relay_recipients texthash:/data/postfix/dmarc_recipients", wantExact: true},
 		},
+		ingest: true,
 	},
 	{
 		name: "inbound relay with antispam milter",
@@ -148,6 +159,9 @@ func checkPort25ConfigCombinations(s *stack) error {
 				return fmt.Errorf("%s: %s = %q, want %q", tc.name, c.param, got, c.contains)
 			}
 		}
+		if err := checkIngestService(s, tc); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Back to the stand's own configuration: flags off, no port-25 listener.
@@ -157,6 +171,39 @@ func checkPort25ConfigCombinations(s *stack) error {
 	return checkInboundRelayOff(s)
 }
 
+// checkIngestService asks Postfix for the dmarc-ingest service and the two
+// main.cf parameters its command depends on: one recipient per run, so
+// ${recipient} is one argument, and DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE in the environment
+// pipe(8) gives the command - it passes export_environment and nothing else.
+// A combination without DMARC ingest must have none of the three left over.
+func checkIngestService(s *stack, tc port25Case) error {
+	service, _ := s.execIn("selfpost", "postconf", "-M", "dmarc-ingest/unix")
+	service = strings.Join(strings.Fields(service), " ")
+	limit, _ := s.execIn("selfpost", "postconf", "-h", "dmarc-ingest_destination_recipient_limit")
+	limit = strings.TrimSpace(limit)
+	environ, err := s.execIn("selfpost", "postconf", "-h", "export_environment")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: postconf -h export_environment: %v\n%s", tc.name, err, environ)
+	}
+	exported := strings.Contains(" "+strings.TrimSpace(environ)+" ", " DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE=true ")
+	if !tc.ingest {
+		if strings.Contains(service, "pipe") || limit == "1" || exported {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%s: DMARC ingest is off but left behind: service %q, recipient limit %q, export_environment %q", tc.name, service, limit, environ)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	if service != ingestService {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: Postfix reads the dmarc-ingest service as %q, want %q", tc.name, service, ingestService)
+	}
+	if limit != "1" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: dmarc-ingest_destination_recipient_limit = %q, want 1", tc.name, limit)
+	}
+	if !exported {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: export_environment = %q, want DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE=true in it", tc.name, environ)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // runPostfixConfig re-runs the config generator with env overrides. The script
 // ends with `postfix check`, so a non-zero exit is exactly the start-time
 // failure an operator would hit.