An unknown mailbox id says the folder is empty, not that it is missing #111

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opened 2026-08-27 20:45:16 +00:00 by jcoffey-dev · 0 comments

jcoffey-dev commented

2026-08-27 20:45:16 +00:00

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Navigating to a mailbox id the account does not have renders the ordinary empty state — "Nothing here — This folder is empty" — rather than saying no such folder exists.

Reproduced on 2.16.110 with /mail/no-such-folder-xyz: zero rows, the empty-folder message, no error. It stays that way; it is not a load race.

The claim is false in a specific way. It asserts something about a folder that is not there, so a stale link reads as "this folder emptied itself" rather than "this folder is gone".

Where it would actually bite

A bookmark or a link to a folder that has since been deleted or renamed away.
A folder link passed between accounts, where the id means nothing to the recipient.

Not reachable by clicking around inside the app, which is why it has not come up: the sidebar only ever links to ids that exist.

Suggested

Either fall back to Inbox, or say the folder could not be found. Falling back is probably kinder for a stale bookmark, as long as it does not silently pretend the requested folder was the one shown.

Low priority — filed so it is written down rather than rediscovered. Found while chasing something else, and initially mistaken for a real inbox-loading bug because /mail/inbox is not a route either: the app routes on mailbox id, so Inbox is /mail/a.

_{Rebuilt from: session transcript.}

Navigating to a mailbox id the account does not have renders the ordinary empty state — **"Nothing here — This folder is empty"** — rather than saying no such folder exists. Reproduced on 2.16.110 with `/mail/no-such-folder-xyz`: zero rows, the empty-folder message, no error. It stays that way; it is not a load race. The claim is false in a specific way. It asserts something about a folder that is not there, so a stale link reads as "this folder emptied itself" rather than "this folder is gone". ### Where it would actually bite - A bookmark or a link to a folder that has since been deleted or renamed away. - A folder link passed between accounts, where the id means nothing to the recipient. Not reachable by clicking around inside the app, which is why it has not come up: the sidebar only ever links to ids that exist. ### Suggested Either fall back to Inbox, or say the folder could not be found. Falling back is probably kinder for a stale bookmark, as long as it does not silently pretend the requested folder was the one shown. Low priority — filed so it is written down rather than rediscovered. Found while chasing something else, and initially mistaken for a real inbox-loading bug because `/mail/inbox` is not a route either: the app routes on mailbox id, so Inbox is `/mail/a`. <sub>Rebuilt from: session transcript.</sub>

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Reference: coffey-labs/ihasmail-github-archive#111