Mailspring: [Feature Request] Sync account information along with Mailspring ID

[V3XATI0N]

Are there any related issues?

not really

What operating system are you using?

Linux/Mac but it isn't really an OS-related thing.

What version of Mailspring are you using?

yes :)

--

Feature Request?

Does this feature exist in another mail client or tool you use?

no

I use a lot of different machines throughout the day, and it would be super awesome if Mailspring ID was able to sync settings and such across different installations of the client. If I add an account on one machine, it should automagically be added to the others. Or, if I have to reinstall the app, or install it onto a new machine, it should carry over all the accounts I already have associated with Mailspring by virtue of associating the new install with my Mailspring ID -- including authentication and what not. I know lots of people cringe at 3rd party services having that kind of information but I don't really care. Email is inherently insecure as it is, and it's best to assume the whole world has access to your inbox anyway.

[Modelmat]

I would agree. There was an issue in the Nylas Mail GitHub on this too.

The main reason why it wasn't happening is that the ID server wasn't secure enough.
However, it may be possible to offer a way to store auth tokens and settings in a specific file/directory. This allows for it to be synced to a cloud storage service or just copied onto other devices.

[V3XATI0N]

I am not an expert, but I don't see why it would have to be any less secure than, for example, the way Firefox Sync saves website login credentials using a user-supplied encryption key.

[Modelmat]

The issue is that it needs to be more secure - the service would be storing the keys to your kingdom (so to speak).

I would agree, however, that using an encryption key known only to the user would work - it could be done similar to how Authy (2FA app) syncs tokens.

Alternatively, using cloud storage APIs and storing them there directly (ofc this has limited supported and requires vendor-specific implementations).

[V3XATI0N]

Yeah configuration could be "synced" in the same way that, for example, Enpass allows you to store your database in a 3rd party cloud provider.

[AbiertaMente]

+1 to this

[csotiriou]

+1

[rob1998]

+1

[Freakspot]

+1

[serhattsnmz]

+1

[FreddieRidell]

+1, I save and sync my configs for all my other tools using git, and would be really happy with a just a json config file that was safe to check in :)

[FabianEhringer]

+1

[CorentinOme]

+1

[bashfulrobot]

+1

[cschloesser]

+1
Is there any update on that?

[svanschooten]

+1
No responses?

[kartikarora]

Is this still happening? Syncing preferences and signatures at the least?

[sudoman281]

+1

[svanschooten]

Or at least specify where you want to store your config if non-default storage is preferred, then I'll just refer that to a location in my ownCloud sync.

[svanschooten]

According to this post, you can easily find where your config is stored, and it seems the most important bits (for me at least; the config.json, dictionaries, keymap.json and templates) can be found there.

@Foundry376 how (un)safe is it to sync these files and folders? Because these to not contain the passwords and such, maybe a simple mailspring ID sync? Otherwise I could look into a preferences setting that allows you to store at least the mentioned above somewhere else (synced folder)

[joshtwo]

If you look at the codebase, you'll see a lot of data is simply put in localStorage within the app. By opening the developer tools on your Mailspring install, you can sync this data back and forth by hand without expending a lot of effort. I just did it for my mailbox forwarding rules.

[artsgirl]

+1

I hadn't even thought about new accounts being added to all machines, that's a great piece of this as well. The thing that brought me here was the desire to not have to recreate all my different signatures on all my machines (and recreate them every time I do a reinstall or get a new machine).

[TomMeulendijks]

+1

This would be a great addition.

[gabor-me]

+1

[kubo-so]

This feature is desperately needed. Or an export settings feature.

[krasi-georgiev]

in the time being can you point to were are the settings are kept, maybe a simple copy and paste to the new installation would work?

[sn3h]

boy, I'd pay for this..

[zachbf]

+1

[covelus]

Although it is not exactly the same, I could make a suggestion. I already suggested this on this other Feature Request
If you could do it in the way that it can be automated (as through a BASH and PowerShell script, callable from Ansible), much better.

My use case (which is uncommon, but I guess not that weird, and, in any case, similar to what this feature request describes):

Using mainly with Cloud tools and Ansible, I need to do:

1. From 1 single Virtual Machine template (as Ubuntu Linux Desktop or Windows), I need to deploy several VMs for training workshops, which include several generic but different student users.
2. after the VMs are deployed, I automatically deploy software, including email clients for different mail accounts (not the same, that would be easy just including in the template VM), and configure them.
3. Issue: I could not find the way to auto-configure these several different email clients (we are not using auto-discovery e-mail servers, as Exchange).
4. I am testing moving Mainspring config files (easy doable with Ansible), but not very successful.

What I would need is to be able to export an email client account profile/ID, even manually, and then be able to import that config or ID automatically using Ansible.
A case: running a script to import it (BASH/Powershell, depending on the system).
A related but independent Mailspring tool to import could be useful, or running Mailspring a first time with some configuration-import parameter.

After that, I could even develop an Ansible module for Mailspring, which probably would make your tool more attractive for advanced users/sysadmins.

Thank you very much

[joshtwo]

The problem is you don't need to move config files, you need to change what's in localStorage. If you can automate loading the databases Electron uses into your own headless Chrome instance and spoof the domain, maybe you'll be able to accomplish it.

[ghost]

+1

[CaryRW]

+1

This request is almost 2 years old now. Is this feature coming or not? I, like others, have multiple systems and running on different OS'es (Mac, Winows, and Linux). I just switched to Mailspring and, of course, this was the one feature I didn't even look at since a lot of other apps that work cross-platform have it. As I now get ready to install my Windows host, I wanted to get my settings on my Mac moved over. It would absolutely save a couple hours of work versus having to re-type everything by hand.

I will keep searching, but on the off-chance I missed the feature, please forgive the reply. :-)

[ServerTech]

+1

[FrankWhoee]

+1

[ezersky]

+1

[1234hdpa]

+1

[asalce]

localStorage

Maybe there could be a way to accomplish this "securely" by saving the mailspring localStorage object as a JSON attachment to a "DRAFT" email (only save when changes are made to preferences). Then behind the scenes all your MailSpring instances are periodically checking that drafted email for changes, then notifying you: "Looks like your preferences have been updated in another instance of MailSpring, would you like to accept or deny?"

What do you all think?

[sudoman281]

I would even be happy just if there was an option to export and import all the settings (accounts, templates, signatures, etc.) to and from a file. Secure? Absolutely. Intuitive? Not really, but better than having to set everything up over and over again.

[svanschooten]

@sudoman281 Even importing/exporting from/to a file would be intuitive, I mean that is how it is still done in a lot of cases concerning configuration data. I can figure out on my own how to sync it, but saving configuration would mean a lot, since I then can just import everything on a new install

[squintgit]

+1