pal-e-docs

Review: Deliverability validation: mail-tester.com + end-to-end password reset (v2)

review-1740-2026-07-03-v2 Review

review ready
Project

Verdict: APPROVED

Re-review after NEEDS_REFINEMENT. All previous issues resolved.

Template Completeness (Spike)

  • [x] Type -- Spike
  • [x] Lineage -- "Final gate -- depends on all other stalwart-email tickets"
  • [x] Repo -- ldraney/pal-e-services
  • [x] Question -- "Does our Stalwart setup achieve good deliverability..." with 5 sub-questions
  • [x] Deliverables -- 4 concrete items with checkboxes
  • [x] Time-box -- "2 hours"
  • [x] Related -- stalwart-email project + blocker documentation

Traceability

  • [x] story:password-reset label -- "As a user who forgot my password, I want to receive a reset email from my app's domain so I can regain access"
  • [x] story note verified -- found in project-stalwart-email user-stories section
  • [x] arch:stalwart label -- references Stalwart Mail Server component
  • [x] arch note verified -- arch-stalwart note exists in pal-e-docs (created 2026-07-04, project: stalwart-email)
  • [x] Forgejo issue -- ldraney/pal-e-services#168, state: open

File Targets

N/A -- Spike type. No code file targets expected. Deliverables are validation artifacts (score reports, test results) and follow-up tickets.

Repo Placement

OK. Issue filed on ldraney/pal-e-services. Repo section matches. Validation work spans infrastructure managed through pal-e-services (Stalwart config, Keycloak SMTP). No cross-repo mismatch.

Dependencies

Clearly documented: "Final gate -- depends on all other stalwart-email tickets." All 8 sibling board items remain in backlog:
  • #1732 (pal-e-platform#497) -- edge-vps port 25, backlog
  • #1733 (pal-e-platform#498) -- stalwart infra, backlog
  • #1734 (pal-e-platform#499) -- edge-vps setup, backlog
  • #1735 (pal-e-platform#500) -- PTR/rDNS, backlog
  • #1736 (pal-e-services#164) -- stalwart config, backlog
  • #1737 (pal-e-services#165) -- DNS landscaping, backlog
  • #1738 (pal-e-services#166) -- DNS westside, backlog
  • #1739 (pal-e-services#167) -- Keycloak SMTP, backlog
This ticket MUST NOT move to todo until all blockers complete. Dependencies are correctly documented.

Acceptance Criteria

4 deliverables (within the 5-item threshold). All are verifiable:
  • mail-tester.com score report -- verifiable via browser automation (send test email, read score page)
  • Password reset end-to-end -- verifiable via browser automation (click Forgot Password, check inbox, complete flow)
  • Email header verification -- verifiable via email header inspection tools
  • Follow-up tickets -- concrete artifact (create issues for anything below target)

Blast Radius

Minimal. Validation-only spike with no code changes. If deliverability issues are found, follow-up tickets route fixes to the appropriate config tickets. No downstream consumers affected by the validation itself.

Decomposition Assessment

  • 4 deliverables (under >5 threshold)
  • 0 file targets (spike -- validation only)
  • 1 repo
  • Sequential validation workflow -- all steps form one logical session
  • Estimated agent time: within time-box
No decomposition needed.

Recommendation

No action needed. Scope is solid, traceability complete (all backing notes verified), fits in a single agent pass.

Minor Observation (non-blocking)

The Spike template suggests every spike produces a docs/{topic}.md file. The deliverables list score reports and verification results rather than an explicit docs path. This is acceptable for a validation spike where the artifacts ARE the documentation, but the implementing agent should capture findings in a durable docs file (e.g., docs/deliverability-validation.md).

Previous Review Issues -- Resolution

  • [RESOLVED] arch-stalwart note created -- now exists with full component diagram, key decisions, and related notes
  • [RESOLVED] Type changed from Feature to Spike -- issue body now uses Spike template (Question/Deliverables/Time-box)