bug(contacts): Contact photo upload fails with "blobIds in media is not supported" and avatars do not show in overview #376

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opened 2026-09-16 14:48:45 +00:00 by mbjboon82 · 1 comment

mbjboon82 commented

2026-09-16 14:48:45 +00:00

Contact Photo Upload Failure (blobIds in media is not supported)

When adding or updating a contact photo in ihasmail on a Stalwart JMAP server, saving fails with the following error: "blobIds in media is not supported. (media)".

I suspect that ihasmail references uploaded images using a blobId object inside the media array after performing a file upload.
Stalwart's JMAP Contacts implementation expects inline Base64 Data URIs (uri: "data:image/...;base64,...") instead of server-side blobId references?

Contact photo's do not show in the mail overview

When a contact photo is added via an external client (such as Bulwark), the avatar appears when you view the contact in ihasmail.
However, they are not visible in the e-mail overview.
I suspect ihasmail's contact image parser strictly expects a blobId property in the JMAP media response array.
When Stalwart serves the contact photo via standard JMAP/vCard URI attributes instead of a blobId, the parser fails to resolve and render the image during the fetch/refresh phase?

Image is visible in edit contact when uploaded with Bulwark:

Image is visible in overview after i opened the edit contact screen probably because of cache:

But not persistant after refresh.

_{Rebuilt from: GH Archive, session transcript.}

1. Contact Photo Upload Failure (blobIds in media is not supported) When adding or updating a contact photo in ihasmail on a Stalwart JMAP server, saving fails with the following error: "blobIds in media is not supported. (media)". I suspect that ihasmail references uploaded images using a blobId object inside the media array after performing a file upload. Stalwart's JMAP Contacts implementation expects inline Base64 Data URIs (uri: "data:image/...;base64,...") instead of server-side blobId references? ---------------------------------- 2. Contact photo's do not show in the mail overview When a contact photo is added via an external client (such as Bulwark), the avatar appears when you view the contact in ihasmail. However, they are not visible in the e-mail overview. I suspect ihasmail's contact image parser strictly expects a blobId property in the JMAP media response array. When Stalwart serves the contact photo via standard JMAP/vCard URI attributes instead of a blobId, the parser fails to resolve and render the image during the fetch/refresh phase? Image is visible in edit contact when uploaded with Bulwark: <img width="385" height="450" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/951835cb-e617-4e3c-a0e5-ec4d3231bdb9" /> Image is visible in overview after i opened the edit contact screen probably because of cache: <img width="296" height="88" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1cbf5fff-632b-41ca-bb8c-6b3309372566" /> But not persistant after refresh. <img width="393" height="67" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/affb8545-cc9b-4804-887f-c7285f6212ac" /> <sub>Rebuilt from: GH Archive, session transcript.</sub>

jcoffey-dev commented

2026-09-16 18:43:02 +00:00

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Thanks, Michael. Your guess on the first one was right.

Photo upload failing. ihasmail uploaded the photo and saved it as a blobId, and Stalwart only accepts a contact photo inline, as a data: URI. We checked this against a live Stalwart 0.16.22. Photos are now saved inline, so adding or changing one works. Saving also leaves any other media on the card alone.

Avatars missing from the mail list. This one had a different cause. The avatars come from your contacts, and ihasmail only loaded those once you'd opened Contacts or started typing an address. That's why the photo appeared after you opened the editor and was gone again after a refresh. Contacts now load in the background when you sign in, so avatars show straight away. That includes photos added by other clients, and contacts in address books shared with you.

Both are fixed in #388, and will be in the next release.

Thanks, Michael. Your guess on the first one was right. **Photo upload failing.** ihasmail uploaded the photo and saved it as a `blobId`, and Stalwart only accepts a contact photo inline, as a `data:` URI. We checked this against a live Stalwart 0.16.22. Photos are now saved inline, so adding or changing one works. Saving also leaves any other media on the card alone. **Avatars missing from the mail list.** This one had a different cause. The avatars come from your contacts, and ihasmail only loaded those once you'd opened Contacts or started typing an address. That's why the photo appeared after you opened the editor and was gone again after a refresh. Contacts now load in the background when you sign in, so avatars show straight away. That includes photos added by other clients, and contacts in address books shared with you. Both are fixed in #388, and will be in the next release.

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Reference: coffey-labs/ihasmail-github-archive#376