6.1. Client Commands - Any State
6.1.1. CAPABILITY Command
Arguments: none
Responses: REQUIRED untagged response: CAPABILITY
Result: OK - capability completed
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: abcd CAPABILITY
S: * CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 AUTH=KERBEROS_V4
S: abcd OK CAPABILITY completed
6.1.2. NOOP Command
Arguments: none
Responses: no specific responses for this command (but see below)
Result: OK - noop completed
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: a002 NOOP
S: a002 OK NOOP completed
. . .
C: a047 NOOP
S: * 22 EXPUNGE
S: * 23 EXISTS
S: * 3 RECENT
S: * 14 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen \Deleted))
S: a047 OK NOOP completed
6.1.3. LOGOUT Command
Arguments: none
Responses: REQUIRED untagged response: BYE
Result: OK - logout completed
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A023 LOGOUT
S: * BYE IMAP4rev1 Server logging out
S: A023 OK LOGOUT completed
(Server and client then close the connection)
6.2. Client Commands - Non-Authenticated State
6.2.1. AUTHENTICATE Command
Arguments: authentication mechanism name
Responses: continuation data can be requested
Result: OK - authenticate completed, now in authenticated state
NO - authenticate failure: unsupported authentication
mechanism, credentials rejected
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid,
authentication exchange cancelled
6.2.2. LOGIN Command
Arguments: user name
password
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - login completed, now in authenticated state
NO - login failure: user name or password rejected
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: a001 LOGIN SMITH SESAME
S: a001 OK LOGIN completed
6.3. Client Commands - Authenticated State
6.3.1. SELECT Command
Arguments: mailbox name
Responses: REQUIRED untagged responses: FLAGS, EXISTS, RECENT
OPTIONAL OK untagged responses: UNSEEN, PERMANENTFLAGS
Result: OK - select completed, now in selected state
NO - select failure, now in authenticated state: no
such mailbox, can't access mailbox
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A142 SELECT INBOX
S: * 172 EXISTS
S: * 1 RECENT
S: * OK [UNSEEN 12] Message 12 is first unseen
S: * OK [UIDVALIDITY 3857529045] UIDs valid
S: * FLAGS (\Answered \Flagged \Deleted \Seen \Draft)
S: * OK [PERMANENTFLAGS (\Deleted \Seen \*)] Limited
S: A142 OK [READ-WRITE] SELECT completed
6.3.2. EXAMINE Command
Arguments: mailbox name
Responses: REQUIRED untagged responses: FLAGS, EXISTS, RECENT
OPTIONAL OK untagged responses: UNSEEN, PERMANENTFLAGS
Result: OK - examine completed, now in selected state
NO - examine failure, now in authenticated state: no
such mailbox, can't access mailbox
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A932 EXAMINE blurdybloop
S: * 17 EXISTS
S: * 2 RECENT
S: * OK [UNSEEN 8] Message 8 is first unseen
S: * OK [UIDVALIDITY 3857529045] UIDs valid
S: * FLAGS (\Answered \Flagged \Deleted \Seen \Draft)
S: * OK [PERMANENTFLAGS ()] No permanent flags permitted
S: A932 OK [READ-ONLY] EXAMINE completed
6.3.3. CREATE Command
Arguments: mailbox name
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - create completed
NO - create failure: can't create mailbox with that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A003 CREATE owatagusiam/
S: A003 OK CREATE completed
C: A004 CREATE owatagusiam/blurdybloop
S: A004 OK CREATE completed
6.3.4. DELETE Command
Arguments: mailbox name
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - delete completed
NO - delete failure: can't delete mailbox with that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Examples: C: A682 LIST "" *
S: * LIST () "/" blurdybloop
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" foo
S: * LIST () "/" foo/bar
S: A682 OK LIST completed
C: A683 DELETE blurdybloop
S: A683 OK DELETE completed
C: A684 DELETE foo
S: A684 NO Name "foo" has inferior hierarchical names
C: A685 DELETE foo/bar
S: A685 OK DELETE Completed
C: A686 LIST "" *
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" foo
S: A686 OK LIST completed
C: A687 DELETE foo
S: A687 OK DELETE Completed
6.3.5. RENAME Command
Arguments: existing mailbox name
new mailbox name
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - rename completed
NO - rename failure: can't rename mailbox with that name,
can't rename to mailbox with that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Examples: C: A682 LIST "" *
S: * LIST () "/" blurdybloop
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" foo
S: * LIST () "/" foo/bar
S: A682 OK LIST completed
C: A683 RENAME blurdybloop sarasoop
S: A683 OK RENAME completed
C: A684 RENAME foo zowie
S: A684 OK RENAME Completed
C: A685 LIST "" *
S: * LIST () "/" sarasoop
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" zowie
S: * LIST () "/" zowie/bar
S: A685 OK LIST completed
C: Z432 LIST "" *
S: * LIST () "." INBOX
S: * LIST () "." INBOX.bar
S: Z432 OK LIST completed
C: Z433 RENAME INBOX old-mail
S: Z433 OK RENAME completed
C: Z434 LIST "" *
S: * LIST () "." INBOX
S: * LIST () "." INBOX.bar
S: * LIST () "." old-mail
S: Z434 OK LIST completed
6.3.6. SUBSCRIBE Command
Arguments: mailbox
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - subscribe completed
NO - subscribe failure: can't subscribe to that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A002 SUBSCRIBE #news.comp.mail.mime
S: A002 OK SUBSCRIBE completed
6.3.7. UNSUBSCRIBE Command
Arguments: mailbox name
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - unsubscribe completed
NO - unsubscribe failure: can't unsubscribe that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A002 UNSUBSCRIBE #news.comp.mail.mime
S: A002 OK UNSUBSCRIBE completed
6.3..8. LIST Command
Arguments: reference name
mailbox name with possible wildcards
Responses: untagged responses: LIST
Result: OK - list completed
NO - list failure: can't list that reference or name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A101 LIST "" ""
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" ""
S: A101 OK LIST Completed
C: A102 LIST #news.comp.mail.misc ""
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "." #news.
S: A102 OK LIST Completed
C: A103 LIST /usr/staff/jones ""
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" /
S: A103 OK LIST Completed
C: A202 LIST ~/Mail/ %
S: * LIST (\Noselect) "/" ~/Mail/foo
S: * LIST () "/" ~/Mail/meetings
S: A202 OK LIST completed
6.3.9. LSUB Command
Arguments: reference name
mailbox name with possible wildcards
Responses: untagged responses: LSUB
Result: OK - lsub completed
NO - lsub failure: can't list that reference or name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A002 LSUB "#news." "comp.mail.*"
S: * LSUB () "." #news.comp.mail.mime
S: * LSUB () "." #news.comp.mail.misc
S: A002 OK LSUB completed
6.3.10. STATUS Command
Arguments: mailbox name
status data item names
Responses: untagged responses: STATUS
Result: OK - status completed
NO - status failure: no status for that name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A042 STATUS blurdybloop (UIDNEXT MESSAGES)
S: * STATUS blurdybloop (MESSAGES 231 UIDNEXT 44292)
S: A042 OK STATUS completed
6.3.11. APPEND Command
Arguments: mailbox name
OPTIONAL flag parenthesized list
OPTIONAL date/time string
message literal
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - append completed
NO - append error: can't append to that mailbox, error
in flags or date/time or message text
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A003 APPEND saved-messages (\Seen) {310}
C: Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 21:52:25 -0800 (PST)
C: From: Fred Foobar
C: Subject: afternoon meeting
C: To: mooch@owatagu.siam.edu
C: Message-Id:
C: MIME-Version: 1.0
C: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
C:
C: Hello Joe, do you think we can meet at 3:30 tomorrow?
C:
S: A003 OK APPEND completed
6.4. Client Commands - Selected State
6.4.1. CHECK Command
Arguments: none
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - check completed
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: FXXZ CHECK
S: FXXZ OK CHECK Completed
6.4.2. CLOSE Command
Arguments: none
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - close completed, now in authenticated state
NO - close failure: no mailbox selected
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A341 CLOSE
S: A341 OK CLOSE completed
6.4.3. EXPUNGE Command
Arguments: none
Responses: untagged responses: EXPUNGE
Result: OK - expunge completed
NO - expunge failure: can't expunge (e.g. permission
denied)
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A202 EXPUNGE
S: * 3 EXPUNGE
S: * 3 EXPUNGE
S: * 5 EXPUNGE
S: * 8 EXPUNGE
S: A202 OK EXPUNGE completed
6.4.4. SEARCH Command
Arguments: OPTIONAL [CHARSET] specification
searching criteria (one or more)
Responses: REQUIRED untagged response: SEARCH
Result: OK - search completed
NO - search error: can't search that [CHARSET] or
criteria
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A282 SEARCH FLAGGED SINCE 1-Feb-1994 NOT FROM "Smith"
S: * SEARCH 2 84 882
S: A282 OK SEARCH completed
6.4.5. FETCH Command
Arguments: message set
message data item names
Responses: untagged responses: FETCH
Result: OK - fetch completed
NO - fetch error: can't fetch that data
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A654 FETCH 2:4 (FLAGS BODY[HEADER.FIELDS (DATE FROM)])
S: * 2 FETCH ....
S: * 3 FETCH ....
S: * 4 FETCH ....
S: A654 OK FETCH completed
6.4.6. STORE Command
Arguments: message set
message data item name
value for message data item
Responses: untagged responses: FETCH
Result: OK - store completed
NO - store error: can't store that data
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A003 STORE 2:4 +FLAGS (\Deleted)
S: * 2 FETCH FLAGS (\Deleted \Seen)
S: * 3 FETCH FLAGS (\Deleted)
S: * 4 FETCH FLAGS (\Deleted \Flagged \Seen)
S: A003 OK STORE completed
6.4.7. COPY Command
Arguments: message set
mailbox name
Responses: no specific responses for this command
Result: OK - copy completed
NO - copy error: can't copy those messages or to that
name
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A003 COPY 2:4 MEETING
S: A003 OK COPY completed
6.4.8. UID Command
Arguments: command name
command arguments
Responses: untagged responses: FETCH, SEARCH
Result: OK - UID command completed
NO - UID command error
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: A999 UID FETCH 4827313:4828442 FLAGS
S: * 23 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen) UID 4827313)
S: * 24 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen) UID 4827943)
S: * 25 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen) UID 4828442)
S: A999 UID FETCH completed
6.5. Client Commands - Experimental/Expansion
6.5.1. X Command
Arguments: implementation defined
Responses: implementation defined
Result: OK - command completed
NO - failure
BAD - command unknown or arguments invalid
Example: C: a441 CAPABILITY
S: * CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 AUTH=KERBEROS_V4 XPIG-LATIN
S: a441 OK CAPABILITY completed
C: A442 XPIG-LATIN
S: * XPIG-LATIN ow-nay eaking-spay ig-pay atin-lay
S: A442 OK XPIG-LATIN ompleted-cay
