---
title: lists.sr.ht API reference
---

**NOTICE**: This is the documentation for the legacy REST API. It is being
replaced with the [GraphQL API](graphql.md).

The lists.sr.ht API allows you to browse, create, and subscribe to mailing lists
on lists.sr.ht programmatically. This API follows the [standard sourcehut API
conventions](/api-conventions.md).

## Authentication

Authentication is done via the [meta.sr.ht OAuth
flow](https://man.sr.ht/meta.sr.ht/oauth-api.md). The following OAuth scopes are
available for lists.sr.ht:

- **emails:read**: read emails received from lists.sr.ht users
- **lists:read**, **list:write**: read & write your mailing lists
- **subs:read**, **subs:write**: read & write your subscriptions
- **patches:read**, **patches:write**: read & write patchsets on lists

## Resources

### Email resource

```json
{
  "id": integer,
  "created": "timestamp",
  "subject": "message subject",
  "message_id": "value of the Message-ID header",
  "parent_id": integer or null,
  "thread_id": integer,
  "list": { short form list resource },
  "sender": { short form user resource } or null,
  "is_patch": boolean,
  "is_request_pull": boolean,
  "replies": integer,
  "participants": integer,
  "envelope": "original email"
}
```

**Notes**

- The short form omits `is_patch`, `is_request_pull`, `replies`, `participants`,
  and `envelope`.
- The sender is null if the sender's email address could not be associated with
  a sr.ht account.

### Mailing list resource

```json
{
  "created": "timestamp",
  "updated": "timestamp",
  "name": "name of this list",
  "owner": { short form user resource },
  "description": "list description (markdown)",
  "permissions": {
    "nonsubscriber": [ list of permissions ],
    "subscriber": [ list of permissions ],
    "account": [ list of permissions ]
  }
}
```

**Notes**

- The permissions which may appear in each `permissions` field are "browse",
  "reply", and "post".
- The short form omits everything except for name and owner.

### Subscription resource

```json
{
  "id": integer,
  "created": "timestamp",
  "list": { short form list resource }
}
```

### Patchset resource

```json
{
  "id": integer,
  "created": "timestamp",
  "updated": "timestamp",
  "subject": "patchset subject",
  "prefix": "subject prefix",
  "version": integer,
  "status": "patchset status enum",
  "list": { short form list resource },
  "cover_letter": { short form email resource } or null,
  "superseded_by": { short form patchset resource } or null
}
```

**Notes**

- The status field may be one of `proposed`, `needs_revision`, `superseded`,
  `approved`, `rejected`, or `applied`.
- The patchset subject is extracted from the cover letter if present, otherwise
  from the subject of the first patch.
- The subject prefix, in the example of `[PATCH foobar] Add foo to bar`, is
  "foobar".

## Endpoints

**Note**: in all routes, `:username` may be substituted with an email address,
and `:email-id` may be the email's either of the "id" or "message_id" values.

### GET /api/user/:username

Retrieves a user resource.

### GET /api/user

Equivalent to [/api/user/:username](#GET-apiuserusername), implies the authenticated
user.

### GET /api/user/:username/emails

List of [email resources](#email-resource) received from this user.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

### GET /api/emails

Equivalent to [/api/user/:username/emails](#GET-apiuserusernameemails), implies the
authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

### GET /api/emails/:email-id

Retrieves an [email resource](#email-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

### GET /api/user/:username/emails/:email-id

Equivalent to [GET /api/emails/:email-id](#GET-apiemailsemail-id); `username` is
discarded.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

### GET /api/thread/:email-id

Retrieves an array of each email implicated in the thread identified by its
first message's `:email-id`.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

**Response**

```json
[
  { short form email resource },
  ...
]
```

### GET /api/user/:username/thread/:email-id

Equivalent to [GET /api/thread/:email-id](#GET-apithreademail-id); `username` is
discarded.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

### GET /api/user/:username/lists

List of [mailing list resources](#mailing-list-resource) owned by this user.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### GET /api/lists

Equivalent to [/api/user/:username/lists](#GET-apiuserusernamelists), implies the
authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### POST /api/lists

Creates a new [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `lists:write`

**Request body**

```json
{
  "name": "mailing list name",
  "description": "mailing list description (markdown)" (optional)
}
```

**Response**

The new [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

### GET /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name

Retrieves a [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### GET /api/lists/:list-name

Equivalent to [/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name](#GET-apiuserusernamelistslist-name),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### PUT /api/lists/:list-name

Updates a [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `lists:write`

**Request body**

```json
{
  "description": "mailing list description (markdown)" (optional)
}
```

**Response**

The updated [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

### DELETE /api/lists/:list-name

Deletes a [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `lists:write`

**Request body**

None

**Response**

None

### GET /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/posts

List of [email resources](#email-resource) posted to this list.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### GET /api/lists/:list-name/posts

Equivalent to
[/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/posts](#GET-apiuserusernamelistslist-nameposts),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

### GET /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets

List of [patchset resources](#patchset-resource) posted to this list.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### GET /api/lists/:list-name/patchsets

Equivalent to
[/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets](#GET-apiuserusernamelistslist-namepatchsets),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### GET /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id

Retrieves a [patchset resource](#patchset-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### GET /api/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id

Equivalent to
[/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id](#GET-apiuserusernamelistslist-namepatchsetsid),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### PUT /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id

Updates a [patchset resource](#patchset-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `patches:write`

**Request body**

```json
{
  "status": "patchset status enum" (optional)
}
```

**Response**

The updated [patchset resource](#patchset-resource).

### PUT /api/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id

Equivalent to
[/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id](#PUT-apiuserusernamelistslist-namepatchsetsid),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:write`

### PUT /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id/tools

Sets the status of a "tool" which is processing this patch, used for example to
indicate the status of continous integration for a change.

**Request body**

```json
{
  "icon": "icon status enum",
  "details": "user-friendly details, markdown",
  "key": "arbitrary string"
}
```

"icon" shall be one of the following strings:

- pending: the task is scheduled
- waiting: the task is running and we are awaiting its status
- success: the task completed successfully
- failed: the task failed
- cancelled: the task was cancelled

"details" supports a subset of Markdown, including only bold and italic styles,
inline code, and links. It must be no more than one line of text.

"key" is an arbitrary string used to uniquely identify this tool. You may update
the status of your tool later by providing the same key in a new PUT request.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:write`

### GET /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id/patches

List of [email resources](#email-resource) making up the set of patches included
in this patchset.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### GET /api/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id/patches

Equivalent to
[/api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/patchsets/:id/patches](#GET-apiuserusernamelistslist-namepatchsetsidpatches),
implies the authenticated user.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

### GET /api/subscriptions

List of [subscription resources](#subscription-resource)

**OAuth scope**: `subs:read`

### POST /api/subscriptions

Create a new [subscription resource](#subscription-resource)

**OAuth scope**: `subs:write`

**Request body**

```json
{
  "list": "~owner/list-name"
}
```

**Response**

The new [subscription resource](#subscription-resource).

### GET /api/subscriptions/:sub-id

Retrieves a [subscription resource](#subscription-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `subs:read`

### DELETE /api/subscriptions/:sub-id

Deletes this [subscription resource](#subscription-resource).

**OAuth scope**: `subs:write`

## Webhooks

### /api/user/...

Webhook for user events. Includes the [standard webhook
endpoints](/api-conventions.md#webhooks)

#### email:received

Issued when lists.sr.ht receives an email from this user.

**OAuth scope**: `emails:read`

**Request body**

The new [email resource](#email-resource).

#### list:create

Issued when the user creates a new mailing list.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

**Request body**

The new [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).

### /api/user/:username/lists/:list-name/...

Webhook for mailing list events. Includes the [standard webhook
endpoints](/api-conventions.md#webhooks)

#### patchset:received

Issued when a complete patchset is received.

**OAuth scope**: `patches:read`

**Request body**

The new [patchset resource](#patchset-resource).

#### post:received

Issued when a new email is posted to this list.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

**Request body**

The new [email resource](#email-resource).

#### list:update

Issued when the list details are updated.

**OAuth scope**: `lists:read`

**Request body**

The updated [mailing list resource](#mailing-list-resource).