KMail won't send: Invalid D-bus reply from mailfilteragent

Kmail has stopped reliably sending emails. After a long delay, I get a mail not sent message with the error message being “invalid D-bus reply from mailfilteragent”. I have no idea as to what is going wrong and can find no reference to this in the forums or Google. Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

Actually, a Google search on your error returns plenty of hits… but not all of them match your situation that well.

Although very old, the following contains a number of things you can try from restarting the Akonadi service to re-installing the KDE-PIM modules to checking and possibly clearing out various folders…

(Start somehwere around comment 19)
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=290774

TSU

Don’t see this on 15.0, 15.1 and Tumbleweed. Which makes me wonder which repos are involved. Please show:


zypper lr -d

Most of the directories mentioned are no longer relevant. Akonadictl restart allows the email to be sent, but then the problem recurs.

#  | Alias                               | Name                               | Enabled | GPG Check | Refresh | Priority | Type     | URI                                                                                          | Service---+-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------+----------+----------+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+--------
 1 | Dickens_-_Ubuntu_Fonts              | Dickens - Ubuntu Fonts             | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/gldickens3/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/               |        
 2 | Local                               | Local                              | Yes     | ( p) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | plaindir | dir:/home/charlie/RPMS                                                                       |        
 3 | Mono                                | Mono                               | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Mono/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                           |        
 4 | Mozilla                             | Mozilla                            | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/mozilla/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                        |        
 5 | Perl_Language                       | Perl Language                      | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/devel:/languages:/perl/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/         |        
 6 | PlexRepo                            | PlexRepo                           | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | No      |   99     | rpm-md   | https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/rpm/x86_64/                                                   |        
 7 | Subpixel_-_namtrac                  | Subpixel - namtrac                 | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/namtrac:/subpixel/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/        |        
 8 | Utilities                           | Utilities                          | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/utilities/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                      |        
 9 | download.nvidia.com-leap_1          | nVidia Graphics Drivers            | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | https://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/leap/15.1                                               |        
10 | google-chrome                       | google-chrome                      | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/rpm/stable/x86_64                                          |        
11 | http-download.opensuse.org-67f86a4a | home:dnh                           | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/dnh/openSUSE_Leap_15.1_standard/             |        
12 | http-download.opensuse.org-807de918 | Ximi1970 - Pipelight               | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/Ximi1970:/openSUSE:/Extra/openSUSE_Leap_15.1 |        
13 | http-download.opensuse.org-8d637abc | GNOME:Apps                         | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/GNOME:/Apps/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                    |        
14 | openSUSE-Leap-15.1-1                | openSUSE-Leap-15.1-1               | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | cd:/?devices=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ASUS_DRW-24B1ST_i_E5D0CL057665                              |        
15 | openSUSE_Leap_15.0_1                | Network Telephony                  | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/network:/telephony/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/            |        
16 | openSUSE_Leap_15.0_2                | Games                              | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | NONE     | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/games/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                          |        
17 | opensuse-guide.org-repo             | Libdvdcss Repository               | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://opensuse-guide.org/repo/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                                           |        
18 | packman.inode.at-suse               | Packman                            | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   98     | rpm-md   | http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/                                             |        
19 | repo-debug                          | Debug Repository                   | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/oss/                          |        
20 | repo-debug-non-oss                  | Debug Repository (Non-OSS)         | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/non-oss/                      |        
21 | repo-debug-update                   | Update Repository (Debug)          | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/leap/15.1/oss/                                     |        
22 | repo-debug-update-non-oss           | Update Repository (Debug, Non-OSS) | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/leap/15.1/non-oss/                                 |        
23 | repo-non-oss                        | Non-OSS Repository                 | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/non-oss/                            |        
24 | repo-oss                            | Main Repository                    | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/oss/                                |        
25 | repo-source                         | Source Repository                  | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/source/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/oss/                         |        
26 | repo-source-non-oss                 | Source Repository (Non-OSS)        | No      | ----      | ----    |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/source/distribution/leap/15.1/repo/non-oss/                     |        
27 | repo-update                         | Main Update Repository             | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/update/leap/15.1/oss                                            |        
28 | repo-update-non-oss                 | Update Repository (Non-Oss)        | Yes     | (r ) Yes  | Yes     |   99     | rpm-md   | http://download.opensuse.org/update/leap/15.1/non-oss/                                       |        

What I would do in your case is:

  • (temporarily) disable all the home:/ repos ( I don’t use any but my own )
  • Run

sudo zypper ref
sudo zypper dup

Thanks, I’ll try it. It turns out I only had one home:/ directory enabled and that was to get a copy of pipelight, a close of silverlight. I notice that it did replace some other packages. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

I’m sorry to revisit this, but the problem keeps recurring. I’ve tried everything that was suggested in this thread and the old one from kde.org, and the only thing that works is akonadictl restart. However, the cure is temporary and sooner or later (often sooner) the problem comes back. I’m guessing it has to do with an akonadi agent or some other akonadi component. I’ve tried akonadictl fsck and akonadictl vacuum, but they seem to have no effect. Is there some way to start from scratch that could cure the problem without losing my whole configuration?

Thanks for your help.

There is, but if the Pipelight install removed some packages … well we cannot see which ones. FWIW you shouldn’t use any website using Silverlight. Those who still do do so against all advice from MS…

What you can do to restart an akonadi only reconfiguration is this:


akonadictl stop
akonadictl status             # wait until this reports that it's stopped
rm -rf ~/.config/akonadi*    # optional, this removes the email- and other accounts 
rm -rf ~/.local/share/akonadi*          # removes the akonadi database

Please also show


rpm -qa | grep -i dbus

Here’s the result:

system-config-printer-**dbus**-service-1.5.7-lp151.6.3.noarch
lib**dbus**-1-3-32bit-1.12.2-lp151.4.3.1.x86_64
**dbus**-1-1.12.2-lp151.4.3.1.x86_64
ruby2.5-rubygem-ruby-**dbus**-0.14.0-lp151.2.1.x86_64
libel**dbus**1-1.20.7-lp151.6.67.x86_64
**dbus**-1-glib-tool-0.108-lp151.2.4.x86_64
lib**dbus**-1-3-1.12.2-lp151.4.3.1.x86_64
libKF5**DBus**Addons5-lang-5.55.0-lp151.1.1.noarch
**dbus**-1-glib-0.108-lp151.2.4.x86_64
libQt5**DBus**5-5.9.7-lp151.3.1.x86_64
libKF5**DBus**Addons5-5.55.0-lp151.1.1.x86_64
perl-Net-**DBus**-1.1.0-lp151.23.1.x86_64
libQt5**DBus**5-32bit-5.9.7-lp151.3.1.x86_64
libqt5-q**dbus**-5.9.7-lp151.1.38.x86_64
lib**dbus**menu-qt2-0.9.2+14.04.20131209-lp151.2.2.x86_64
python2-**dbus**-python-1.2.4-lp151.5.3.x86_64
lua51-l**dbus**-0.0+git20161023.e277e22-lp151.2.2.x86_64
python3-slip-**dbus**-0.6.5-lp151.5.1.noarch
python3-**dbus**-python-1.2.4-lp151.5.3.x86_64
**dbus**-1-x11-1.12.2-lp151.4.3.1.x86_64
lib**dbus**menu-gtk3-4-16.04.0-lp151.3.2.x86_64
lua51-lua-**dbus**-0.0+git20170818.8fe38d0-lp151.2.1.x86_64
lib**dbus**menu-qt5-2-0.9.3+15.10.20150604-lp151.2.3.x86_64
lib**dbus**menu-glib4-16.04.0-lp151.3.2.x86_64
**dbus**-1-glib-32bit-0.108-lp151.2.4.x86_64
lib**dbus**menu-qt2-32bit-0.9.2+14.04.20131209-lp151.2.2.x86_64
k**dbus**addons-tools-5.55.0-lp151.1.1.x86_64

As for Silverlight, I only loaded it for one site – I have a lawn sprinkling device that turns off the water depending on the weather forecast. It has a web page frontend that uses Silverlight. I’ve removed pipelight et al. and now access it through an android app which they’ve finally supplied.

Also, if I remove the akonadi files you mentioned, will I have to reconfigure kmail, kontact, and so forth?

Some time ago my machines as well as those set up for novice users frequently experienced problems with sending email by kmail. I fixed this by configuring postfix to forward email. kmail now sends it email to localhost, which always works and postfix forwards the mail to the configured relay host: E-Mail auf dem openSUSE Desktop | Karl Mistelberger