@ -6,46 +6,74 @@ It is currently possible to inspect the state of rooms in some circumstances:
* Rooms in the room directory expose some of their state publicly.
* [Invited users](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/server_server/r0.1.4#put-matrix-federation-v2-invite-roomid-eventid) (and [knocking users](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2403)) receive stripped state events.
This MSC proposes exposing the stripped state events that are currently available to invited and knocking users to any user who could potentially join a room. It also consolidates the recommendation on which states events are available to potential joiners.
This MSC proposes exposing the stripped state events that are currently available
to invited and knocking users to any user who could potentially join a room. It
also consolidates the recommendation on which states events are available to
potential joiners.
## Background
When creating an invite it is [currently recommended](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/server_server/r0.1.4#put-matrix-federation-v2-invite-roomid-eventid) to include stripped state events which are useful for displaying the invite to a user:
When creating an invite it is [currently recommended](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/server_server/r0.1.4#put-matrix-federation-v2-invite-roomid-eventid)
to include stripped state events which are useful for displaying the invite to a user:
> An optional list of simplified events to help the receiver of the invite identify the room. The recommended events to include are the join rules, canonical alias, avatar, and name of the room.
> An optional list of simplified events to help the receiver of the invite identify
> the room. The recommended events to include are the join rules, canonical alias,
> avatar, and name of the room.
The invited user receives these [stripped state events](https://spec.matrix.org/unstable/client-server-api/#get_matrixclientr0sync) as part of the `/sync` response:
The invited user receives these [stripped state events](https://spec.matrix.org/unstable/client-server-api/#get_matrixclientr0sync)
as part of the `/sync` response:
> The state of a room that the user has been invited to. These state events may only have the `sender`, `type`, `state_key` and `content` keys present. These events do not replace any state that the client already has for the room, for example if the client has archived the room.
> The state of a room that the user has been invited to. These state events may
> only have the `sender`, `type`, `state_key` and `content` keys present. These
> events do not replace any state that the client already has for the room, for
> example if the client has archived the room.
These are sent as part of the [`unsigned` content of the `m.room.member` event](https://spec.matrix.org/unstable/client-server-api/#mroommember) containing the invite.
These are sent as part of the [`unsigned` content of the `m.room.member` event](https://spec.matrix.org/unstable/client-server-api/#mroommember)
containing the invite.
[MSC2403: Add "knock" feature](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2403) extends this concept to also include the stripped state events in the `/sync` response for knocking users:
extends this concept to also include the stripped state events in the `/sync` response
for knocking users:
> It is proposed to add a fourth possible key to rooms, called `knock`. Its value is a mapping from room ID to room information. The room information is a mapping from a key `knock_state` to another mapping with key events being a list of `StrippedStateEvent`.
> It is proposed to add a fourth possible key to rooms, called `knock`. Its value
> is a mapping from room ID to room information. The room information is a mapping
> from a key `knock_state` to another mapping with key events being a list of
> `StrippedStateEvent`.
It is also provides an extended rationale of why this is useful:
> These stripped state events contain information about the room, most notably the room's name and avatar. A client will need this information to show a nice representation of pending knocked rooms. The recommended events to include are the join rules, canonical alias, avatar, name and encryption state of the room, rather than all room state. This behaviour matches the information sent to remote homeservers when remote users are invited to a room.
> These stripped state events contain information about the room, most notably the
> room's name and avatar. A client will need this information to show a nice
> representation of pending knocked rooms. The recommended events to include are the
> join rules, canonical alias, avatar, name and encryption state of the room, rather
> than all room state. This behaviour matches the information sent to remote
> homeservers when remote users are invited to a room.
[MSC1772: Spaces](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/1772) additionally recommends including the `m.room.create` event as one of the stripped state events:
recommends including the `m.room.create` event as one of the stripped state events:
> Join rules, invites and 3PID invites work as for a normal room, with the exception that `invite_state` sent along with invites should be amended to include the `m.room.create` event, to allow clients to discern whether an invite is to a space-room or not.
> Join rules, invites and 3PID invites work as for a normal room, with the exception
> that `invite_state` sent along with invites should be amended to include the
> `m.room.create` event, to allow clients to discern whether an invite is to a
> space-room or not.
## Proposal
Any user who is able to join a room can access the stripped state events of that room.
Potential ways that a user might be able to join include, but are not limited to, the following mechanisms:
Potential ways that a user might be able to join include, but are not limited to,
the following mechanisms:
* A room that has `join_rules` set to `public` or `knock`.<supid="a1">[1](#f1)</sup>
* A room that the user is in possession of an invite to (regardless of the `join_rules`).
Future MSCs might include additional mechanism for a user to join a room and should consider this MSC, for example:
Future MSCs might include additional mechanism for a user to join a room and
should consider this MSC, for example:
* [MSC3083: Restricting room membership based on space membership](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/3083) proposes allowing users to join a room based on their membership in a space (as defined in [MSC1772](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/1772)).
Additionally, it is recommended, but not required, that homeserver implementations include the following as stripped state events:
Additionally, it is recommended, but not required, that homeserver implementations
@ -54,7 +82,10 @@ Additionally, it is recommended, but not required, that homeserver implementatio
* Room name (`m.room.name`)
* Encrypted status (`m.room.encryption`)<supid="a3">[3](#f3)</sup>
This also implies that the above information is available to any potential joiner in the API proposed in [MSC2946: Spaces summary](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2946). I.e. rooms which could be joined due to [MSC3083](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/3083) can expose the information available in stripped state events.
This also implies that the above information is available to any potential joiner
in the API proposed in [MSC2946: Spaces summary](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2946).
I.e. rooms which could be joined due to [MSC3083](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/3083)
can expose the information available in stripped state events.
## Potential issues
@ -62,23 +93,40 @@ This is a generalization of current behavior and shouldn't introduce any new iss
## Alternatives
A different approach to this would be to separately specify each situation in which a user is allowed to see stripped state events, as we do currently for invites and knocking.
A different approach to this would be to separately specify each situation in which
a user is allowed to see stripped state events, as we do currently for invites and
knocking.
## Security considerations
The server-server API discussed in [MSC2946](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2946) does not know the user who is requesting a summary of the space, but should divulge the above information if any member of a server could see it. It is up to the calling server to properly filter this information.
The server-server API discussed in [MSC2946](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2946)
does not know the user who is requesting a summary of the space, but should divulge
the above information if any member of a server could see it. It is up to the
calling server to properly filter this information.
Consider that Alice and Bob share a server; Alice is a member of a space, but Bob is not. The remote server will not know whether the request is on behalf of Alice or Bob (and hence whether it should share details of private rooms within that space).
Consider that Alice and Bob share a server; Alice is a member of a space, but Bob
is not. The remote server will not know whether the request is on behalf of Alice
or Bob (and hence whether it should share details of private rooms within that
space).
Trust is placed in the calling server: if there are any users on the calling server in the correct space, that calling server has a right to know about the rooms in that space and should return the relevant summaries, along with enough information that the calling server can then do some filtering.
Trust is placed in the calling server: if there are any users on the calling
server in the correct space, that calling server has a right to know about the
rooms in that space and should return the relevant summaries, along with enough
information that the calling server can then do some filtering.
(The alternative, where the calling server sends the requesting `user_id`, and the target server does the filtering, is unattractive because it rules out a future world where the calling server can cache the result.)
(The alternative, where the calling server sends the requesting `user_id`, and
the target server does the filtering, is unattractive because it rules out a
future world where the calling server can cache the result.)
This does not decrease security since a server could lie and make a request on behalf of a user in the proper space to see the given information. I.e. the calling server must be trusted anyway.
This does not decrease security since a server could lie and make a request on
behalf of a user in the proper space to see the given information. I.e. the
calling server must be trusted anyway.
## Future extensions
Dedicated client-server and server-server APIs could be added to request the stripped state events, but that is considered out-of-scope for the current proposal.
Dedicated client-server and server-server APIs could be added to request the
stripped state events, but that is considered out-of-scope for the current
proposal.
## Unstable prefix
@ -86,8 +134,10 @@ N/A
## Footnotes
<aid="f1"/>[1]: The rationale for including `knock` is that the user can trivially get this state already by knocking on the room.[↩](#a1)
<aid="f1"/>[1]: The rationale for including `knock` is that the user can
trivially get this state already by knocking on the room.[↩](#a1)
<aid="f2"/>[2]: As updated in [MSC1772](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/1772).[↩](#a2)
<aid="f3"/>[3]: This is already sent from Synapse and generally seems useful for a user to know before joining a room.[↩](#a3)
<aid="f3"/>[3]: This is already sent from Synapse and generally seems useful for
Patrick Cloke
4 years ago
committed by