Meister-Eder/openspec/changes/email-based-conversation-matching/specs/email-channel/spec.md at c37862b75ef777e1370d6e34bda2167e62d971a0

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gurixandClaude Opus 4.5 b10ff7a4fe Add change spec: email-based conversation matching

Replace thread-ID-based conversation matching with email-address-based
matching for more reliable conversation continuity. Key changes:

- One conversation per email address (simpler model)
- No data expiration (conversations persist indefinitely)
- Post-completion support (questions and registration updates)
- Versioned storage for registration updates (audit trail)
- Admin notifications for registration changes

This addresses the gap where parents sending new emails (instead of
replying) would lose their registration progress.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-02-20 22:00:21 +01:00

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MODIFIED Requirements

Requirement: System identifies conversations by sender email address

The system SHALL identify conversations by the sender's email address, not by email threading headers. Each unique email address corresponds to exactly one conversation.

Scenario: New email from unknown address

WHEN an email arrives from an address with no existing conversation
THEN the system SHALL create a new conversation keyed by that email address

Scenario: New email from known address (any thread)

WHEN an email arrives from an address with an existing conversation
THEN the system SHALL continue that existing conversation regardless of email threading headers

Scenario: Email address normalization

WHEN comparing email addresses for matching
THEN the system SHALL normalize addresses (lowercase, trim whitespace) so that Maria@Example.com matches maria@example.com

Requirement: Thread headers used for reply threading only

The system SHALL use email threading headers (In-Reply-To, References) for outbound replies to maintain proper email client threading, but SHALL NOT use them for conversation matching.

Scenario: Reply includes threading headers

WHEN the agent sends a reply email
THEN the reply SHALL include In-Reply-To referencing the most recent inbound message ID
AND the reply SHALL include References header for the email thread chain

Scenario: Threading headers ignored for matching

WHEN an inbound email has threading headers pointing to a different conversation
THEN the system SHALL ignore those headers and match by sender email address only

REMOVED Requirements

Requirement: Email data retention and expiration

Reason: With email-address-based matching, conversations are permanent records. No automatic expiration needed. Migration: Remove any scheduled cleanup jobs; existing conversations remain accessible indefinitely.

Requirement: Day 30 data clearing

Reason: No longer applicable; data persists indefinitely. Migration: None required.

Requirement: "Registration will expire" warning

Reason: No expiration means no warning needed. Migration: Remove from reminder sequence.

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