Why email
Reviews, requests and decisions already arrive in the inbox. A message often contains the context an agent needs, but each service describes the next step in its own way.
An email address lets a service reach someone across organizations without knowing which agent or app they use. The readable message still works in an ordinary mailbox. MAP adds a description a connected client can use without treating arrival as permission to act.
MAP gives a request a common shape. An agent or inbox can tell what is being asked, then check the current proposal with the service before offering a decision.
The project
Mail Action Protocol defines how an email describes an action and what the client and service must check before acting. Type contracts define particular kinds of work. The Registry publishes those definitions, versions and maintainers, with service support when available.
Services retain their own permissions and business operations. People can continue to read the email and use the service directly.
Current work
The current specification is a working draft. It defines what goes in the email, how a connected client checks the current proposal, and what the service must check before acting. An experimental binding allows limited responses without signing in, such as declining a proposal; it does not authorize consequential approvals. Each type carries its own review status. The Registry distinguishes service support claims from observed behavior; a listing alone does not establish interoperability.
The initial contracts are:
- Draft: Account Security Response, Campaign Send Approval, Email Address Confirmation, Publication Approval
Standards and drafts
MAP uses the proposed Structured Email message structure, DKIM with DMARC alignment for message trust, and JSON-LD and JSON Schema for descriptions. It can connect to existing service interfaces; HTTP is one specified binding. Structured Email is still a draft, so MAP's use of its container needs coordination before RFC publication. Each type proposal identifies related work and explains what it adds. The standards references explain the role and limits of each dependency.