matrix-org / matrix-org/matrix-spec

Clarify notary servers are no longer required to sign responses

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improvement
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

**Link to problem area**: https://spec.matrix.org/v1.11/server-server-api/#querying-keys-through-another-server

**Issue**
As per discussion with the Matrix.org security team, notary responses are only signed for compatibility with very old versions of Synapse.
This is superfluous as the TLS connection already authenticates the response.
Notably, for backwards compatibility matrix.org still signs these responses with their old `ed25519:auto` key, even though it's marked as expired.

afaik, Conduit and Dendrite don't implement these key query routes at all

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Read the “Querying keys through another server” section of the linked Matrix server-server API specification. Clarify that notary responses no longer need signatures because the TLS connection authenticates them, while noting the legacy ed25519:auto signature retained by matrix.org for compatibility. Done means the specification accurately communicates this behavior and compatibility detail.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
documentation, security
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
1/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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