[Exim] verify = header_syntax and error messages

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Author: gordonb
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: [Exim] verify = header_syntax and error messages
I use "require verify = header_syntax" in my check_message ACL.
When the check FAILS, how can I get Exim4 to put an intelligible
error message in the bounce message? Exim3 did a nice job of it.
Exim4 is giving "550 Administrative prohibition", and a bunch of
users with bad addresses in their address books think I'm calling
them spammers.

% exim -bh 127.0.0.1 -bs
...
The offending header line with the syntax error is:
To: <foo@???>>
...

>>> check verify = header_syntax
>>> accept: condition test failed
>>> accept: endpass encountered - denying access

550 Administrative prohibition
LOG: 17FIZc-000GKs-00 H=localhost [127.0.0.1] F=<gordonb@???> rejected after DATA: malformed address: >\n may not follow <foo@???>: failing address in "To" header is: <foo@???>>
...

A nice error message that users might actually understand (and tech
support should be able to understand) went into the log. How can
I get it into the bounce (generated by the calling server) as well?

(Note: the servers doing this are border MX servers; users with
Windows mail clients don't connect to these directly unless they
(the clients) are smart enough to look up MX records, in which case
they should be able to handle generating bounces as well.)

                    Gordon L. Burditt