---
name: "Mail::SpamAssassin::Plugin::Shortcircuit"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "spamassassin"
version: "4.0.2-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Mail::SpamAssassin::Plugin::Shortcircuit"
---

# Mail::SpamAssassin::Plugin::Shortcircuit(3pm)

short-circuit evaluation for certain rules

## NAME

Mail::SpamAssassin::Plugin::Shortcircuit - short-circuit evaluation for certain rules

## SYNOPSIS

```
  loadplugin     Mail::SpamAssassin::Plugin::Shortcircuit
  report Content analysis details:   (_SCORE_ points, _REQD_ required, s/c _SCTYPE_)
  add_header all Status "_YESNO_, score=_SCORE_ required=_REQD_ tests=_TESTS_ shortcircuit=_SCTYPE_ autolearn=_AUTOLEARN_ version=_VERSION_"
```

## DESCRIPTION

This plugin implements simple, test-based shortcircuiting.  Shortcircuiting a test will force all other pending rules to be skipped, if that test is hit. In addition, a symbolic rule, `"SHORTCIRCUIT"`, will fire.

Recommended usage is to use `"priority"` to set rules with strong S/O values (ie. 1.0) to be run first, and make instant spam or ham classification based on that.

## CONFIGURATION SETTINGS

The following configuration settings are used to control shortcircuiting:

- shortcircuit SYMBOLIC\_TEST\_NAME {ham\|spam\|on\|off}

  Shortcircuiting a test will force all other pending rules to be skipped, if that test is hit.

  Recommended usage is to use `"priority"` to set rules with strong S/O values (ie. 1.0) to be run first, and make instant spam or ham classification based on that.

  To override a test that uses shortcircuiting, you can set the classification type to `"off"`.

  Note that DNS and other network lookups are launched when SA reaches priority -100.  If you want to shortcircuit scanning before any network queries are sent, you need to set lower than -100 priority to any such rule, like -200 as in the examples below.

  Shortcircuited test will be automatically set to priority -200, but only if the original priority is unchanged at default 0.

  - on

    Shortcircuits the rest of the tests, but does not make a strict classification of spam or ham.  Rather, it uses the default score for the rule being shortcircuited.  This would allow you, for example, to define a rule such as

    ```
      body TEST /test/
      describe TEST test rule that scores barely over spam threshold
      score TEST 5.5
      priority TEST -200
      shortcircuit TEST on
    ```

    The result of a message hitting the above rule would be a final score of 5.5, as opposed to 100 (default) if it were classified as spam.

  - off

    Disables shortcircuiting on said rule.

  - spam

    Shortcircuit the rule using a set of defaults; override the default score of this rule with the score from `"shortcircuit_spam_score"`, set the `"noautolearn"` tflag, and set priority to `-200`.  In other words, equivalent to:

    ```
      shortcircuit TEST on
      priority TEST -200
      score TEST 100
      tflags TEST noautolearn
    ```

  - ham

    Shortcircuit the rule using a set of defaults; override the default score of this rule with the score from `"shortcircuit_ham_score"`, set the `"noautolearn"` and `"nice"` tflags, and set priority to `-200`.   In other words, equivalent to:

    ```
      shortcircuit TEST on
      priority TEST -200
      score TEST -100
      tflags TEST noautolearn nice
    ```

- shortcircuit\_spam\_score n.nn (default: 100)

  When shortcircuit is used on a rule, and the shortcircuit classification type is set to `"spam"`, this value should be applied in place of the default score for that rule.

- shortcircuit\_ham\_score n.nn (default: -100)

  When shortcircuit is used on a rule, and the shortcircuit classification type is set to `"ham"`, this value should be applied in place of the default score for that rule.

- shortcircuit\_min\_ham\_score n.nn (default: undef)

  When shortcircuit\_min\_ham\_score is set, SpamAssassin will stop processing when total score will be lower then this value.

- shortcircuit\_max\_spam\_score n.nn (default: undef)

  When shortcircuit\_max\_spam\_score is set, SpamAssassin will stop processing when total score will be higher then this value.

## TAGS

The following tags are added to the set available for use in reports, headers etc.:

```
  _SC_              shortcircuit status (classification and rule name)
  _SCRULE_          rulename that caused the shortcircuit
  _SCTYPE_          shortcircuit classification ("spam", "ham", "default", "none")
```

## SEE ALSO

`"https://bz.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=3109"`