1 files changed, 42 insertions, 2 deletions
diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/receipts.py b/synapse/rest/client/receipts.py
index 14dec7ac4e..18a282b22c 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/receipts.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/receipts.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 import logging
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Tuple
 
-from synapse.api.constants import ReceiptTypes
+from synapse.api.constants import MAIN_TIMELINE, ReceiptTypes
 from synapse.api.errors import Codes, SynapseError
 from synapse.http.server import HttpServer
 from synapse.http.servlet import RestServlet, parse_json_object_from_request
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class ReceiptRestServlet(RestServlet):
                 )
 
             # Ensure the event ID roughly correlates to the thread ID.
-            if thread_id != await self._main_store.get_thread_id(event_id):
+            if not await self._is_event_in_thread(event_id, thread_id):
                 raise SynapseError(
                     400,
                     f"event_id {event_id} is not related to thread {thread_id}",
@@ -109,6 +109,46 @@ class ReceiptRestServlet(RestServlet):
 
         return 200, {}
 
+    async def _is_event_in_thread(self, event_id: str, thread_id: str) -> bool:
+        """
+        The event must be related to the thread ID (in a vague sense) to ensure
+        clients aren't sending bogus receipts.
+
+        A thread ID is considered valid for a given event E if:
+
+        1. E has a thread relation which matches the thread ID;
+        2. E has another event which has a thread relation to E matching the
+           thread ID; or
+        3. E is recursively related (via any rel_type) to an event which
+           satisfies 1 or 2.
+
+        Given the following DAG:
+
+            A <---[m.thread]-- B <--[m.annotation]-- C
+            ^
+            |--[m.reference]-- D <--[m.annotation]-- E
+
+        It is valid to send a receipt for thread A on A, B, C, D, or E.
+
+        It is valid to send a receipt for the main timeline on A, D, and E.
+
+        Args:
+            event_id: The event ID to check.
+            thread_id: The thread ID the event is potentially part of.
+
+        Returns:
+            True if the event belongs to the given thread, otherwise False.
+        """
+
+        # If the receipt is on the main timeline, it is enough to check whether
+        # the event is directly related to a thread.
+        if thread_id == MAIN_TIMELINE:
+            return MAIN_TIMELINE == await self._main_store.get_thread_id(event_id)
+
+        # Otherwise, check if the event is directly part of a thread, or is the
+        # root message (or related to the root message) of a thread.
+        return thread_id == await self._main_store.get_thread_id_for_receipts(event_id)
+
 
 def register_servlets(hs: "HomeServer", http_server: HttpServer) -> None:
     ReceiptRestServlet(hs).register(http_server)