@Ivan-r I tested this using Gmail, and the verification URL appears as a clickable link in the email. Could you provide more information about the email client or application where the link is not clickable (for example, Outlook, Thunderbird, or the Gmail mobile app)? It would also be helpful to know whether this happens consistently across different email clients.

Thunderbird 140.12.0esr

Do you render that email in your email client as plain text or as HTML?

HTML. In gerrit I also set HTML.

Any chance you could take a look at the raw message source how that (non-)link looks like in there? Should be Ctrl + U or View > Message Source. That email may contain both a plain text and a html version (not sure). (And in case you share another screenshot, yes, please obfuscate personal data or tokens again.)

what the html code contains still does not contain "a" tags, as far as I can see

Change #1305218 had a related patch set uploaded (by Zaidusyy; author: Zaidusyy):

[operations/software/gerrit@wmf/stable-3.10] Add clickable link to email verification message

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1305218

Update: the cause is in the HTML email template RegisterNewEmailHtml.soy —
the link is printed as plain text with no <a> tag around it, which matches the
message source @Ivan-r shared. The plain text email is fine, only the HTML one.

As @Reedy said, this needs to go upstream. Fix submitted here:
https://gerrit-review.googlesource.com/c/gerrit/+/611261

Once merged there, it will reach us with a future Gerrit upgrade. I've left the
local change open in case it's useful in the meantime.

iirc this doesn't require waiting for a gerrit upgrade. The soy template is installed in <gerrit_dir>/etc/mail and so can be changed outside.

https://github.com/wikimedia/operations-puppet/tree/production/modules/gerrit/files/site/etc/mail

@Paladox thanks, I didn't know about the etc/mail override. That's good news, it
means we don't have to wait for an upgrade.

That folder currently only has ChangeSubject.soy and Comment.soy, so I would be
adding RegisterNewEmailHtml.soy as a new file, based on our 3.10 version with
the fix applied. Shall I go ahead and upload that patch?

you can sure.

Change #1316125 had a related patch set uploaded (by Zaidusyy; author: Zaidusyy):

[operations/puppet@production] gerrit: Add RegisterNewEmailHtml.soy site override

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1316125

Change #1316125 merged by Jelto:

[operations/puppet@production] gerrit: Add RegisterNewEmailHtml.soy site override

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1316125

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1316125 got deployed and the new template should have been taken in consideration automatically. The template will be carried as we upgrade Gerrit. We will just have to remember to remove it from our Puppet repository once we upgrade to a version of Gerrit that has it, but it is not a big issue.

Change #1305218 abandoned by Zaidusyy:

[operations/software/gerrit@wmf/stable-3.10] Add clickable link to email verification message

Reason:

Superseded - fixed upstream (611261, merged) and deployed via the puppet site
override (1316125). No longer need the deployment-branch patch.

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1305218