diff --git a/src/documents/consumer.py b/src/documents/consumer.py
index f36ff7ee2..95f707010 100644
--- a/src/documents/consumer.py
+++ b/src/documents/consumer.py
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ from documents.templating.workflows import parse_w_workflow_placeholders
 from documents.utils import copy_basic_file_stats
 from documents.utils import copy_file_with_basic_stats
 from documents.utils import run_subprocess
+from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 from paperless.parsers.mail import MailDocumentParser
 from paperless.parsers.text import TextDocumentParser
 from paperless.parsers.tika import TikaDocumentParser
@@ -473,16 +474,14 @@ class ConsumerPlugin(
                 ConsumerStatusShortMessage.PARSING_DOCUMENT,
             )
             self.log.debug(f"Parsing {self.filename}...")
-            if (
-                isinstance(document_parser, MailDocumentParser)
-                and self.input_doc.mailrule_id
-            ):
-                document_parser.mailrule_id = self.input_doc.mailrule_id
             if isinstance(
                 document_parser,
                 (MailDocumentParser, TextDocumentParser, TikaDocumentParser),
             ):
                 # TODO(stumpylog): Remove me in the future when all parsers use new protocol
+                document_parser.configure(
+                    ParserContext(mailrule_id=self.input_doc.mailrule_id),
+                )
                 document_parser.parse(self.working_copy, mime_type)
             else:
                 document_parser.parse(self.working_copy, mime_type, self.filename)
diff --git a/src/paperless/parsers/__init__.py b/src/paperless/parsers/__init__.py
index ea67ade00..c9c1530a5 100644
--- a/src/paperless/parsers/__init__.py
+++ b/src/paperless/parsers/__init__.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ Usage example (third-party parser)::
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 from typing import Protocol
 from typing import Self
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
 
 __all__ = [
     "MetadataEntry",
+    "ParserContext",
     "ParserProtocol",
 ]
 
@@ -73,6 +75,44 @@ class MetadataEntry(TypedDict):
     """String representation of the field value."""
 
 
+@dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
+class ParserContext:
+    """Immutable context passed to a parser before parse().
+
+    The consumer assembles this from the ingestion event and Django
+    settings, then calls ``parser.configure(context)`` before
+    ``parser.parse()``.  Parsers read only the fields relevant to them;
+    unneeded fields are ignored.
+
+    ``frozen=True`` prevents accidental mutation after the consumer
+    hands the context off.  ``slots=True`` keeps instances lightweight.
+
+    Fields
+    ------
+    mailrule_id : int | None
+        Primary key of the ``MailRule`` that triggered this ingestion,
+        or ``None`` when the document did not arrive via a mail rule.
+        Used by ``MailDocumentParser`` to select the PDF layout.
+
+    Notes
+    -----
+    Future fields (not yet implemented):
+
+    * ``output_type`` — PDF/A variant for archive generation
+      (replaces ``settings.OCR_OUTPUT_TYPE`` reads inside parsers).
+    * ``ocr_mode`` — skip-text, redo, force, etc.
+      (replaces ``settings.OCR_MODE`` reads inside parsers).
+    * ``ocr_language`` — Tesseract language string.
+      (replaces ``settings.OCR_LANGUAGE`` reads inside parsers).
+
+    When those fields are added the consumer will read from Django
+    settings once and populate them here, decoupling parsers from
+    ``settings.*`` entirely.
+    """
+
+    mailrule_id: int | None = None
+
+
 @runtime_checkable
 class ParserProtocol(Protocol):
     """Structural contract for all Paperless-ngx document parsers.
@@ -191,6 +231,21 @@ class ParserProtocol(Protocol):
     # Core parsing interface
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    def configure(self, context: ParserContext) -> None:
+        """Apply source context before parse().
+
+        Called by the consumer after instantiation and before parse().
+        The default implementation is a no-op; parsers override only the
+        fields they need.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        context:
+            Immutable context assembled by the consumer for this
+            specific ingestion event.
+        """
+        ...
+
     def parse(
         self,
         document_path: Path,
diff --git a/src/paperless/parsers/mail.py b/src/paperless/parsers/mail.py
index 9b73ae2e1..f00bd5663 100644
--- a/src/paperless/parsers/mail.py
+++ b/src/paperless/parsers/mail.py
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from types import TracebackType
 
     from paperless.parsers import MetadataEntry
+    from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("paperless.parsing.mail")
 
@@ -66,10 +67,10 @@ class MailDocumentParser:
     EML files cannot be rendered natively in a browser, the parser always
     produces a PDF rendition (requires_pdf_rendition=True).
 
-    The mailrule_id instance attribute may be set by the consumer before
-    calling parse() to apply mail-rule-specific PDF layout options:
+    Pass a ``ParserContext`` to ``configure()`` before ``parse()`` to
+    apply mail-rule-specific PDF layout options:
 
-        parser.mailrule_id = rule.pk
+        parser.configure(ParserContext(mailrule_id=rule.pk))
         parser.parse(path, mime_type)
 
     Class attributes
@@ -172,7 +173,7 @@ class MailDocumentParser:
         self._text: str | None = None
         self._date: datetime.datetime | None = None
         self._archive_path: Path | None = None
-        self.mailrule_id: int | None = None
+        self._mailrule_id: int | None = None
 
     def __enter__(self) -> Self:
         return self
@@ -190,6 +191,9 @@ class MailDocumentParser:
     # Core parsing interface
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    def configure(self, context: ParserContext) -> None:
+        self._mailrule_id = context.mailrule_id
+
     def parse(
         self,
         document_path: Path,
@@ -199,7 +203,7 @@ class MailDocumentParser:
     ) -> None:
         """Parse the given .eml into formatted text and a PDF archive.
 
-        The consumer may set ``self.mailrule_id`` before calling this method
+        Call ``configure(ParserContext(mailrule_id=...))`` before this method
         to apply mail-rule-specific PDF layout options.  The ``produce_archive``
         flag is accepted for protocol compatibility but is always honoured —
         the mail parser always produces a PDF since EML files cannot be
@@ -269,8 +273,8 @@ class MailDocumentParser:
             self._date = mail.date
 
         logger.debug("Creating a PDF from the email")
-        if self.mailrule_id:
-            rule = MailRule.objects.get(pk=self.mailrule_id)
+        if self._mailrule_id:
+            rule = MailRule.objects.get(pk=self._mailrule_id)
             self._archive_path = self.generate_pdf(mail, rule.pdf_layout)
         else:
             self._archive_path = self.generate_pdf(mail)
diff --git a/src/paperless/parsers/text.py b/src/paperless/parsers/text.py
index 99d9dab08..00d738995 100644
--- a/src/paperless/parsers/text.py
+++ b/src/paperless/parsers/text.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from types import TracebackType
 
     from paperless.parsers import MetadataEntry
+    from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("paperless.parsing.text")
 
@@ -156,6 +157,9 @@ class TextDocumentParser:
     # Core parsing interface
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    def configure(self, context: ParserContext) -> None:
+        pass
+
     def parse(
         self,
         document_path: Path,
diff --git a/src/paperless/parsers/tika.py b/src/paperless/parsers/tika.py
index b9307858a..f7e41e444 100644
--- a/src/paperless/parsers/tika.py
+++ b/src/paperless/parsers/tika.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from types import TracebackType
 
     from paperless.parsers import MetadataEntry
+    from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("paperless.parsing.tika")
 
@@ -205,6 +206,9 @@ class TikaDocumentParser:
     # Core parsing interface
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    def configure(self, context: ParserContext) -> None:
+        pass
+
     def parse(
         self,
         document_path: Path,
diff --git a/src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_mail_parser.py b/src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_mail_parser.py
index 316489dba..cfcd341d6 100644
--- a/src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_mail_parser.py
+++ b/src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_mail_parser.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from pytest_httpx import HTTPXMock
 from pytest_mock import MockerFixture
 
 from documents.parsers import ParseError
+from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 from paperless.parsers.mail import MailDocumentParser
 
 
@@ -711,7 +712,7 @@ class TestParser:
 
         def test_layout_option(layout_option, expected_calls, expected_pdf_names):
             mock_mailrule_get.return_value = mock.Mock(pdf_layout=layout_option)
-            mail_parser.mailrule_id = 1
+            mail_parser.configure(ParserContext(mailrule_id=1))
             mail_parser.parse(
                 document_path=html_email_file,
                 mime_type="message/rfc822",