macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install aerclocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install aercMacPorts ports tree · mail/aerc/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install aerc with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Email client that runs in your terminal. Version 0.21.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-02.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add aercAlpine Linux edge package indexes · aerc · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install aercDebian stable package indexes · aerc · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install aercFedora Rawhide package metadata · aerc · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#aercnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ae/aerc/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S aercArch Linux sync databases · aerc · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install aercopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · aerc · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Email client that runs in your terminal
Project links
Commands and aliases
- aerc
- carddav-query
history
Project history and usage
aerc is a terminal email client for users who want a fast, keyboard-driven mail workflow inside the Unix terminal rather than a graphical mail application. Its official site describes it as an email client that runs in the terminal, with embedded-terminal composition, Vim-style key bindings, an ex-command system, Git-and-email workflows, and support for IMAP, JMAP, Maildir, Notmuch, Mbox, SMTP, and sendmail.
Project history
The project is hosted on SourceHut at git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc and publishes release tags beginning with the 0.x series. Its public project identity has stayed close to hacker-oriented terminal mail: the homepage slogan is "a pretty good email client", and the official SourceHut summary says it is a pretty good email client that runs in your terminal.
The project has continued as an actively maintained SourceHut project, with source, releases, mailing lists, bug tracker, and wiki all linked from the official homepage. The homepage also links FOSDEM 2024 and FOSDEM 2025 aerc material, reflecting a project with conference-facing Unix desktop and email-culture presence rather than a quiet one-off utility.
Adoption history
aerc is packaged across mainstream Unix package ecosystems, including Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, and openSUSE according to the supplied package-manager facts. That breadth is a useful signal for a terminal mail client: package maintainers consider it a normal installable tool rather than a source-only niche.
Its adoption niche overlaps with developers who use email as part of source-control workflows. The homepage calls out first-class support for working with git and email, a notable feature for users who review and send patches through mailing lists.
How it is used
Users configure aerc through XDG-style configuration files under the aerc config directory. The official aerc-config manpage says aerc uses aerc.conf, binds.conf, and accounts.conf under XDG config home plus aerc, defaulting to ~/.config/aerc, and that alternate files can be supplied on the command line.
The accounts.conf file is security-sensitive. The official aerc-accounts manpage says it configures mail accounts, defaults to ~/.config/aerc/accounts.conf, may include account credentials, and must be kept secret. The config manpage also documents that accounts.conf permissions are expected to be restrictive unless the unsafe-accounts-conf option is explicitly enabled.
Why package nerds care
aerc matters to package nerds because it is a modern terminal mail client with a broad backend matrix and a Unix-native configuration model. It sits in the same cultural space as mutt/neomutt and alpine, but with Go-era packaging, SourceHut-native development, and explicit Git email support.
The package is also a good example of how terminal applications increasingly bundle rich workflows without leaving the terminal: embedded terminal composition, terminal browser rendering, patch highlighting, threading, PGP integration, and asynchronous network support are all advertised by the project itself.
Timeline
- 0.1.0: Earliest public release tag visible in the official SourceHut repository.
- 2024: Official homepage links a FOSDEM 2024 aerc talk.
- 2025: Official homepage links FOSDEM 2025 aerc slides.
- 2026: SourceHut repository remains active, with 0.21.0 visible among release tags.
Related projects
- Related tools and protocols include IMAP, JMAP, Maildir, Notmuch, Mbox, SMTP, sendmail, GnuPG, git-send-email, mutt, neomutt, and SourceHut mailing-list workflows.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:client
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aerc/aerc.conf~/.config/aerc/aerc.conf
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aerc/accounts.conf~/.config/aerc/accounts.conf
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
aerc | cli | global executable | |
carddav-query | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.21.0
manager updated2026-07-02
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://aerc-mail.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:aerc |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.21.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/aerc |
| Homepage | https://aerc-mail.org/ |
| Repository | https://git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc |
| Upstream docs | https://aerc-mail.org/ |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc/archive/0.21.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-02T11:12:14-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | notmuch |
| Build dependencies | go, scdoc |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | aerc |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
aerc 0.20.0-2+b1
Pretty Good Email Client
sudo apt install aerc- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: aerc
- 4 dependencies
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
Nix95%
aerc
nix profile install nixpkgs#aerc- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
Ubuntu apt95%
aerc 0.17.0-1build2
Pretty Good Email Client
sudo apt install aerc- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- 5 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
apk95%
aerc 0.21.0-r8
email client for your terminal
sudo apk add aerc- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aerc
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
apk95%
aerc-doc 0.21.0-r8
email client for your terminal (documentation)
sudo apk add aerc-doc- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aerc
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
dnf95%
aerc 0.21.0-5.fc44
Email client for your terminal
https://git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc
sudo dnf install aerc- License: MIT AND Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND ISC
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aerc
- 8 dependencies
- 4 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
pacman95%
aerc 0.21.0-1
Email Client for your Terminal
https://git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc
sudo pacman -S aerc- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 3 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
zypper95%
aerc 0.21.0-1.4
An email client for terminals
sudo zypper install aerc- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Email/Clients
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: aerc
- 7 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
MacPorts95%
aerc
sudo port install aerc- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Aerc
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment