# Install claws-mail with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper User-friendly, lightweight, and fast email client. Version 4.4.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-14. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:claws-mail ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install claws-mail ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install claws-mail ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/claws-mail/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add claws-mail ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: claws-mail from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install claws-mail ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install claws-mail ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: claws-mail from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#claws-mail ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/cl/claws-mail/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S claws-mail ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: claws-mail from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install claws-mail ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: claws-mail from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install extras/claws-mail ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/claws-mail.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id ClawsMail.ClawsMail -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: ClawsMail.ClawsMail from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:claws-mail - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 4.4.0 - **Source summary:** User-friendly, lightweight, and fast email client - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-14T23:21:49Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - claws-mail (cli) - claws-mail (alias) ## Dependencies - at-spi2-core - cairo - gdk-pixbuf - gettext - glib - gnutls - gtk+3 - harfbuzz - libetpan - nettle - openssl@3 - pango ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 4.4.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.claws-mail.org/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Claws Mail is a GTK-based email and news client known for being lightweight, fast, and extensible. Its official manual traces the project to April 2001, when it began as Sylpheed-Claws, a development test bed for Sylpheed features, before becoming an independent project and taking the Claws Mail name in November 2006. ### Project history The official manual says Sylpheed-Claws was created so new mail-client features could be tested without compromising Sylpheed stability, with developers regularly synchronizing with Hiroyuki Yamamoto's Sylpheed codebase. The projects later diverged: work on GTK2 started in early 2003, the first GTK2-based Sylpheed-Claws release arrived in March 2005, and the project became Claws Mail in 2006. Claws Mail continued to emphasize a traditional Unix desktop mail-client model: multiple accounts and mailboxes, POP3, IMAP, local mbox, SSL, authentication methods, filtering, searching, import/export, GnuPG, plugins, configurable toolbars, per-folder preferences, and safeguards against data loss. ### Adoption history The package has broad distribution coverage across Unix-like and Windows package ecosystems. The batch metadata lists Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, Alpine, Nix, MacPorts, Scoop, and WinGet package names, which reflects its long life as a cross-platform desktop utility rather than a single-distro niche app. The official news page for 4.4.0 on 2026-03-09 calls that release the project's 25-year milestone, showing continued upstream maintenance into the mid-2020s. ### How it is used Claws Mail is used as a graphical mail and news reader for users who want a fast, configurable client without a full personal-information-manager stack. Official FAQ entries document MH mail storage, local Unix mailbox handling, POP3, IMAP, SMTP-only accounts, GPG support, filtering, plugins, address completion, and an explicit no-HTML-message-composition stance. ### Why package nerds care For package maintainers, Claws Mail is interesting because it is a mature GTK desktop application with many optional integrations: TLS, libetpan, GPG, spam filtering, HTML rendering plugins, notification plugins, translations, manuals, and platform-specific packaging. It is also a useful example of an old-school GUI mail client that remains packageable across Unix package managers and Windows package catalogs. ### Timeline - 2001: Sylpheed-Claws begins in April as a Sylpheed feature test bed. - 2003: GTK2 work begins for Sylpheed and Sylpheed-Claws. - 2005: First GTK2-based Sylpheed-Claws release appears in March. - 2006: The project changes its name to Claws Mail in November. - 2026: Claws Mail 4.4.0 release notes mark 25 years of the project. ### Related projects - Sylpheed is the direct ancestor and early upstream counterpart named in the Claws Mail manual. - The official manual positions Claws Mail beside other mail clients such as Evolution and Outlook by saying it is not a full personal information manager. - Plugins and related tools include GnuPG support, Bogofilter, SpamAssassin, mailMBOX, RSSyl, notification plugins, and HTML display plugins documented by the manual, FAQ, and release notes. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for claws-mail. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## 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 - Unix: ~/.claws-mail/clawsrc, ~/.claws-mail/accountrc, ~/.claws-mail/actionsrc, ~/.claws-mail/customheaderrc, ~/.claws-mail/dispheaderrc, ~/.claws-mail/folderitemrc, ~/.claws-mail/folderlist.xml, ~/.claws-mail/matcherrc, ~/.claws-mail/menurc, ~/.claws-mail/addrbook/addrbook-*.xml ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.claws-mail/passwordstorerc, ~/.claws-mail/oauth2rc ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** claws-mail - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 3 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - claws-mail - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Fast, lightweight and user-friendly GTK based email client | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-acpi-notifier - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-acpi-notifier from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Laptop's Mail LED control for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-address-keeper - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-address-keeper from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Address keeper plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-archiver-plugin - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-archiver-plugin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Archiver plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-attach-remover - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-attach-remover from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Mail attachment remover for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-attach-warner - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-attach-warner from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Missing attachment warnings for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-bogofilter - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-bogofilter from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Bogofilter plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-bsfilter-plugin - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-bsfilter-plugin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Spam filtering using bsfilter for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-clamd-plugin - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-clamd-plugin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | ClamAV socket-based plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-dillo-viewer - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-dillo-viewer from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | HTML viewer plugin for Claws Mail using Dillo | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-doc - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | User documentation for Claws Mail mailer | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-extra-plugins - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-extra-plugins from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Extra plugins collection for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-fancy-plugin - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-fancy-plugin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | HTML mail viewer using GTK WebKit | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-feeds-reader - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-feeds-reader from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Feeds (RSS/Atom/RDF) reader plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-fetchinfo-plugin - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-fetchinfo-plugin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Add X-FETCH headers plugin for Claws Mail | https://www.claws-mail.org - Debian apt - claws-mail-i18n - 4.3.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: claws-mail-i18n from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Locale data for Claws Mail (i18n support) | https://www.claws-mail.org ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [cairo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cairo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gdk-pixbuf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdk-pixbuf/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glib/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gnutls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnutls/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gtk+3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gtk-3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [harfbuzz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/harfbuzz/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [mutt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mutt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, email-client, productivity. - [neomutt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/neomutt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, mail-client, productivity. - [himalaya](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/himalaya/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [mailcheck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mailcheck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [meli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [neverest](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/neverest/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [offlineimap](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/offlineimap/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, imap, productivity. - [aerc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aerc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, productivity. - [sylpheed](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sylpheed/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, client, core. - [cherrytree](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cherrytree/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, core, gdk. - [grsync](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grsync/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, core, gdk. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/claws-mail.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/claws-mail.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph