install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install gmailctl

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install gmailctl

MacPorts ports tree · mail/gmailctl/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install gmailctl

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · gmailctl · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#gmailctl

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/gm/gmailctl/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Declarative configuration for Gmail filters

Project links

Commands and aliases

gmailctl

history

Project history and usage

gmailctl is a Go command-line tool for maintaining Gmail filters as declarative Jsonnet configuration. It treats mail filtering rules as code: users edit a local configuration, review a diff, and apply the result through the Gmail API instead of importing XML filters by hand.

Project history

The public repository was created in 2018 by Marco Bertoni. The README frames the project around a practical frustration with long, hard-to-audit Gmail filter lists and contrasts gmailctl with tools that generate XML for manual import.

The project developed around a small CLI surface: init, edit, diff, apply, download, export, and debug. Versioned GitHub releases show a 0.x series continuing from 2021 through 2026, with prebuilt binaries and Go installation documented upstream.

Adoption history

gmailctl's adoption story is that of a focused personal-infrastructure tool rather than a large ecosystem platform. It reached package managers such as Homebrew, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, and Snap, making a Gmail-account automation workflow installable through normal workstation provisioning.

The repository's star count and package availability indicate a recognizable niche among users who want email rules to live in version control and code review, especially people already comfortable with command-line tools and declarative configuration.

How it is used

Practitioners run gmailctl init to set up Gmail API access, then use gmailctl edit or a local Jsonnet file to maintain filters. The tool can show diffs against Gmail settings, apply the local configuration, export XML, and download existing filters as a migration starting point.

Its main operational value is repeatability: filter rules can be reviewed, backed up, refactored, and reapplied, while credentials and tokens stay in the gmailctl configuration directory.

Why package nerds care

For package users, gmailctl is a small example of SaaS configuration drifting into dotfile territory. It packages the hidden state of a Gmail account as a CLI-managed artifact, so a mail workflow can be installed and upgraded alongside other command-line tools.

Timeline

2018: Public GitHub repository created.
2021: Version 0.10.0 published in the GitHub releases stream.
2026: Version 0.12.0 published.

Related projects

gmail-britta is cited by the README as an earlier Gmail-filter DSL approach based around XML import.
Jsonnet supplies the configuration language used for composable Gmail filter definitions.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for gmailctl. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 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/gmailctl/config.jsonnet~/.config/gmailctl/config.jsonnet~/.gmailctl/config.jsonnet

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gmailctl/credentials.json$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gmailctl/token.json~/.config/gmailctl/credentials.json~/.config/gmailctl/token.json~/.gmailctl/credentials.json~/.gmailctl/token.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`gmailctl`	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 version0.12.0

manager updated2026-05-19

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.12.0

https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:gmailctl
Version	0.12.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gmailctl
Homepage	https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl
Repository	https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl
Upstream docs	https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl/archive/refs/tags/v0.12.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-19T12:54:23Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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	gmailctl
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	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

gmailctl

nix profile install nixpkgs#gmailctl

normalized package name match
Matched by: Gmailctl

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gm/gmailctl/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

dnf95%

gmailctl 0.12.0-1.fc45

Declarative configuration for Gmail filters

https://github.com/mbrt/gmailctl

sudo dnf install gmailctl

License: Apache-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause AND ISC AND MIT AND MPL-2.0
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: gmailctl
3 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Gmailctl

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gmailctl from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

MacPorts95%

gmailctl

sudo port install gmailctl

normalized package name match
Matched by: Gmailctl

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: mail/gmailctl/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/gmailctl.yml

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

Install gmailctl with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts, Nix