macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lbdblocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install lbdbMacPorts ports tree · mail/lbdb/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install lbdb with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper
Little brother's database for the mutt mail reader. Version 0.57 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install elpa-lbdbDebian stable package indexes · elpa-lbdb · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install lbdbFedora Rawhide package metadata · lbdb · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#lbdbnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/lb/lbdb/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install lbdbopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · lbdb · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Little brother's database for the mutt mail reader
Project links
Commands and aliases
- lbdb-fetchaddr
- lbdb_dotlock
- lbdbq
- mutt_ldap_query
- nodelist2lbdb
history
Project history and usage
lbdb, the Little Brother's Database, is an address lookup helper associated with the Mutt mail reader.
Project history
The official lbdb page names Thomas Roessler as the initial author and Roland Rosenfeld as maintainer. It says the package was inspired by the Emacs Big Brother Database package and Brandon Long's external query patch for Mutt, a patch incorporated into Mutt starting with Mutt 0.93.
Adoption history
lbdb's long package-manager footprint comes from its fit with text-mode mail workflows: the input data lists Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and openSUSE packaging.
How it is used
Users query it with `lbdbq <something>`. The official page says lbdbq invokes modules to gather matching person records from sources such as received-mail address lists, YP maps, and finger lookups.
Why package nerds care
lbdb is a classic Unix mail add-on: it is small, modular, and oriented around composing tools such as Mutt rather than replacing them with a full contact manager.
Timeline
- Mutt 0.93 era: Mutt incorporated the external query patch that helped motivate lbdb.
- 2017-12-03: The maintainer GitHub repository referenced from the official site was created.
- 2026-01-17: The maintainer GitHub repository metadata showed activity on that date.
Related projects
- The official page relates lbdb to Mutt, Big Brother Database for Emacs mailers, YP maps, finger, LDAP query tooling, and lbdb's own helper commands such as lbdb-fetchaddr and mutt_ldap_query.
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:database
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime 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
/usr/local/etc/lbdb.rc$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lbdb/config~/.lbdbrc~/.lbdb/lbdbrc~/.lbdb/rc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
lbdb-fetchaddr | cli | global executable | |
lbdb_dotlock | cli | global executable | |
lbdbq | cli | global executable | |
mutt_ldap_query | cli | global executable | |
nodelist2lbdb | 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 version0.57
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:lbdb |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.57 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/lbdb |
| Homepage | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/Rolander/lbdb |
| Upstream docs | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/download/lbdb-0.57.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | abook, khard |
| 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 | lbdb |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| 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%
elpa-lbdb 0.56-1
Little Brother's DataBase Emacs extensions
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
sudo apt install elpa-lbdb- Section: lisp
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: lbdb
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
Debian apt95%
lbdb 0.56-1
Little Brother's DataBase for the mutt mail reader
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
sudo apt install lbdb- Section: mail
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- 11 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
Nix95%
lbdb
nix profile install nixpkgs#lbdb- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
Ubuntu apt95%
elpa-lbdb 0.52.1-1build1
Little Brother's DataBase Emacs extensions
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
sudo apt install elpa-lbdb- Section: universe/lisp
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: lbdb
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
Ubuntu apt95%
lbdb 0.52.1-1build1
Little Brother's DataBase for the mutt mail reader
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
sudo apt install lbdb- Section: mail
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- 11 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
dnf95%
lbdb 0.41-23.fc44
Address Database for mutt
sudo dnf install lbdb- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: lbdb
- 6 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
zypper95%
lbdb 0.52.1-1.8
Address Database for mutt
https://www.spinnaker.de/lbdb/
sudo zypper install lbdb- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Email/Utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: lbdb
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
MacPorts95%
lbdb
sudo port install lbdb- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lbdb
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